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Who doesn't like a good massage? Massage therapy is the manipulation of the muscles and soft body tissues. More and more people are using massage as a means to improve their overall quality of life physically and emotionally. There are many benefits of using massage therapy including:

Enhances your immune system by increasing your body's defense hormones, known as lymphs, and also increasing your white blood cell count to help fight off disease and other foreign materials that may have entered the body. It also increases blood flow throughout the body thus providing more oxygen to the body's essential organs.

Relieves lower back pain, arthritis pain and migraine headaches by providing a general relaxation of the entire body.

Aids in relieving the symptoms of depression, anxiety and tension by releasing the chemicals serotonin and endorphins in your brain and also helps to reduce the high respiratory rates that come with it. The reduction in respiratory rates and the improvement of pulmonary function also helps soothe the symptoms of asthma in children.

Facilitates digestion and intestinal function by increasing the secretion of saliva and gastric juices and also by increasing the excretion of other juices that slow down your metabolism.

Helps to alleviate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. It may also shorten the length of hospital stays for expectant mothers and ease the pain of labor.

There are over eighty different kinds of massage therapy. Here we will discuss the five most popular styles:

Swedish Massage Therapy: This is the most common form of massage therapy. It is best to start with this type of therapy before moving into the other forms of massage. Swedish massage therapy improves circulation in the body and can be very relaxing. It relieves pain and tension in the muscles, improves flexibility and helps reduce stiffness in muscles and joints. The therapist will use strokes that target the superficial layers of muscle. Massage lotions or oils are also used in this type of massage.

Back Massage: Some sort of muscle strain such as a sports injury, heavy lifting or a fall causes most back pain. The large muscles of the back become inflamed and sore. A popular form of back massage is ice therapy. Ice therapy can be used to treat back and neck pain and can also be used in conjunction with other treatments. Ice therapy used with back massage provides a tremendous amount of relief.

Hot Stone Massage: Hot stone massage uses stones that are smooth and heated. The

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