by Judy Furniss

Created on: April 05, 2008

Touch has been proven essential to relieve people from emotional and physical pain for many centuries. Watch someone with a tight muscle, causing them discomfort. Their natural instinct is to massage the area where the pain is. If someone is suffering emotionally, your first impulse is to comfort him or her by taking them into your arms. Yes, touch is a wonderful healing agent.

Do you suffer from headaches? Chances are it generated from an abundance of stress. Through the years we have been bombarded with advertisements selling pain relievers to ease the tension of headache pain, when the only thing needed is a neck massage. The Sternocleidomastoid muscle holds a lot of stress and can be messaged from the attachment to the insertion of the muscle, releasing the tension and your headache will be gone within a matter of minutes.

If your hands start to tingle or you have pain shooting down your arm because of repetitious motion, massage will release the blocked energy and flush out lactic acid that builds up when the muscle is overused. Circulation then begins to flow evenly, healing and replenishing the muscle. The pain will be alleviated as well.

In today's society, now more than ever, people carry added stress, trying juggle their work schedule to fit in with the family's needs. When you're given that constant pressure, your body goes into fight or flight mode. Adrenaline is pumped through your system to get you through the ordeal of the day, then when it is over you are left exhausted and spent. If you don't replenish your body's needs with rest and relaxation, your muscles will start to rebel. Deep tissue massage and Shiatsu releases the toxins, lactic acid, and relieves pain. Your body will go back into homeostasis, where the mind, soul and body will connect once again.

Have you noticed people who are grieving the loss of a loved one, going through a divorce, or experiencing some other agonizing situation, often come down with a serious illness themselves during that period of time? The body reacts to the added stress by building up toxins and storing them in the weakest area of your body. Ongoing, unrelieved stress will cause the body to become run down, and eventually you will become sick.

I truly believe frequent massages are vital to give the body the opportunity to balance and heal itself. It is imperative to take care of yourself by getting regular massages, especially when you are going through a tough time in your life.

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