So Why is Massage so Good For Me? (Cont...)

          Let’s pick up from where we left off the last blog entry where we were discussing why receiving massage is so good for us.  We found that some key benefits of massage include reduced stress, decreased anxiety, enhanced sleep quality and reduced fatigue.   Now, let’s continue the discussion and some other important ones to our massage perks list:

•          Improved Circulation
•          Blood Pressure Regulation
•          Improved Lymph Flow
•          Improved Condition of Muscles
•          Avoidance of Muscle Injury

 A well-functioning circulation system is essential to good health.  Blood, the essential mover of our circulation system, plays a key role in delivering Oxygen and nutrients to our tissues and taking CO2 and wastes away.  Sometimes this system can become inefficient especially when blood stagnates in certain areas of the body. One way this can happen is if you sit too long in one position with very little movement, blood flow slows down (due to muscle inactivity) and gravity causes blood to pool.  The result is less nutrient-rich blood coming to the tissues and less nutrient-poor blood leaving.   

Overworked and sore muscles can also cause blood stagnation because the muscles become hard and less penetrable for blood to pass.  And so once again, the Oxygenated/Carbonated blood interchange is compromised in these areas.  Massage can remedy this situation by acting as a mechanical pump that squeezes nutrient-poor blood out of the area, allowing nutrient-rich blood to flow in its place.  With blood flow increased, the cells are revitalized and more efficient at fending of disease.

Blood pressure regulation relates closely to the circulation system and is extremely important.  Many studies have suggested that receiving massage can treat certain conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure).  This is because massage acts on pressure receptors that prompt action from the Vagus nerve, a nerve that emerges from the brain and is key in regulating blood pressure.  In a 2005 study at the University of South Florida, hypertension patients who received 10 massages of 10 minutes each over three weeks showed significant improvements in blood pressure compared to a control group who simply rested in the same environment without any massage. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/09/03/five-surprising-benefits-of-massage.html)

  Well, I think that enough technical jargon for you to absorb for one blog entry!  Next time, we’ll talk about how receiving massage can improve Lymph flow, the condition of your muscles and avoid injury to muscles.