| We all know how nice it can be to have our bodies | | | | experienced with the art of purposeful rubbing. The |
| touched and rubbed. A massage therapist is a person | | | | legendary "Yellow Emporer" of ancient China, who is |
| who has been trained to provide this type of pleasure | | | | considered the inventor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, |
| in a concentrated and therapeutic way. Massage | | | | recommended massage of the skin and deep tissues |
| therapy can loosen up tight muscles in order to | | | | as an integral partof his developing medical philosophy. |
| alleviate pain, to stimulate the immune system, and to | | | | You can see that the roots of all eastern and western |
| reduce the effects of chronic stress. It is interesting to | | | | systems of medicine developed around the inclusion of |
| understand the origins of this practice so that we can | | | | not only chemical treatments for illnesses, but also the |
| see the theoretical foundations of the experiences that | | | | use of massage to stimulate the body's own natural |
| we enjoy in the modern day. | | | | healing capacities. We now know that massage |
| Nearly every ancient culture had a term for "massage" | | | | activates the lymphic system in order to help the body |
| and a tradition of rubbing and kneading the flesh for | | | | clear out waste and infectious material, and well as |
| therapeutic benefit. Throughout recorded history, | | | | improving circulation which aids in delivering immune |
| people have experimented with and found effective | | | | cells to the sites where they are needed. |
| means for healing the body through direct manipulation | | | | Furthermore, it is interesting and important to note that |
| of its soft tissues, including not only the muscles and | | | | the focus of ancient medicine was not strictly |
| connective tissues but also the lymphatic vessels and | | | | ameliorative in any of the major medical traditions that |
| the body's deep organ tissues. | | | | precursored today's medicinal systems. Instead, |
| Each culture has had its own distinctive tradition of | | | | preventative medicine was a major part of the |
| massage therapy. The ancient Hebrews mentioned | | | | medical philosophies. It was almost universally |
| massage in the Bible in around 493 BC, talking about | | | | recognized in ancient times that healthy-looking and |
| how even at that early date they were making use of | | | | healthy-feeling people are almost assuredly more |
| regular massage as a way of maintaining a healthy | | | | healthy, and so the promotion of beauty and happiness |
| and beautiful physical appearance. The famous Greek | | | | were considered extremely important for a long and |
| natural philosopher Hippocrates, after whom the | | | | lustrous life. It is fortunate that modern medicine is |
| Hippocratic oath of modern physicians is modeled, | | | | beginning to rediscover this basic truth. |
| wrote about how important it is that a physician be | | | | |