Benefits Gained from Using a Massage Therapist

Most would agree that getting a massage is a luxury, though now, it can be considered an added benefit in a clinical setting.

Not just for Pampering yourself

Of course, people enjoy pampering themselves with a massage every now and again but looking at the added benefits in getting a massage can be life changing for some. Whether you need a massage therapist for health issues, such as a debilitating disease, tension headaches, arthritis, or even carpal tunnel syndrome, getting a massage that targets those specific areas, benefit your daily life and well-being. Massage therapy has been proven to relieve pain, reduce blood pressure, and even reduce anxiety and/or depression. Some theories suggest that massage therapy activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which may stimulate the release of endorphins and serotonin. Massages can prevent fibrosis or scar tissue, increase the flow of lymph and even improve sleep!

According to a 2007 American Massage Therapy Association survey, almost a quarter of all adult Americans had at least one massage in the previous year. More and more people are recognizing the health benefits of getting a massage. They choose from many massage styles to get relief from pain or to heal old or present injuries, to help with certain health conditions or disease, and to promote overall health and well-being.

Physical therapy, sometimes called physiotherapy and often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession primarily concerned with the remediation of physical impairments and disabilities. To accomplish the needed therapy the promotion of mobility, functional ability and movement potential are addressed. First there is a through examination, evaluation and diagnosis. Then the prescribed physical therapy is applied.

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. The goal of AAT is to improve a patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Advocates state that animals can be useful for educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. A therapist who brings along a pet may be viewed as being less threatening, increasing the rapport between patient and therapist. Animals used in therapy include domesticated pets, farm animals and marine mammals (such as dolphins).

Starting in the 1950s Carl Rogers brought Person-centered psychotherapy into mainstream focus.

Most forms of psychotherapy use spoken conversation. Some also use various other forms of communication such as the written word, artwork, drama, narrative story or music. Psychotherapy with children and their parents often involves play, dramatization (i.e. role-play), and drawing, with a co-constructed narrative from these non-verbal and displaced modes of interacting.[10] Psychotherapy occurs within a structured encounter between a trained therapist and client(s). Purposeful, theoretically based psychotherapy began in the 19th century with psychoanalysis; since then, scores of other approaches have been developed and continue to be created.

 A prevention or preventive measure is a way to avoid an injury, sickness, or disease in the first place, and generally it will not help someone who is already ill (though there are exceptions). For instance, many babies in developed countries are given a polio vaccination soon after they are born, which prevents them from contracting polio. But the vaccination does not work on patients who already have polio. A treatment or cure is applied after a medical problem has already started.

In addition to (or in place of) the intended therapeutic effect of a treatment, a therapist may cause undesired (adverse) effects as well. When an adverse effect is weaker than the therapeutic effect, one commonly speaks of a "side effect".