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Pain And Healing Powers Of Massage

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massage ourselves nearly every day. The natural reaction to reach out and touch a painful part of the body forms the basis of massage. As long ago as 3000 BC massage was used as a therapy in the Far East, making it one of the oldest treatments used by humans. In 5 BC in ancient Greece, Hippocrates recommended that to maintain health, a massage using oils should be taken daily after a perfumed bath. Greek physicians were well used to treating people who suffered from pain and stiffness in the joints. The relaxation and healing powers of massage have been well documented over the past 5000 years.

The therapeutic value of applying oils and rubbing parts of the body to lessen pain and prevent illness was recognised amongst the ancient Mediterranean civilisations. In ancient times scented oils were almost always used when giving massages, creating an early form of aromatherapy massage.

Massage increased in popularity when, in the 19th century, Per Henrik Ling, a Swedish fencing master and academic, created the basis for what is now known as Swedish massage. Swedish massage deals with the soft tissues of the body. It is a combination of relaxing effects and exercises that work on the joints and muscles but it is still based on the form that was practised in ancient times. More recently, a work was published in the 1970 's called The Massage Book by George Downing and this introduced a new concept in the overall technique of massage, that the whole person 's state should be

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