"I get a daily massage!"
Massage is believed to be oldest and simplest form of medical
care. During Jesus' time there was laying of hands and often by the recipients faith in the power of energy from God the illness would miraculously be healed. Egyptian tomb paintings show people being massaged. In Eastern cultures, massage has
been practiced continually since ancient times. A Chinese book from 2,700 B.C., The
Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, recommends 'breathing exercises,
massage of skin and flesh, and exercises of hands and feet" as the appropriate
treatment for -complete paralysis, chills, and fever." It was one of the principal
method of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was said to have
been given a daily massage to treat neuralgia. "The Physician Must Be Experienced In
Many Things," wrote Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, in the 5th century
B. C., "but assuredly in rubbing.. . for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose,
and loosen a joint that is too rigid." Ayurveda, the
traditional Indian system of medicine, places great emphasis on the therapeutic benefits
of massage with aromatic oils and spices. It is practiced very widely in India.
Doctors such as Ambroise Pare, a 16th-century physician to
the French court, praised massage as a treatment for various ailments. Swedish massage,
the method most familiar to Westerners, was developed in the 19th century by a Swedish
doctor, poet, and educator named Per Henrik Ling. His system was based on a study of
gymnastics and physiology, and on techniques borrowed from China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
Physiotherapy, originally based on Ling's methods, was established with the foundation in
1894 of the Society of Trained Masseurs. During World War I patients suffering from nerve
injury or shell shock were treated with massage. St. Thomas's Hospital, London, had a
department of massage until 1934. However, later breakthroughs in medical technology and
pharmacology eclipsed massage as physiotherapists began increasingly to favor electrical
instruments over manual methods of stimulating the tissues.Massage is now used in intensive care units, for children,
elderly people, babies in incubators, and patients with cancer, AIDS, heart attacks, or
strokes. Most American hospices have some kind of bodywork therapy available, and it is
frequently offered in health centers, drug treatment clinics, and pain clinics.
1960' s late- John Barnes,developed Myofascial Release Therapy
1971 -Core Energetics Started by Dr. John Pierralcos in 1971, core energetics adds a more spiritual aspect to bioenergetics.
1972 - Moshe Feldenkrais, writes "Awareness Through Movement" which follows up to his 1949 publication "The Body and Mature Behavior". Studies of sensory awareness and movement re-education somewhat based on F.M. Alexander's work.
1973 -Zero Balancing was developed by osteopath and
acupuncturist Dr. Fritz Smith
1976 -Myotherapy developed by Bonnie Prudden
1978 - Joseph Heller started Hellerwork (form of rolfing)
1983 - Janet Travell writes book. with David Simons. "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Triggerpoint Manual : Volumes I & 2
1990’s - David Palmer creates and markets On Site Massage.
1990 - protocol for Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) defined by the American College of Rheumatology
There are over 80 different massage modalities. Some of them are a variation of the other but have the same principle effect for example. Trigger Point therapy is a western technique that is a variation of Shiatsu (China), and Thai bodywork, and Acupressure. Acupuncture is the form of work that uses bite size needles, while Acupressure is the same work performed by a massage therapist. Reflexology was the original name for Zone Therapy.Hellerwork is a variation of Rolfing and Osteopathy. Massage Therapists in my opinion, who are skilled and trained properly are an asset to any hospital offering knowledge that Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Chiropractors know. At H.E.A.L. Massage and Bodywork we offer all of our expertise into the massage that you receive. We do not try to upsell you on the table which is why you get a Body Maintenance Massage TM (our customized full body) and it covers whatever it is that our consultation and assessments determine your body needs.