The History of Massage:

Massage Therapy dates back thousands of years. References to massage appear in writings from ancient China, Japan, India, Arabic nations, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Massage was used by early physicians to treat fatigue, illness and injury based on their basic understanding of how the body functions. But massage was not effectively used as a form of therapy in those days due to the lack of knowledge about blood circulation and the therapeutic results a massage can bring about.

Massage has come a long way from its origins. In the east, massage has continued to be seen as holistic and beneficial health care continuing throughout the ages.

In the western world, massage has faced more struggles to maintain its existence. Massage as a therapy was maligned when ‘massage parlors’ became linked with prostitution and people shied away from massage, fearing the ‘touch’ would be misinterpreted.

Although there were periods when massage fell out of favor, in the 1960s it made a comeback in a different way as a tool for relaxation, communication, and alternative healing.

Massage Therapy Today:

Massage Therapy has survived all odds on scientific and therapeutic grounds to bring about the healing image it has today. Today, the popularity of massage can be accredited to the highly stressful conditions of modern living and various harmful side effects of medicine. People are looking for holistic and natural healthcare methods for their health problems. Massage is one of the most popular healing modalities. It is used by conventional (Western) medicine, as well as alternative medical communities. Massage Therapy is now covered by some health insurance plans and providers. It is in this context that Massage Therapy has emerged as one of the most popular forms of health activity today.