Massage Therapy Can Break the Medication Cycle
/When we find it painful to go about our daily activities or to engage in the things we used to enjoy, many of us get trapped in the cycle of medication and surgery offered by modern medicine. Massage therapy can help you break the cycle.
It's normal to lose some functioning as we get older—muscles start to lose mass and function, and they don't bounce back as easily from injuries. Other problems we bring on ourselves--sitting in the same position at a desk or overworking our muscles at repetitive tasks. If stiff muscles aren't stretched or overworked muscles aren't given time to rest and recuperate, it can lead to chronic pain and a tendency to go for the quick fix of pain killers.
The problem is that pain killers only mask the underlying cause: muscles need rehabilitating. The solution is to get moving. Moving our bodies will lead to strengthened muscles, flexible joints, and better balance.
How do you get started when every movement brings cringing pain? Some people have been told that they have arthritis and should accept their fate. Others may already be partly immobilized in wheelchairs with weakened muscles, but there is hope!
Massage therapy coaxes muscles into relaxing, breaking up muscle tension and stimulating blood flow to weaker muscles, setting off a cascade of positive reactions like reducing your stress levels, and releasing all kinds of “feel good” neurotransmitters.
Even frail, older people can start moving again, and once we take that first step, the process of aging healthfully and happily can begin.