Medical benefits of Massage

If you are on my newsletter list, you've heard about the proposed legislation taxing massage as a "pleasure service". We therapists are up in arms (or is it up in hands) over this, since we are listed under NC Law as "licensed health care providers". If we are taxed, we feel that ALL health care providers should be taxed, including doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc. Of course, ultimately, we feel we should not be listed with "pleasure services", and that services with medical benefits should NOT be taxed. Let me expound on this.

While many types of massage are pleasurable, there are medical benefits even when the service takes place in a spa setting. "How?" you may ask? For one example, and one that has far reaching consequences, it helps to turn off the sympathetic nervous system.

We have two areas of the nervous system: sympathetic and parasympathetic. Now, the parasympathetic system allows our bodies to function the way it's supposed to during normal activity. We get blood to our extremities, we digest, we repair damaged cells... The sympathetic system is our survivor system. This is often referred to as fight, flight, or freeze. When we hear the rattlesnake rattle, we freeze. When we sense danger, we are ready to make our stand or run to fight another day. And it is this system that has kept our species alive. However...

In our modern everyday lives, most of us don't have life threatening events take place on a regular basis. We do have insidious events that happen to which our bodies react as if it is life threatening. We overhear the boss talking about lay-offs, and we wonder if we are next. We hear on the news that pollution is at an all time high, and we wonder if that's why our children have asthma. We drive, and someone cuts us off, making us hit the brakes. These types of events turn on the sympathetic system.

What happens when the sympathetic system gets turned on? The body sends out additional noradrenaline (norepinephrine) and adds adrenaline along with that. Noradrenaline by itself is short lived in the body, even a double dose. But when the body adds adrenaline, that will persist in the bloodstream for hours. Hormones, particularly cortisol, increase organ sensitivity to both noradrenaline and adrenaline, which means it's easier for us to feel panic when this happens frequently. This means that our blood vessels constrict, especially at the extremities, keeping the core of our bodies safe. Our digestion slows. Our pupils constrict. This can lead to rapid heart beat and migraine headaches, among other disorders. (see http://stressdirections.com/content/view/46/68/ for more information)

How does massage counter this? We relax when we receive massage. We breathe more deeply, which relaxes us farther. Blood flows more fluently to our extremities. Our minds can become quiet, and we enter a meditative state. These reactions can turn off the sympathetic system, and allow the parasympathetic system to do its job.

So, do yourself a favor. Contact your legislator to vote no on taxing massage. And make an appointment with your massage therapist today!