Orthopedic   Massage

About Touch

It's a natural human need-

In the 13th century the German emperor Frederick II seized a number of infants. He gave them to nurses who fed and changed the children but were not allowed to talk or cuddle them. The emperor wanted to know if these children would learn language without hearing it. They did not, they all died. We now know that infants will not thrive without touch. We know that preemies that receive massage three times a day will sleep better, gain more weight, and be released from the hospital sooner than babies not massaged.

Massage has been used in healing for 3000 years-

Massage may seem new to us in this country but it dates back 3000 years in China. The word, massage comes from an Arabic word meaning, stroke. Hypocrites, the Greek physician known as the father of modern medicine, preached massage. Until recently, western medicine forgot its roots. Thankfully, we are embracing eastern traditions in health care. More people are including massage and other forms of healing, including energy, aromatherapy, acupuncture etc. in their lives.

Miami's Touch Research Institute, [TRI] is the world's only scientific center devoted to exploring the effects of touch on health. Researchers have found massage helps:

• asthmatics breathe easier,
  
• boosts immune function in HIV-positive patients,
  
• improves autistic children's ability to concentrate,
  
• lowers anxiety in depressed adolescents and reduces apprehension in burn victims

"I started out thinking it was a bunch of hooey, but I've become a believer," says C. Gillon Ware, medical director of Jackson Memorial's Burn Center. "I guess there are just some things we can't explain yet."

A child, who runs to his or her mother for comfort when they've been hurt, does so because their endorphin levels increase with the comforting kiss. Massage increases the lymph flow; it enhances immune function and lowers levels of the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine. Massage stimulates the vagus, one of 12 cranial nerves that influence various bodily functions. One of which influences the gastrointestinal tract facilitating better digestion.This explains why infants who receive message gain weight faster than those not massaged.

But, we live in a nontactile society.

We are not a nation of touchers- and we are moving further away from touching. Teachers are told not to touch students. Touch in the work place has become very "touchy." Americans are touch deprived and it can affect our health, it sounds strange but it is true. There is safe touch. Don't just talk to your kids, touch them. The same is true of your spouse or partner. There are many positive aspects to massage. Take care of yourself.