Beat The Blues Away With Remedial Massage
In a report published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2008 entitled National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, the bureau estimated that about 3.2 million or one in five adult Australians will succumb to a mental illness any given year. Among the top mental illnesses included in the report are substance abuse, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.
In a related study conducted by the Department of Health and Ageing entitled People Living with Psychotic Illness 2010: Report on the Second Australian National Survey, it was revealed that individuals who experienced psychosis expected the following issues to follow in the next twelve months: financial issues, social isolation, unemployment and discrimination.
One accessible method to help relieve a person from stress and anxiety is getting a remedial massage. More than being a luxury, massage therapy offers several benefits. For one, it can help a person recover from soreness and tenseness felt in the muscles. It is also used to treat a variety of injuries including muscle atrophy, cramps, headaches, arthritis.
But apart from these benefits, regular massage therapy can be integrated into one’s mental hygiene regime. As the therapist kneads a person’s muscles, the nerve cell receptors are also activated, thus stimulating the release of endorphins, adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin which are associated with the feeling of happiness and wellbeing. At the same time, the presence of the stress-inducing hormone called cortisol is reduced. Regular massage treatment has also been found to have a direct effect on a person’s brain waves, particularly the alpha brain waves.
Apart from these, massage treatment is known to boost energy levels, creativity, self-esteem and the decrease of stress levels. People who suffer from stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, addiction and obsessiveness can benefit from getting massage therapy.
Do take note that massage therapy is not meant to replace treatment by a mental health professional. Rather, it can serve as a complement to such treatments. As such, it is important to find the right massage therapist. The therapist you choose should be properly trained, fully qualified, insured and accredited by a national association. It is equally helpful if the therapist has ties with the major private health funds especially if you want to avail of rebates. Finally, and probably most important of all, your therapist can tailor-fit a massage treatment to suit your individual needs.
Book an appointment now and experience relief both from your aches and pains as well as from stress and anxiety.