MASSAGE THERAPIES FOR DEPRESSION

According to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, almost three million Canadians have serious depression, but only less than one third of them seek outside help for it.

According to The World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety and depression account for 79 percent of all psychiatric diagnosis. The organization also predicts that by 2020 major depression will be second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide.

In order to help patients cope with depression, holistic physicians and alternative therapists have been researching different healing methods. One such method  is massage therapy.

Massage is known  as one of the oldest forms of treating depression. In the 1940s  massage therapy was replaced by technology and pharmacology. However prior to this, massage was utilized in sanatoriums and psychiatric hospitals.

Today, while massage therapy appears to be gaining popularity, it still remains as an “alternative” form of therapy, despite its long history as a simple and intuitive solution to many human ailments.

There are many types of massage therapies on offer in today’s world.  Some of them even date back thousands of years and are based on ancient scientific knowledge. The following are some of the most popular forms of massage therapies:

Swedish Massage Therapy: This massage therapy targets superficial muscle layers with strokes that produce friction, compression and vibration. It not only stimulates blood circulation and helps in ridding the body of toxins, but it is also believed to improve metabolism and ease muscular tension.

Thai Massage Therapy: If you are fond of compression and stretches then a Thai massage is the thing for you. A Thai message is relatively strenuous and works on your body pressure points. The principle behind this massage therapy is that there are thousands of sens (lines) in our body through which our energy flows. All ailments are believed to happen when there are blockages in sens and  Thai massage identifies blocked sens and aids in ailment recover.

Aromatherapy: It’s all about being surrounded by essential oils. In this massage therapy, essential oils are used to give a gentle massage and stimulate the olfactory glands. This helps in triggering our senses and thus gives us a happy and serene state of mind. Aromatherapy helps you relieve your body of stress and stress-related diseases like hypertension, insomnia, aches and pain.

Stone Therapy: Stones being used to soften you? Strange. Stone therapy includes the use of stones which are generally cold sedimentary stones and warm basalt ones. Hot stones work on body stiffness through stimulating the circulatory system while cold stones are used as an aid in cases of inflammation. All of this results in both  relaxation and rejuvenation.

Ayurvedic Massage Therapy: Today there are many people who  swear by the magic of an ayurvedic massage therapy. Ayurvedic massage therapy focuses on  pressure points, called marma points. The key principle of any ayurvedic massage lies in the fact that our body is managed by kapha, pitta and vata and any imbalance in these three causes disorders.

Besides detoxifying and tackling stress and depression, these massage therapies also strengthen your body and immune system. And no wonder they make your skin supple and shiny too! So go ahead, indulge yourself in one of these therapies and lead a stress and depression free life!