The body is like a symphony. All parts must be in complete harmony with each other in order for a masterpiece to occur. It’s no wonder that we only achieve ideal health when our body, mind, and spirit find perfect peace and harmony with one another.

Massage therapy has risen above the term “alternative therapy”. Current day, it’s a vital part of the health care practices of many people living in today's stress-heavy world.

Traditional healthcare facilities throughout North America are finally recognizing the important therapeutic benefits that massage therapy lends its patients. Of late, massage therapy has become integral to the health care industry. It’s used to treat every patient imaginable – those with illnesses, chronic diseases, and also average people who are looking to attain a higher sense of well-being, and inner and outer harmony.

Recently, Health Forum released their annual survey, conducted on behalf of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). The new national survey polled hospitals and clinics across the nation on their use of massage therapy. The survey revealed that the number of hospitals that now offer massage therapy as a patient service has increased by more than one third over the past two years. This means that American hospitals have recognized the benefits that massage affords patients, and as a result 71 percent are now offering massage therapy for stress management, patient comfort, improved joint and muscle mobility, pregnancy, physical therapy, infant care, as part of their post- and per-operative regimes and to comfort those in hospice facilities

Solid research has proven that massage therapy can:

• Boost the immune system
  
• Significantly lower blood pressure
  
• Comfort those going through drug or alcohol withdrawal
  
• Sooth chronic joint and muscle pain
  
• Battle fatigue
  
• Ease stress
  
• Combat depression

Here are some common Massage Oils that you can use.

4. Fractionated Coconut Oil

• Avocado Oil
  Avocado oil is pressed from the avocado fruit. Deep green in color, avocado oil is a heavier oil and is usually mixed with lighter massage oils such as sweet almond oil.
  
  Avocado oil is roughly double the cost of sweet almond oil. People who are sensitive to latex may be sensitive to avocado oil.
  
  
• Cocoa Butter
  Cocoa butter is very rich and has a distinct chocolate aroma. It is solid at room temperature and has a heavy texture, so it needs to be blended with other oils or used only for very small areas.
  
  
• Grapeseed Oil
  In many respects, grapeseed oil makes a great massage oil. It has little-to-no odor, and it has a smooth, silky texture without being greasy.
  
  However, most grapeseed oil is extracted from grape seeds using a solvent (rather than being pressed from the seeds), which some aromatherapists say make it an inferior oil for aromatherapy massage.
  
  
• Kukui Nut Oil
  A light, thin, non-greasy oil. Native to a Hawaii, kukui nut oil is typically used on all skin types, including oily skin and sun-damaged skin.
  
  
• Olive Oil
  Most people are familiar with olive oil as a cooking oil, but it is occasionally used for massage. It is a heavy oil with a greasy or sticky texture and recognizable aroma that many associate with cooking, so it's usually not used on its own for massage.
  
  One study compared topical olive oil with sunflower oil and found that olive oil had no effect on epidermal barrier function, whereas topical sunflower oil resulted in significant improvement in the skin barrier.
  
  
• Sesame Oil
  Sesame oil is prized in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India. It is used in a daily Ayurvedic self-massage called abhyanga, as well as shirodhara.
  
  According to Ayurveda, sesame oil is especially useful for nourishing and detoxifying and for ailments associated with the vata type, such as anxiety, poor circulation, constipation, bloating, and excessive dryness.
  
  Sesame oil is a rather thick oil that may leave skin feeling oily, so it can be blended with lighter massage oils. The unrefined oil has a strong aroma.
  
  
• Shea Butter
  Extracted from the seeds of a tree native to Africa, shea butter is a solid at room temperature. Like cocoa butter, shea butter is heavy and can leave an oily feeling on skin, so it is usually not used on its own for massage. It may be blended or used for very small areas.
  
  Shea contains a natural latex, so people with latex allergies should do a patch test before using it.
  
  
• Wheat Germ Oil
  Wheat germ oil is too thick to use on its own as a massage oil, but it can be blended with lighter oils. Wheat germ oil is rich in vitamin E.

Below are some massage techniques that you can try!!!

Acupressure

Dating back 5000 years, acupressure is part of traditional Chinese medicine and is often described as "acupuncture without the needles." As a non-intrusive precursor of acupuncture, acupressure uses deep finger pressure applied at certain points located along an invisible system of energy channels within the body called meridians. Because these points directly relate to organs and glands of the body, constrictions in the flow of energy at these points causes disease and discomfort. Acupressure stimulates these points to remove blockages, to increase the energy flow, to reduce stress, and to promote health and harmony in the body. Rated Medium

Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique is an awareness practice for identifying and developing discipline over the negative physical habits of incorrect posture and movement. Developed a century ago by actor F. Matthias Alexander, who used it to cure himself of chronic laryngitis, he believed if the vertebrae were out of alignment it was due to these poor habits. The Alexander Technique is a simple method of reeducating the mind and body to improve ease and freedom of movement, balance, and coordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities.

Amma Therapy

In Chinese, amma means "push-pull." Amma therapy is concerned with removing blockages and balancing the body's flow of energy along its meridians with a combination of many therapeutic massage techniques including shiatsu, reflexology, deep fascial and connective tissue massage, Swedish massage, and skeletal manipulations. Originated in China, interest in Amma Therapy has been regenerated by Korean-born Tina Sohn.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for curative and rejuvenating effects. Dating back to ancient Egypt, India, and the Far East, this simple therapy has been used for centuries to reduce stress and tension, refresh and invigorate the body, soothe emotions, and clear the mind. After an initial discussion with the client, specific essential oils are used in conjunction with other appropriate techniques, such as massage, acupressure, or reflexology. Used in oils, the essential oil is absorbed through the skin and into the body to affect physiological change. When inhaled the aroma directly affects the limbic area of the brain that is related to emotions and memories.