Hand and Stone Massage. Why should I get one?
Man has been working day and night since the day he set foot on earth. It’s like human beings were made to just work and work. All this progress we see today, be it from buildings, roads to planes, and landing on the moon, each and everything has been done with tremendous work and determination. As much as humans are designed to work, they also get tired. This why there are weekends, and holidays, to relax both the body and the mind. It is without a doubt a reality that everyone needs to take a day off from time to time and the best method to relax the body is getting a massage.
Now everyone knows that massages are peaceful and relaxing, but only a few people know about what types of massages are useful and essential for the human body. The most common and the most result promising type of massages are known as hand and stone massage. Although hand massage and stone massage come in different categories both, are offered at the same time by many spas and massage parlors. These massages have tremendous health benefits and are more helpful than one can think.
Stone Massages:
Let’s get into the details of how stone massages work and how they are useful to the body. As the name suggests, stone massages use stones that are smooth and flat and are called basalt. These rocks are very special and unique as they are made formed by volcanic lava. These massages are performed by a trained and certified therapist. The first thing that is done is that the stones are placed in hot water to warm them up so that they can be applied to the body. Once warm, they are placed on specific regions of the body. These regions include the:
- Hands
- Back
- Face
- Stomach
- Feet
Now there are ways to these massages. Some therapists prefer to hold stones in their hands and then massage the body. This technique allows the therapists to massage the muscles deeply to their core. It is said that this type of treatment originated from China and Japan about some 2000 years ago and since then has been considered as the most effective way to relax and heal the body. Other than hot stones, cold stones can be used as well and are mostly used on swollen parts or regions of the body.
Hand Massage:
The most loved and easily available type of massage is known as the hand massage. The hand massage is popular for its practicality. Studies have shown that a hand massage can help reduce the pain associated with many conditions like arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and neuropathy.
It’s intriguing how the hands are directly associated with different parts of the body. Benefits of a hand massage include:
- Low hand pain
- Better sleep
- Less anxiety
- Better hand strength
- Better mood
To get a better understanding of what hand massages are capable of, let’s learn about the diseases it cures. Neuropathy is nerve damage that can cause pain in your hands and feet. It can also cause numbness, tingling, and other abnormal sensations. Carpal tunnel syndrome causes pain, numbness, and weakness in the wrist. It’s a very common nerve disorder, according to the American College of Rheumatology, affecting up to 10 million Americans. All these disorders and conditions require an intense dosage of medicines which already have a lot of disadvantages to the body and the immune system. Regular hand massages have been proven to help reduce the pain dramatically.
Advantages of having massages:
Hand to stone massages, all have advantages and almost zero disadvantages. Both these massages were specifically designed for human beings and to help them relax after experiencing high levels of stress or working continuously. Be it a construction worker or an office worker, all need a day or two off to relax, and getting a hand or stone massage can help relax efficiently. Many other advantages include:
- Better joint flexibility:
Muscles tend to become stiff after some time and massages can relax the muscles. This makes it comfortable and easier to perform movement, thus decreasing any type of muscle drag.
- Better sleep:
When a person is tired, his body goes through numerous chemical changes which makes it difficult for him to get sleep. Stress, insomnia, and overworking also contribute to less sleep or no sleep at all. What massages do is that they ultimately relax the body and mind. Thus once relaxed, a person can sleep without pain or mental tension. Hand to stone massages, both have proven to relax the body and calm the mind.
- Pain relief:
Stone massages have been found to relieve people with numerous conditions like fibromyalgia. What these stone massages do is that they calm the muscle down and even though this isn’t proven, ancient Japanese and Chinese texts suggest that these stones absorb away the pain. True or false, they have proven to relieve one from the pain.
- Stress Relief:
The most deadly type of venom doesn’t come out of a snake but is developed by the human mind itself, which is known as stress. Stress can prove to be a life taker. Stress causes diseases like diabetes and anxiety. What stress does is that it starts to destroy the brain’s neurons and along with that it also weakens the immune system so much that the body starts to eat itself away piece by piece. It all starts with mental stress that soon converts into body stress which converts into muscle stress and before you know it, it is too late to turn back and do anything. Massages are an effective way to fight away the stress. It is ironic how these massages are applied to the body but since the body creates chemicals in the body after being pleased or healed, the body automatically starts to relieve mental stress as well.
Massages have become a necessity for everyone in this era and are also readily available, more than ever.
