If you are a fan of going and getting massages, as I am, you’d like to think that, other than the tremendous stress relief and relaxation you glean from this immensely popular practice, you are also getting something else, more intangible, but nonetheless immensely beneficial, for the health and longevity of your body, your organs, and you mind (mental health).  The release of toxins is often cited as that intangible benefit from massage, but is it really true that you release stored up toxins when you get a massage?

Here’s why I personally believe that massage HELPS your body to release toxins, any by the way, I only think it helps, I don’t think that it’s a major conduit of toxin elimination, and I only think it helps out the most when you drink a lot of water afterwards, to flush the toxins out and move them on through the kidneys and out of the blood stream with the rush of fluid dilution, before they get re-stored in your body’s organs and tissues.  If you’ve ever been to a massage therapist, then you know there is usually a warning ahead of time to drink plenty of water.

Where I go, at Massage Envy (which I love and recommend for affordable massage), they actually give you a glass of water after your massage, to take with you in your car and sip on your way home, to begin the flushing and dilution process so you don’t feel crappy afterwards.

By the way, this is a big part of the reason that I do think massage helps to flush out toxins from the body, because many times afterwards, you do get a slightly nauseous, sick to your stomach feeling that does get helped by drinking lots of pure water.  The only explanation I can think of is the toxin flushing effect, but there are, I’m sure, detractors to that theory out there.

At any rate, I’m a huge proponent of massage. I actually personally believe that it helps to stimulate the immune system, as it has really been proven that touch has a huge impact on your immunity (think of babies and how when they are not touched enough, they actually get sick more often), and I feel that for me personally, the health benefits for immunity and beyond are worth their weight in gold.

There is nothing more relaxing than trusting your body to a professional, who works out all those uncomfortable kinks and gets you back to a functional, working body that isn’t sore or stiff.  Pair that with the great music they play while you’re being pampered, and you have a delight for the senses and the spirit.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 9:13 pm and is filed under Alternative & Herbal Health News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.