The History of Massage Therapy

Whether you have reaped the benefits of massage or are wondering how this type of therapy can help you, it's a good idea to take a look at how massage therapy came into practice. The history of massage as a tool for healing both body and spirit goes back a long way.

Ancient Cultures

People were using the power of massage for healing dating back thousands of years. In fact, written data on massage therapy was first discovered in China as far back as 2700 BCE, when a Chinese text titled, "The Yellow Emperor's Classic Book of Internal Medicine" was written. The book is now used regularly in massage therapy training and other alternative medicine tools, such as acupuncture and herbology. The Chinese believed that all illness came from an imbalance in the body's energy pathways. Placing pressure on specific parts of the body would let the energy flow more freely, allowing the body to heal more quickly in a natural manner.

A couple of hundred years after this Chinese text was recorded, Egyptian tomb paintings were discovered depicting persons being kneaded by others. Ancient Egyptians are also credited with developing reflexology, a form of massage that involves placing pressure on specific points of the feet or hands to relieve pain.

Some believe that the practice of massage therapy originated in India in 3000 BCE or even earlier. Hindus were utilizing healing by touch when combined with meditation and aromatherapy while practicing Ayurvedic medicine, a Sanskrit term meaning "life health."

These ancient cultures found that massage could heal injuries, remove pain and even cure or prevent illnesses. People who received the healing powers of touch were also more relaxed and free of stress. Massage began as a form of sacred, natural healing.

Japanese Shiatsu

Around 1000 BCE, Japanese monks who were studying in China noted the healing benefits of massage being used there. The monks brought the idea of healing touch back to their country, where the art was customized, and Japanese massage was born, leading to Shiatsu.

Shiatsu massage is used to increase a person's energy levels, which then improves the internal organs and the immune system. Shiatsu practitioners work on the body's pressure points to impart more energy, using fingers and palms of the hand.

Western Civilization Catches On

By the 8th Century, Eastern massage philosophy and practices were employed by the Ancient Greeks to help their athletes stay in top physical condition, combining massage with aromatic herbs and oils. Sometime in the 5th Century, Hippocrates used "friction" to treat ailments. He explained the treatment to his medical colleagues as a way of helping the body heal itself. Hippocrates also put forth the idea that a blend of massage, healthy diet, daily exercise, fresh air and music would make people healthier.

Rome

Galen, the physician to emperors of Rome, began using massage by the 1st Century BCE. He also believed in the prescribed health benefits that Hippocrates put forth hundreds of years earlier. Rich Romans were massaged privately in their homes. In the public baths, individuals would bathe themselves, and then receive a massage to stimulate blood circulation, loosen their joints and relax muscles. Aromatic oils were often added to soothe and condition the skin.

Massage in the Roman baths became a very popular activity, leading the public to think of this hands-on therapy as more of an excess in pleasurable enjoyment rather than medicinal healing. The Roman Emperor Constantine eventually condemned using the public baths for massage, believing the art was becoming a sign of sexual excess in Roman culture.

Massage therapy steadily declined after that in popularity in the Western world until around 1600 CE. Doctors and scientists began to document the benefits of massage, but it wasn't until the 19th Century that the practice found footing again in the West.

The Western World and Massage

By the early 1800s, a Swedish doctor named Per Henril Ling formulated a method called The Swedish Movement System. This method became the cornerstone of today's Swedish massage methods. The common hand strokes that are now associated with Swedish message, however, were developed by a Dutchman named Johan Georg Mezger.

New techniques of massage and rediscovered ones came into practice in the 20th Century. During World War I, veterans were given massage therapy to treat nerve pain or shell shock. The practice was still thought of as a luxury for the mainstream world. This is particularly true when massage parlors became synonymous with the sex trade.

In the latter half of the 20th Century, however, massage as a therapeutic tool was revived as natural medicine gained in popularity. The practice of massage therapy became regulated by the government, and licensing, and educational standards were developed.

Today, massage therapy is a respected form of alternative medicine to prevent illness, maintain wellness and help heal injuries and disease.

Eugene Wood is a leading NYC and Long Island Massage Therapist and the Education Chair for the NY Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association. Eugene has offices in Manhattan and Wantagh, Long Island. Learn more by visiting his website at www.eugenewoodmassage.com.