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COMPLEMENTARY
HEALTH
Massage Therapy By Megan Benson
AS A COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Massage therapy is one of the most controversial topics in alterna- first caveman ever threw a spear.
tive medicine because there is so much confusion about what it is Those pleasurable sensations release endorphins into the brain
that licensed massage therapists actually do and claim to do[i]. We
aren’t doctors, we aren’t chiropractors, and we certainly aren’t psychics which, at the barest minimum, decrease perception of pain and psy-
or shamans. chologically improve the mindset of the client, leading them to feel
happier, more active, and more inclined to take steps to improve their
Recent studies have resulted in conflicting evidence that we might own health to prolong those sensations.
do everything from increase mitochondrial expression resulting in
future generations of better cellular health in soft tissue,[ii] to man- Our society works longer hours with greater stress levels than ever
ually manipulating fascial adhesions to increase mobility, circulation, before and most people are confined to seated positions for the ma-
and pain relief.[iii] At this time, it is still difficult to say exactly what jority of their waking hours. In Austin, where we lack effective public
massage therapy does on a physiological level. transportation, my typical client wakes up, commutes an hour to
work, sits at a computer for seven to 10 hours, drives home, and
The muscular, integumentary, and neurologic systems are deeply plops down on the couch to watch their favorite TV show before
intertwined, and we know that manual manipulation of sore muscles going to bed. Many of those same people sleep on their sides, because
feels good. People have been rubbing our aches and pains since the it feels more comfortable, when that is likely secondary to their mus-
20 San Antonio Medicine • November 2015
