Touch – Not just a Sentimental Human Indulgence

Once a week I visit a local retirement village where the average age is 68 years young.
My day begins treating stress, headaches and migraine, back pains, leg aches and the moans and groans of hips that don’t quite move like they used to. It ends with a spring in the step of everyone who has spent time being nurtured on the massage table. Each remedial massage treatment is personalised using techniques such as kneading, stroking, stretching, compression and gliding.

These techniques all provide beneficial service to soft tissue, increasing blood flow and circulation, calming the nervous system to reduce pain and discomfort.
While the manipulation of tissue is valuable to the minimise pain and stresses of everyday life, the most powerful skill that we all have to minimise pain, is simply, touch!

From babies, to children, adolescence, middle age, retiree and during our elder years – touch that can reduce stress, tension, boosts oxytocin and allows greater clarity and a sense of calm and comfort. When our touch senses are activated, stress and tension is reduced. This allows working with physical ailments of injury and immobility of muscles and joints much more responsive to treatment. As babies and young people, we are hugged and stroked, hands are held frequently. For many, as we get older, we find ourselves in environments where touch may not be available, expected or accepted.

My suggestion to you today, is to take a moment to remember the positive impact that a gentle touch can have on your health and the health of those that you love.
Make touch available, expected and accepted.

In health

Melissa Speare – Remedial Massage Therapist