Massage is an excellent form of passive
exercise. The word is derived from the Greek word 'massier' which
means to knead. It involves the scientific manipulation of the soft
tissues of the body. If correctly done on a bare body, it can be highly
stimulating and invigorating.
As far back as 400 B.C. , the great Hippocrates, the father of
medicine, employed massage and manipulation in healing his patients.
Since then it has been used as a mode of treatment for many ailments
and it has restored many a sufferer to health and vigour.
The general massage, dealing with all parts of the body, is highly
beneficial in many ways. It tones up the nervous system, influences
respiration and quickens the elimination of poisons and waste material
from the body through the various eliminative organs such as the
lungs, skin, kidneys and bowels. It also boosts blood circulation
and metabolic processes. A massage removes facial wrinkles , helps
to fill out hollow cheeks and neck and eases stiffness, sore muscles
and numbness.
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