MORE IN BODYWORK

An umbrella category that includes many variations of the healing techniques that use body-to-body contact to restore health (with the exception of energetic healing, which does not always require physical contact).

Bodywork helps to reduce general pain, relieve sore muscles, invigorate blood and lymphatic circulation, facilitate major relaxation, and improve the overall structure and functioning of the individual. Massage therapy is the most common type of bodywork and itself encompasses a wide variety of techniques, including Swedish, shiatsu, Thai, deep tissue, sports, or hot stone. Chiropractic, myofascial release, and craniosacral therapy, energetic healing, reflexology, rolfing, among others, are also considered forms of body work.

The benefits of bodywork vary depending on the type. Massage, for example, has been found to reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, improve range of motion, and increase the flow of endorphins. Reflexology has also been found to reduce pain in the neck, shoulders, lower back and jaw, improve circulation, and detoxify the organs and glands.

Context

As bodywork is a broad term that includes many different healing practices it’s impossible to give an exact historical account of its development. Hippocrates is often quoted on healing power of massage, saying, "The physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing … for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid." Shiatsu, the Japanese form of massage, originated over 2000 years ago, while rolfing, a method of restructuring the body’s connective tissue, was developed by Ida Rolf in the 1920s.

As with many complementary and alternative therapies, bodywork has been subject to doubt by the conventional medical community. Limited scientific research has been done on the benefits of massage therapy. The thinking is that regular massage treatments reduce stress and relieve muscle tension and may also provide stimulation that may help to block pain signals sent to the brain, stimulate the release of serotonin and endorphins, and increase the flow of lymph, but no definitive research exists to back up these claims.

Today bodywork is a significant player in the world of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Millions of people turn to these healing techniques to find relief from pain and chronic conditions. Massage is now used in intensive care units, for children, elderly people, premature babies, and patients with cancer, AIDS, heart attacks, or strokes. Many hospices have bodywork available, and it is often available in health centers, drug treatment clinics, and pain clinics.

External Links:

Wikipedia - Bodywork

Massage and Bodywork Magazine

The American Academy of Reflexology

Massage Resource

The Upledger Institute (Craniosacral Therapy)

The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration

Chiroweb

Further Reading:

The Complete Book of Massage

Craniosacral Therapy

The Myofascial Release Manual

Energy Medicine

Reflexology