Asthma is a chronic disease affecting the airways of the lungs. The airways are tubes carrying air inside and outside the lungs. In asthma, the inside walls of the airways become sore and swollen. This makes them narrower leading to less air supply; in turn causing chest tightness, wheezing, coughing, and breathing trouble. These symptoms tend to worsen at night or in the early morning hours. In an asthma attack, the airways are blocked to the extent of interfering with oxygen supply to the important organs and may result in death.

Around 300 million people worldwide are affected by asthma including 7% from the United States and 6.5% British people. Of these, 6 million are children. In the US alone, 4,000 deaths are caused by asthma each year. This condition is irrespective of age but starts mainly in childhood. It may also be hereditary. Children of parents with asthma who also have a persistent history of respiratory infections, wheezing and allergies are at high risk of developing asthma, which continues beyond 6 years of age. Asthma attacks may also be triggered by stress.

Shiatsu healing therapy is a type of massage or bodywork with roots in Japan. Both shiatsu and acupuncture work along regulating positive qi (energy) flow through the body and are based on traditional Chinese medicine principles. A shiatsu practitioner uses thumbs, elbows, knees, and fingers to rebalance the patient’s body and leave him with a relaxed feeling. Shiatsu is truly a relaxing experience and regular shiatsu sessions help to prevent the build up of stress, which in turn helps asthma patients.

Shiatsu is quite suitable for asthma patients since it can be administered to people of any age, babies, pregnant ladies, and breast-feeding mothers. Shiatsu should be carried out on an asthma patient when he is completely relaxed and definitely not in the midst of an attack. Before commencing the treatment, the patient’s asthmatic and general health history is taken note of. Diagnosis is based on feeling the pulse, certain points in the back, palpitation of the abdomen, and observing the patient’s face, tongue, and posture. 

The patient while being fully-clothed is asked to lie down on a cotton futon on the floor. Extra bolsters and cushions may be used. Clothing should be loose and comfortable.

A shiatsu practitioner listens to the patient’s body while treating it and then responds to these signals. Certain designated areas are massaged for relief of asthma, namely around the center of the chest, on the hands and palms, and along the foot. These specific massage points are acted upon to relax the chest, quiet the nervous system, and clear the lungs. The massage can be carried out on a regular basis. However, in the event of an asthma attack, immediate medical attention should be sought.

Massage Therapy for Chronic Conditions



Massage therapy is a popular type of alternative treatment in traditional forms of medicine practiced in China, Japan, India, and Egypt.  As a means to prevent conditions arising from physical, mental, and emotional stress, and to complement a treatment for a particular ailment, massage therapy is preferred because it offers a non-invasive means to achieve wellness and good health.  It is also often recommended and used by individuals suffering from chronic conditions.  

The use of massage therapy is well-documented and supported.  In China and India, massage was used as far back as 4,000 years ago.  It was considered for its therapeutic properties in the West in 400 BC and was supported by medical practitioners in the U.S. in the 19th century.  It declined in use only in the 1940s when pharmaceutical drugs and medications became prevalent.  It has increased in popularity recently, thanks to an alternative medical practice review in the 1994 publication of the National Institute of Health and the use of massages in the field of health care.

Treating Chronic Conditions with Massage

Massage is a form of touch therapy that has been prevalent for centuries. It is an ancient practice and conveys to the child a sense of security and trust that is very essential for the newcomer into the world. Touch is a sense that is one of the first to be developed in humans and probably all forms of life. It is said that a touch can convey more than a thousand words, and children are known to thrive with the right amount of physical contact. Children who grow up with healthy views of touch are known to grow up into adults with self-esteem and develop long standing relationships.

Massage as a Therapy
Customs in many countries include the use of massage therapy for children, especially infants, using oils and other herbs that further increase the benefits of the massage. Massage therapy can act as a stress buster for children, even when they have passed the stage of infancy. Children have their own exposure to stress, which can come from school going, family quarrels, or even playtime with their peers. This stress can cause imbalance in the immune system and hormonal imbalances as well. Massage practiced regularly can help a child reduce stress, which can in turn may help the child to sleep better.   

Children and Their Response to Massage
Children respond very positively to any form of massage. It is probably the sense of touch and the bonding it brings that has such a therapeutic effect on the child being massaged. For infants, the gentle gliding stroke with some oils is the best form of massage therapy. As children grow older, massage can include separate work on hands and feet, concentrating on the fingers and toes. Sessions for massage therapy should not last for more than a quarter of an hour, as children’s attention spans are small, and they may find longer sessions irksome. One may also find that the child falls asleep while it is being massaged. This is a positive sign and points to the positive effects of the therapy. 

Sciatica Relief Using Massage Therapy

The sciatic nerve is a nerve bundle that is thumb size and is composed of several nerve roots that originate in the lower back and sacral area. This nerve goes down to the lower leg and foot and down the back of the thigh between muscles like the piriformis which run down from the sacral area to the legs. A tightening of these muscles can cause the sciatic nerve to get compressed and cause pain. The pain can be mild and cause just a little tingling. But severe sciatic pain can cause the sufferer to find it hard to move or even lie down.  

Sciatica Diagnosis and Sciatica relief    

Millions of people around the world suffer from anxiety.  While most individual experiences can be considered mild or temporary, there are others for whom anxiety is a debilitating mental and emotional disorder that can have significant negative effects on one’s physical, emotional, and social functions.  As an alternative treatment, reflexology massage is commonly recommended to help individuals achieve a sense of relaxation and well-being.  

Reflexology is a type of massage that uses light to moderate pressure on specific points in the feet, hands, or ears.  These points correspond to certain body parts and organs.  By massaging these points, beneficial effects can be experienced by the other part or organ.  Reflexology uses massage techniques to help relieve tension, improve blood circulation, and induce relaxation and rest.  Frequently, reflexologists use tools that aid the in targeting and adding more pressure on specific points. The benefits derived from reflexology by people with anxiety are mainly from its therapeutic effects.  Massage movements are slow and deliberate, allowing the patient to relax and calm the mind.  As a result, heartbeat is regulated and the patient is better able to breathe deeply.  It is the preferred form of therapy for many individuals because it is non-invasive, does not require medication, and in its most basic form, does not require the use of special equipment. 

Lou Gehrig’s disease, otherwise known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a highly degenerative disease that affects the nervous system. ALS hinders the power of the brain to pass messages to the voluntary muscles of the body. This happens due to the fact that the muscle neurons start degenerating. Eventually the neurons completely die off causing the muscle groups to waste away.

ALS gained the name of Lou Gehrig's disease due to Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player who developed the illness in 1939 and passed away some two years later.

The explanation for this degenerative disease remains unknown, although it has been put forward that the illness is caused by an infection or virus. There seems to be a genetic component to the illness as well.

Within the early phases of Lou Gehrig’s disease, the sufferer may discover some leg or arm weakness as the muscle mass begins to show signs of atrophy and ripples. This happens as the motor neurons are dying with the patient losing control over his muscles until he can no longer move them. Additionally patients might experience difficulties swallowing and/or with speech. Cramping and muscle pain are also common complaints of this illness.  The body continues to waste but the sufferer’s cognitive abilities remain intact.

Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS, generally is 60% more common in men than women, primarily affecting those males between the ages of 35 and 65. Approximately 50% of the individuals diagnosed with this illness live three years or more. Of the remaining sufferers a further 20 % live another 5 years or more, with about 10 % making it past the 10 year mark or longer.
As there is no known cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease, there isn’t any clearly defined treatment for ALS, although various treatments are used to minimize pain and suffering associated with the disease. A medication is being currently researched which aims to slow down the progression of ALS.
 
Massage therapy is commonly used to make sufferers more comfortable. It also minimizes cramping and muscle pain. Gentle passive massage and various ranges of motion prevent joints from becoming stiff, and by increasing the blood supply into to muscles via massage, this decelerates muscle atrophy to some degree.

Research has shown that regular massage and touch is beneficial in helping both mental and physical symptoms of many degenerative and deliberating diseases, including Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Because having a serious illness is very stressful, massage therapy can also help lower anxiety as it significantly lowers the quantity of Cortisol, the body’s stress hormone.

Should a patient’s muscle tissues be too atrophied to work on, then a simple hand, foot and scalp massage can also be highly beneficial. Even reflexology techniques can cause some pain relief for patients. So regardless of the severity of the condition, massage therapy can help. 

Shiatsu massage, also called Zen shiatsu, is an Oriental medicine technique used to treat common physical and psychological ailments through finger pressure. This particular type of massage therapy is used to alleviate pain, help relieve symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety, and also reduce blood pressure levels. 

HBP, or high blood pressure, is a severe condition that may lead to heart failure, stroke, and coronary heart disease, among other health complications.  Many people around the world suffer from high blood pressure, and in the US alone, 1 in 3 adults suffer from the illness. Blood pressure is pressure caused by blood pressing against artery walls; if the pressure is too strong, it can damage not only the artery, but the body as a whole.

There are a number of ways to treat high blood pressure, including taking medication and going on a diet program. Many people also seek alternative treatments to combat HBP. Shiatsu massage is commonly sought out to compliment other treatments for HBP. Shiatsu massage fuses together philosophical, spiritual, and medical facets of the human body to ensure that qi flows freely through the body. Finger pressure from shiatsu massage helps increases blood circulation throughout the body which in tern aids patients suffering from HBP. It also helps reduce stress, anxiety, and other chronic pain. 

Thai Massage for Flexibility

Thai massage involves stretching and deep tissue massage techniques. Because of strong influences from yoga, Thai massage is also referred to as Thai yoga, yoga massage, or assisted yoga. During Thai massage sessions, patients wear comfortable clothes, as no oils are required. Throughout the session, a patient is passively moving from one stretching or yoga position to another. Thai massage is much more energetic and vigorous than most other massage techniques and has many unique benefits. One of the most significant benefits of Thai massage is its ability to improve a patient’s flexibility. 

Flexibility can be defined as the range of movement that is attainable in a momentous effort in a joint or a group of joints. It can also be defined as the range of limb movement around joints. Thai massage is renowned as the best massage technique to progressively improve overall flexibility, and more specifically, the flexibility of legs, back, and hip muscles.

Fibromyalgia is one of the most debilitating conditions that an estimated 5.8 million people in the U.S. suffer from.  The disease manifests itself in symptoms that involve muscle aches, pain, weakness, and joint stiffness.  It also involves unexplained fatigue, making it difficult for patients to move or perform normal daily activities.  Although fibromyalgia symptoms may be alleviated through the use of medications, many patients also turn to massage therapy for relief.  Massage can be an effective complement to more conventional means of treatment.

Massages require the physical manipulation of muscles and tissues.  When done correctly, it can help encourage proper circulation of blood throughout the system.  Coupled with correct breathing on the patient's end, regular massage therapy can promote tissue oxygenation.  This process helps eliminate pain and stiffness and promote better flexibility.

There are several types of massages that may be used with patients who have fibromyalgia.  One of the most popular techniques is circulatory massage because it uses deep pressure to relieve muscle pain and eliminate tension. Shiatsu massage is also a popular form of therapy. Shiatsu is a type of massage that targets pressure points in the hands, fingers, and knuckles in order to stimulate the body to relax and relieve itself of pain.  This can be an ideal massage for someone with fibromyalgia because it avoids direct contact with the muscles and major joints, usually the parts of the body where the most pain is experienced. Another viable option is reflexology, a type of massage therapy where the therapist manipulates only the patient’s feet and hands.  

Research regarding the use of massage therapy for treating and managing certain disorders and illnesses is growing.  For the treatment of pain, stiffness, and discomfort associated with fibromyalgia, massage therapy has been observed to be effective among subjects in several studies.  One such study, which appeared in April 2002 in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, reported that the group that received massage therapy reported improved sleep duration, quality, and decreased pain.

Another study, one conducted by the New Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine, showed that massage therapy helped improve patients with joint and muscle pains.  The study concluded that massage therapy helped decreased pain and tenderness, increased levels of serotonin, decreased levels of stress hormones, and improved the patient’s overall sense of well-being.

Deep tissue massage can be used to help treat multiple sports-related injuries. One such injury, commonly found in runners, is plantar fasciitis.

There is a thick connective tissue that runs the entire length of the bottom of the human foot. It starts on the five toes and extends to the bottom of the heel. This tissue is known as the plantar fascia. While running, runners land on the heel of the foot and then raise themselves on the toes before shifting the weight to the other foot. This causes the plantar fascia to come under strain, and when the strain becomes too much, the plantar fascia is likely to tear. Even if there is no tearing, the strain can be felt and is an indication of plantar fasciitis. Mountain climbers, aerobics practitioners, and hikers can also become afflicted by plantar fasciitis due to constant strain on the planar fascia.