Massage Therapy as an Alternative to Allopathic Pain Relievers

These days everyone seems to want to cure everything with prescription drugs. Do you know one of the best alternatives for allopathic pain relievers? Here’s a hint: it doesn’t come in a pill. Give up? We’re talking, of course, about massage therapy.

Massage therapy is the use of massage methods and techniques to relieve pain caused by injuries, diseases or other ailments. Some people receive massage therapy simply because it makes them feel good, which is also important. People who practice massage therapy are typically trained professionals who have completed postsecondary programs in the field. They are tacticians who use their hands to melt away the pains of patients.

While much of the research on the benefits of clinical massage is still being done, studies suggest that massage therapy can be effective for short-term pain relief. Patients need to keep getting massages to continue experiencing relief from massage therapy.

Massage therapy can help reduce and relieve pain. It helps reduce cortisol levels in your body. Cortisol is a hormone produced in the human body as a response to stress. On the other hand, clinical massage therapy (sometimes referred to as Swedish massage) stimulates the transmission of positive neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which manages the brain’s reward system.

Nevertheless, massage therapy is becoming increasingly common, especially as a part of health and wellness programs. That’s good news for aspiring clinical massage therapists, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates a 26 percent increase in employment from 2016 to 2026.

Moreover, massage therapy can help reduce the dependence on pain-relieving medications in a number of different circumstances and medical ailments. Massage therapy as part of a health and wellness program, in addition to other contexts, is a side effect-free method of pain reduction that can be a valuable part of one’s treatment plan, such as in the following cases:

Massage Therapy helping patients after surgery

Following a surgery, patients are typically, depending on the nature of the procedure, loaded up with medication to numb them from the pain. That is fine for the time being, but the morphine or other drugs will soon subside. To manage pain after that point, doctors tend to prescribe powerful painkillers such as Vicodin. As an alternative, massage therapy can help reduce the need for such strong prescription drugs and their potentially heinous side effects.

Massage Therapy helping diabetic patients

There are studies that suggest that massage therapy can help individuals who are afflicted by diabetes. Such benefits include lower glucose levels and an increased quality of life. High levels of glucose in the blood are problematic for people with diabetes because their kidneys cannot process sugar as well as non-diabetics. It also makes sense that massage therapy can improve their quality of life because they often experience leg and foot pain. Insulin and other treatment are still necessary, but clinical massage can further help people with diabetes live as comfortably as possible.

Massage Therapy helping patients suffering from PTSD

Massage therapy can have many benefits for individuals suffering from PTSD as well. These include reduced cortisol levels, relief from hyperarousal, and increased dopamine and serotonin levels. It can also help people with PTSD build trust with another person through touch, i.e. the therapist. In fact, trust is essential for progress and healing to happen, though it can take time at first to develop a relationship between therapist and patient. Communication is extremely important during any massage, but is especially important when the patient is suffering from PTSD. In the end, this relationship can help individuals restore their peace of mind.

Massage as an alternative to opioids

In the midst of national hysteria over the abuse of opioids, which has been labeled an epidemic by some, it is certainly understandable to want to avoid such drugs if possible. After all, the potential consequences of opioid use include the possibility of addiction (withdrawal symptoms can be especially unpleasant), nausea, vomiting, and constipation. If you’re looking to avoid such extracurricular experiences in seeking to reduce your pain, massage therapy can help. Massage therapy can offer you the same, if not better, pain relief than pills without the potential for nasty side effects. Sometimes the best medicine is the caressing touch of a highly skilled massage therapist assisted by their good friend, oil.

Massage for getting relief from anxiety

In addition to helping relieve feelings of hypervigilance and hyperarousal, massage therapy can also help suppress anxiety. Anxiety and high levels of cortisol tend to correlate with each other. Obviously, too much cortisol is unhealthy and can cause serious health problems for people experiencing perpetual anxiety if those high levels are sustained for too long. You know what can help reduce cortisol levels and increase the presence of serotonin and dopamine in your brain? That’s right, clinical massage. Clinical massage can also help individuals dealing with mental illnesses such as depression.

As we wind things down here, it is important to note that massage therapy will not resolve health issues alone. It is simply one part of a larger treatment plan. The National Institutes of Health advise that you still seek conventional medical care from a healthcare professional.

Maybe the information and powerful potential of massage therapy as part of an alternative treatment to the side effect-ridden regimen of pain-relief pills has inspired you to enter the massage therapy field. If so, there’s one place in southwest Florida you can count on for an education that will set you up for success in the industry: Florida Academy.

Find your passion at Florida Academy

Florida Academy’s Massage Therapy Program is designed to set you up with the skills you need to work as a licensed massage therapist in Florida or elsewhere across the United States. You can finish our 600-hour program in as little as 30 weeks. Both day and evening class options are available to help you fit your education into your busy schedule.

Located in beautiful Fort Myers, Florida, Florida Academy offers a comprehensive curriculum that readies students to launch their careers in approximately five months. Our students are blown away by how much they are able to learn in such a short time in school.

Our graduates have gone on to work in a number of different settings: spas, massage clinics, chiropractic offices and more. Don’t take our word for it; instead look at the fact that we have had students from 41 different states across America and five countries.

You can be the next in the long line of Florida Academy massage therapy program graduates. Classes will be starting soon, so you won’t want to miss out on the chance to follow your dreams. All you have to do is visit us online at https://florida-academy.edu and we will help you get started.