Massage Versus Medicines to Relieve Stress

Most of us will very often say we are under a lot of stress, we feel stressed, even that the "stress is killing me." We often make these statements in a rather throw away manner, but even that last one, as dramatic as it might sound, may even be true as stress can have all kinds of detrimental effects on both our physical and emotional health as well as on those around us.

Some of the physical effects of stress are not obviously related to it but headaches, muscle fatigue and pain, sleeping problems, chest pain and even stomach upsets may not be the symptom of any particular physical ailment other than that you are simply too stressed out. Mentally stress reduces your ability to concentrate and think clearly and your temper is probably shorter than ever, something that affects everyone around you as well.

Chances are that most people by now have also heard at least something about the fact that massage is one of the best stress relievers out there. Heard about this but have not acted on the advice or even begun looking for a good practitioner nearby? In many cases this is because too many people think that massage is a special occasion thing, an indulgence to splash out on while on holiday or only when you have some extra cash.

The strange thing about this kind of thinking is that the same people who do not book a massage session because it is an extravagance then go ahead and spend a small fortune on medicines, both conventional and alternative, self help books and all kinds of other things in attempt to relieve their stress!

There are a lot of reasons why massage can provide such effective stress relief. One of the lesser known is that massage releases more of certain neurotransmitters in the brain and body - with serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin being the most important. Within the body when healthy levels of serotonin are produced you feel calmer and generally find it easier to have a positive outlook on life. Dopamine on the other hand boosts mood, attention, learning and sleep, while Oxytocin is believed to produce feelings of calm and contentment.

The effects of these neurotransmitters are what many of the medicines designed to combat stress actually try to mimic, yet they are present in our bodies all the time and all you really need is a good massage to release them!

Massage can't solve all your problems, the ones that are causing all the stress in the first place, but it can help you cope better and face every day feeling better, both mentally and physically than you have in a long time.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7112398