WMassage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. A person professionally trained to give massages is traditionally known as a masseur (male) or a masseuse (female) in European countries. In the United States, these individuals are often referred to as massage therapists because they must be certified and licensed as "Licensed Massage Therapists."
WAnma refers to both a practice of traditional Japanese massage and to practitioners of that art. Modern shiatsu is largely derived from anma.
WAyurveda is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) characterises the practice of medicine by Ayurvedic practitioners as quackery. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using it.
WIrmgard Bartenieff was a dance theorist, dancer, choreographer, physical therapist, and a leading pioneer of dance therapy. A student of Rudolf Laban, she pursued cross-cultural dance analysis, and generated a new vision of possibilities for human movement and movement training. From her experiences applying Laban’s concepts of dynamism, three-dimensional movement and mobilization to the rehabilitation of people affected by polio in the 1940s, she went on to develop her own set of movement methods and exercises, known as Bartenieff Fundamentals.
WCup massage is a type of massage based on the local impact on human body with rarefied air. This method of therapy through the use of decreased pressure is a type of vacuum therapy, widely used nowadays for treating a variety of human diseases.
WGua sha or kerokan, is part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which a tool is used to scrape people's skin in order to produce light petechiae. Practitioners believe that gua sha releases unhealthy bodily matter from blood stasis within sore, tired, stiff or injured muscle areas to stimulate new oxygenated blood flow to the areas, thus promoting metabolic cell repair, regeneration, healing and recovery.
WHydro massage is the use of water pressure to apply massage techniques to the human body.
WHerodicus was a Greek physician of the 5th century BC, a native of Megara, who lived most of his life in the Thracian town of Selymbria. The first use of therapeutic exercise for the treatment of disease and maintenance of health is credited to him, and he is believed to have been one of the tutors of Hippocrates. He also recommended good diet and massage using beneficial herbs and oils, and his theories are considered the foundation of sports medicine. He was specific in the manner that a massage should be given. He recommended that rubbing be initially slow and gentle, then subsequently faster, with the application of more pressure, which was to be followed by more gentle friction.
WInfant massage is a type of complementary and alternative treatment that uses massage therapy for babies. Evidence is insufficient to support its use in either full term or preterm babies to achieve physical growth.
WNorthwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) is a private university focused on alternative health care and located in Bloomington, Minnesota. The university has educational programs in chiropractic, Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, Allied health professions and human biology. The university was founded in 1941 by John B. Wolfe, DC.
WSiddha medicine is a traditional medicine originating in South India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India.
WThe stone massage is a form of alternative medicine massage therapy and bodywork involving the placement of a number of either heated or cooled stones to the body for the purpose of pain relief, relaxation and therapy. There are a manifold of variations and techniques used in the application of stone massage therapy, deriving from a variety of traditional practices. Stone massages are primarily used to alleviate physical pain issues, however, are also used to promote emotional and spiritual wellbeing in practice.
WThai massage or Thai yoga massage is a traditional therapy combining acupressure, Indian Ayurvedic principles, and assisted yoga postures. The idea of Shen-lines alias energy-lines was first used as "Thai yoga massage". These are similar to nadis as per the philosophy of yoga by Gorakhnath.
WTui na is form of alternative medicine similar to shiatsu. As a branch of traditional Chinese medicine it is often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion, fire cupping, Chinese herbalism, t'ai chi or other Chinese internal martial arts, and qigong.
WVibromassage is a type of massage based on the use of mechanical devices for vibration therapy, which pass vibration onto the body surface that is being massaged. Vibromassage can be both general and local.
WYoni massage or yonic massage, derived from the word Yoni, a representation of the vulva which symbolizes the goddess Shakti, is a type of Tantric full-body massage. It primarily focuses on the labia, clitoris, g-spot, uterus, the breasts, the anus and other erogenous zones. The massage is viewed as therapeutic and is sometimes used as a method of relieving tension, pain, or general discomfort of the vagina. It has been claimed by some practitioners to be helpful to achieve fertilisation, although there is no scientific support for this claim.