The Importance of Massage

Ștefan-Ionuț Petrea

What started as a hobby gradually turned into an opportunity with many aspects worth exploring and a sure path of personal growth. For me, massage is a way of life focused on mental and physical well-being. I am glad to know that through my work I can help people. I currently have the pleasure of working with the Therapeutic Fasting Association as a therapist. I believe there is always room for improvement, which is why I keep training professionally.

Education and training:

Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Russian medicine Qualified massage therapist

Work experience:

– 2021 – present: therapist, Therapeutic Fasting Association, Iași.

Mădălin Boca

I have always tried to be in harmony with myself and with all the changes I face, both within me and around me. Because health, like the person, is strengthened through study, attention and inner searching, I set out on a continuous path of learning, aimed at growth while keeping the basic principles of the profession – landmarks that do not change. I became first a general nurse and then a massage therapist. Later, after retraining in medical rehabilitation, I fulfilled my first dream of working in kinesiotherapy and balneotherapy, followed by a specialisation in osteopathy. I have always combined the theoretical side of my training with practice, which I gained both in hospitals in Suceava County and at the Elias University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest. Over these years I have also worked in two medical rehabilitation practices, as a nurse and massage therapist, and then in a physical medicine practice as a massage therapist, physiotherapist and osteopath. Today I continue to practise both in that physical medicine practice and with the Therapeutic Fasting Association – a project dear to me, which, by combining spirituality and health, shows us health in its full panorama, physical and spiritual alike. I remain grateful for the chance to work in such a field, to do good and to help improve the health of so many patients.

Mihai Iacoviță

At a time when daily stress and the fast pace of life increasingly affect our health, massage – once seen as an alternative therapy – becomes a truly life-saving solution, because its precondition is precisely stepping away from the environment that causes illness, whether physical or mental; this is exactly what the dedicated team of the Therapeutic Fasting Association offers through the format of its retreats. Everyone who comes into my treatment room is helped through various methods, such as reflexology massage, lymphatic drainage or ionising baths – procedures I have studied and practised in professional training courses in Romania, and above all alongside other therapists with the advantage of practical experience. Theory is often overshadowed by the particular needs of each patient, and my approach focuses precisely on this – a necessary spontaneity and, with it, greater attention to the person in front of us. The therapies are thus adapted to the needs of each faster, and the results become a joint effort between them and us.

Visceral massage

The Russian doctor Alexander Ogulov is considered the first specialist in modern medicine to systematise a method of abdominal massage aimed at normalising the functions of the internal organs. He began developing this method in 1985, based on the principles of traditional Russian healing.

Thanks to the results obtained in practice, the system created by Alexander Ogulov has become known not only in Russia but in many other countries.

The visceral massage technique is considered a particular one, because it belongs directly neither to Western nor to Eastern manual practices. It is based on the principles of traditional Russian healing, which aim to restore the body’s functional balance.

Visceral therapy aims to correct the body’s functional and structural imbalances, helping to relieve dysfunctions that are:

musculoskeletal
vascular
nervous
urogenital
respiratory
digestive
lymphatic

In other words, visceral massage helps the body overcome certain functional blockages, improves the activity of the internal organs, reduces pain and helps identify the causes of some conditions, thus restoring the body’s natural capacity to heal itself.

Reflexology

Advantages of the method

Reflexology is a therapeutic method that can be used preventively or to support good health. Its advantages include:

it can be used by people who want to prevent illness;
it does not require special equipment;
it can be applied in various settings, as long as the correct technique is followed;
it is a gentle and safe method;
it does not involve toxic substances;
it acts subtly and effectively on the body;
it aims to treat the cause of illness, not just the symptoms;
it does not interfere with medical treatment;
it reduces nervous tension;
it improves circulation and helps eliminate metabolic waste;
it supports the functioning of all the body’s systems, including the immune system;
it increases the body’s resistance to bacterial or viral infections;
it carries no risk of worsening health;
it helps balance the metabolism.

Limitations of reflexology

There are, however, situations in which reflexology should be avoided or applied with caution:

infectious diseases;
acute conditions that require surgery (acute abdomen, intestinal obstruction, acute appendicitis);
local conditions in the reflex zones (injuries, eczema, malformations);
high-risk pregnancies or advanced pregnancies;
malignant tumours with metastases;
an unsuitable state of the therapist (fatigue, nervous tension, irritability).

For certain groups of people, the working pressure should be reduced:

very elderly people;
very young people;
very ill people;
patients before or after surgery;
cardiac or diabetic patients.

Signs of excess or deficit of energy

Observing and palpating the foot can give clues about the energetic state of the body.

Observation – signs of excess

rough, dry skin
warts and calluses
dark skin colour
irregular bone growth
thickened nails

Palpation – signs of excess

crystals that feel like grains of sand
knots or muscle masses
hypertonic muscles
very sensitive or painful areas
stiff tendons and ligaments
reduced joint mobility
very warm areas
rapid return of blood after deep palpation

Reflexology consists of massaging sensitive or painful reflex points.

The massage is done with the thumb or with the finger joints, without metal objects or other tools.

By repeatedly massaging the affected reflex zones, the toxin crystals are broken up and the bloodstream carries them to the organs of elimination, helping to improve general health.

Lymphatic drainage

The lymphoid organs

The lymphoid organs are structures that store and produce lymphocytes and antibodies. They include:

the digestive tract
the thymus
the tonsils
the spleen

The spleen has many important roles:

it produces monocytes and macrophage-type lymphocytes;
it filters foreign particles, such as bacteria, from the blood;
it takes part in iron metabolism;
it stores blood cells;
it takes part in producing and destroying them;
it destroys old red blood cells and platelets;
it helps defend the body through phagocytosis;
it acts as a blood reservoir (300–500 g).

In situations such as bleeding or intense physical effort, the blood stored in the spleen can be released into circulation. Contraction of the splenic capsule can sometimes cause pain.

The roles of the lymphatic system

The lymphatic system has several essential functions:

immune function – it collects and destroys toxins, bacteria and abnormal cells;
circulatory function – it carries immune cells between the lymph nodes;
it removes interstitial fluid from the tissues;
it carries the long-chain fatty acids and cholesterol absorbed from the intestine;
it carries enzymes and hormones from the interstitial fluid;
it drains tissue proteins that have leaked out of the capillaries;
it prevents oedema;
it helps eliminate metabolic waste.

Length of lymphatic drainage sessions

The length of a session depends on the area treated:

whole body: 90–120 minutes
face: about 25 minutes
limbs: 20–40 minutes

The treatment is repeated 1–2 times a week; in pathological cases it can be applied daily for about 10 days.

The massage is done from proximal to distal: the lymph nodes are massaged first, then the lymphatic vessels.

Indications

Lymphatic drainage is used in many situations, including:

cellulite
obesity
detox programmes
chronic fatigue
stress, migraines and insomnia
oedema
post-operative oedema
recovery after cosmetic surgery
massage during pregnancy
post-traumatic recovery (dislocations, sprains, fractures, bruises)
peripheral circulatory disorders
lymphatic insufficiency
respiratory conditions (asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis)
facial cosmetic treatments
scars and stretch marks
facial paralysis
rheumatic conditions

Contraindications

Absolute contraindications

malignant conditions, or conditions that massage could make malignant;
major psychiatric illness;
bleeding disorders;
cerebral haemorrhage.

Partial contraindications

In these situations the affected area is not massaged:

skin conditions (eczema, infections, wounds, abscesses, boils);
inflammatory bone and joint conditions;
muscle tears or haematomas;
thrombophlebitis.

Temporary contraindications

acute feverish illness;
acute heart conditions (angina, heart attack);
heart rhythm disorders;
untreated high blood pressure;
embolisms;
acute lung conditions (pneumonia, pleurisy, active tuberculosis);
acute digestive conditions (pancreatitis, appendicitis, cholecystitis);
severe inflammatory processes.

Massage should be avoided in any acute inflammation caused by bacteria, viruses or allergens, because of the risk of spreading the inflammation through the body.

The effects of lymphatic drainage

Lymphatic drainage helps to:

improve blood and lymph circulation;
eliminate toxins from the body;
strengthen the immune system;
regulate body temperature;
improve concentration;
keep the skin elastic and fresh;
stimulate the metabolism;
improve digestion and prevent constipation;
activate the nervous system and reduce stress;
support the excretory systems (skin, intestines, urinary and respiratory).

Good hydration is also very important after massage sessions, because water helps eliminate the metabolic waste released during therapy.

Water acts as a solvent and a means of transport in the body, supplying the tissues with oxygen and nutrients and helping to carry information between cells.

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The information on this page is general and does not replace medical advice. Before fasting, please read the contraindications.