Everybody Deserves A Massage Week – July 14-20, 2024

History of Everybody Deserves A Massage Week

People regard massages as one of the oldest forms of medical care. Ancient cultures have believed in the benefits of a good massage and Egyptian tombs even have paintings of people getting a massage.

One of the earliest Chinese texts on massages is called “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic Book of Internal Medicine” and dates back to 2700 B.C. This book is now a staple in massage therapy training and is the main textbook for teaching forms of alternative medicine like acupuncture, acupressure, and herbology.

Another possible birthplace of massages and massage therapy is India; records indicate this form of treatment may have been around since 3000 B.C. The traditional form of Indian medicine — Ayurveda, a Sanskrit word that translates to ‘life health’ or ‘life science’ — uses touch to treat people.

In later years, massage therapy spread around the globe. Chinese monks took it to Japan, added their own twist to it, and called it ‘anma’ (later known as shiatsu). Greek athletes would use massage to condition their bodies before competitions, and Greek doctors used herbs and oils combined with massages to treat different medical conditions.

The popularity of this therapy declined in the West over the years, as new discoveries in pharmacology and medical technology changed the way we looked at medicine. That is, until the 18th century, when massage therapy began to gain recognition once again. By the early 19th century, a Swedish doctor, Pehr Henrik Ling, developed the Swedish Movement System, which is regarded as the foundation of the Swedish massage. Medical gymnasts, as they were called at this time, used movement and manipulation of the body to treat orthopedic problems and other ailments at hospitals and clinics.

In the 1850s, scientific massage therapy was being introduced to the U.S. via two Sweden-educated physicians and brothers, George and Charles Taylor. Their introduction led the way for two new clinics to be established, one in Boston and the other in Washington, D.C. The late 19th century saw the rise of hydrotherapy in conjunction with massages. People believe this to be the precursor of today’s spa treatments and services.

The popularity, and subsequent research into massage therapy began to increase greatly. There was growing interest in alternative medicine, and well-documented research proved that massage therapy could be used to treat acute and chronic pain, acute and chronic inflammation, chronic lymphedema, nausea, muscle spasms, various soft tissue dysfunctions, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and psycho-emotional stress. Physical therapy was now a licensed profession in the U.S., and the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) was established in 1943. They built the ethics and education standards based on which modern massage practitioners still perform services.

Today, many people prefer alternative forms of therapy, including massage therapy, as a statement of a healthier lifestyle. The healthcare industry commonly uses massage therapy in hospitals, nursing homes, and birthing centers.

The largest massage therapy membership organization in the United States, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP), founded Everybody Deserves a Massage Week, giving their time, money, and effort to this cause. They see it as a way to bring the community of professionals together, raise awareness about their duties, and promote the healing massages can bring to people.