"Massage is one of the oldest forms of healing in history."
Think about what happens when you bump into something. What is the first thing you do (after possibly saying some choice words which can not be printed here)? Most likely, you rub the spot you just bumped. There you go - the oldest, and most instinctive form of healing: massage.
Seems so simple, so can it really be called a form of healing? Well, the basis of massage is applying pressure to the skin in order to affect change in the muscles, and all structures beneath the skin. Something we have been doing all along without even realizing it is one way we can be pretty sure that this concept of massage has been around for quite a while. Assumptions aside, there have been historical data in the forms of ancient texts from countries such as China, Japan, and India, and even hieroglyphics in Egypt that depict massage being used by doctors and medical people for the purposes of healing, longevity, and promoting general well-being. Massage in ancient times, and even throughout history, was rarely seen as a luxury or a treat, it was used as medicine - both for healing and as a preventative measure. Every culture had different forms of massage based on their own understanding and beliefs about the human body and what it needed to be healthy. These individual cultures have allowed massage to become the melting pot of different modalities that help with so many different conditions today.
