Overview
Healing through the use of touch is among the most ancient of techniques known to medical practitioners. Most people have heard of the “laying on of hands” for healing purposes, but a much wider variety of treatments are available to heal the body and promote general health and wellness which all use some form of physical touching. Some of the lesser-known types of healing touch include acupressure, moxibustion, therapeutic touch, myofascial release, psychic surgery, electrical nerve stimulation, colon therapy, cupping, electromagnetic therapy and many specialized types of massage. Most healing touch methods are non-invasive and can be used with little or no risk for most people. If you have a question about whether any specific technique is appropriate for you, check with your health care professional. Some of the better-known and more readily available touch therapies include Massage, Reflexology, Chiropractic, Reiki and Erotic or Tantric Massage, but these represent a fraction of the methods that may be beneficial to you.
 Chiropractic
Chiropractic treatments are also called “Spinal Manipulation” because the practitioner seeks to adjust or realign spinal bones that are slightly out of place. Misalignments are thought to affect nerve bundles as they emerge off the spinal cord. Illnesses are not treated directly but only to diagnose and correct spine-related causes. Chiropractic is an accepted, highly regulated type of complementary therapy accepted by many health insurance plans. Chiropractic colleges require at least four years of academic and professional training, so expect to see proper licenses and certifications on the wall of any chiropractor’s office where you expect to receive treatment.
What does it involve?
The chiropractor diagnoses ailments by taking a medical history, a personal interview and exam and by taking x-rays of the spine. The person’s flexibility and posture may also be examined and other tests performed. Then through manipulation of the bones of the spine the chiropractor will restore proper alignment and nerve function. Many chiropractors also use heat, ice, electrical current, massage, vibration, traction or some combination of these methods.
What is the evidence that it works?
Chiropractic is an ancient practice going back to the Egyptians but scientific confirmation of many of its claims for cures is lacking. There is no evidence to show that it is effective in the treatment of heart disease, epilepsy, impotence, allergies or cancer. However, it has been shown effective in the treatment of lower back pain and other pain due to muscle or bone problems. Chiropractors have also successfully treated headaches, sports injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome especially when combined with other treatments such as massage, electrical current or traction.
Is chiropractice safe?
Chiropractic is considered safe unless there are other conditions present such as osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer or other serious chronic problems. If such conditions are present, consult with your doctor before undergoing any type of therapy that involves manipulation of the joints or muscles because paralysis or bro ken bones can sometimes result.
Massage
Massage is the practice of applying pressure, motion or vibration to the soft tissues of the body to achieve a beneficial, relaxing response. As a complementary therapy, massage can be used to heal injuries, relieve anxiety and psychological stress, manage pain, improve circulation and for general relaxation and sensual pleasure. Some studies indicate that massage can also decrease depression, lower blood pressure, improve migraine headaches and to reduce post-operative pain and chronic fatigue. Massage is also thought to increase the level of mood-improving endorphins in the body and to flush lactic acid waste bi-products of heavy exercise from the muscles. Others claim massage promotes breakup of scar tissue, loosens mucus in the lungs, promotes sinus drainage and helps arthritis, colds and even constipation. Truly an impressive list of benefits!
Because of the sensual aspects of touching, for many gay men massage is also an intimate part of foreplay and lovemaking. There are also explicitly sensual types of massage such as Erotic and Tantra massage and, as is well known, massage often takes place in the context of sex work. The key to getting the kind of massage that satisfies personally and gives the kind of healing that you intend depends on clear communication between the massage therapist and client. As massage is a lightly regulated industry, clients are advised to get references, check out certifications and licenses, and above all, to ask questions and tell the therapist what kind of massage feels good to you.
What are the types of massage?
There are over 150 types of massage therapy that have developed from many different sources and combined in unique ways by individual therapists. Because massage schools teach several major types of massage and often many others less well-known types, each therapist’s massage style will be different and will more or less pleasing to any given client. This is why communication between client and massage therapist is so crucial, especially if you are getting a massage from a therapist for the first time. Lesser-known types of massage include Chinese Tui Na, Chair, Lomilomi or Traditional Hawaiian, Myofascial Release, Muscle Energy Technique (MET), Thai, Shiatsu, Soft Tissue Therapy, Stone, Tai Chi Massage, and many, many more. In the U.S. Swedish massage is the most oft-practiced style and involves long strokes designed to increase circulation of blood back to the heart. Deep Tissue massage is also very popular and focuses more on specific joints or muscles to reach deeper layers of tissue. Foot or Sole massage--closely related to Reflexology--has all the benefits of a full-body massage for those unable or unwilling to have a standard massage. Myotherapy, also called Neuromuscular or Trigger Point therapy, is another common style of massage which is often combined with other styles. “Trigger point” refers to abnormally sensitive, highly irritable knots of extremely tight tissue within or around muscles that can cause a lot of pain and which are focused upon during the massage.
What is Tantric (erotic) massage?
Most massage is not intended to stimulate erotically but there are several Asian-inspired schools of massage that are intended for use as part of love-making and having prolonged sexual encounters and multiple orgasms but without ejaculation. Impossible, you say? “Tantra Masters”, those trained in tantric techniques can teach these techniques or you can teach yourself from any one of several books on the topic. Click here for more information.
Tantra Masters, like paid professional sex therapists, are often criticized for “prostitution” because of teaching and using erotic touching as part of their therapy sessions. Tantra massage as it is now practiced in the West incorporates various techniques including erotic massage, touching energy points on the body, controlled breathing, meditation and relaxation exercises all intended to generate erotic energy and create prolonged states of full-body arousal and orgasms that do not necessarily involve ejaculation. The whole idea of Tantra massage as a way to spiritual enlightenment is foreign to most Westerners but training the body and mind to have ecstatic physical and emotional experiences through sex is an ancient spiritual practice to harmonize the mind, body and spirit that is only now being learned in the West.
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 Reflexology
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Reflexology is a massage-related treatment that uses pressure on specific areas of the feet or sometimes the hands to treat a variety of health problems similar to the list of ailments for which massage is employed generally. Reflexology is closely related to several of the Asian treatments as it aims to balance the flow of vital energy throughout the body. Reflexology is based on the concept of “reflex points” that are directly linked to various organs or parts of the body in much the same way that acupuncture or acupressure points are, however, no needles are used in reflexology.
What is the evidence that Reflexology works?
Reflexology, also called Zone Therapy or Zone Reflex, is not regulated by law at this time so no formal training is required before a person can practice reflexology. Many practitioners will have ta ken courses in a massage school or they may be self-taught. Clients will notice tender areas on the feet as they are touched and many report tingling sensations in areas of the body linked to the reflex points on the feet or hands that are being manipulated. Whether reflexology has beneficial effects apart from, or in addition to, the massage that is inevitably involved is a matter of controversy. One study of reflexology versus massage for premenstrual symptoms (PMS) in women showed that the reflexology-treated women reported larger decreases in symptoms. Similar results were reported in another study of migraine headaches where 81% of the reflexology-treated participants said they were helped or cured by the treatment. Pain relief is a proven result of reflexology treatment, but as with some of the other forms of pain treatments they are temporary and rarely last more than 3 hours—still, not bad considering many pain medications must be ta ken at similar regular intervals. Further study is needed to determine if reflexology has health benefits beyond that of foot or hand massage therapy.
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Reiki |
Reiki as currently practiced in the West is a kind of spiritual healing and more of a New Age form of spiritual practice than it is a tested medical therapy. Reiki is a Japanese word that means “universal life energy” and is based on the belief that life energy can by directed or channeled through a practitioner to heal a patient’s energy field and thus enhance the healing of the body. The practice is rooted in Buddhist concepts of life energy imbalances as the cause of ill health and is closely connected to the philosophy of Kundalini Yoga which emphasizes activating or unblocking life energy that is concentrated in 7 major centers or “chakras” of the body arranged up the spine to the top of the head. Practitioners are believed to be able to “channel” or direct spiritual energy to specific parts of the client’s body for purposes of healing. Reiki is originally a Japanese belief system but in the West many of its basic ideas and techniques for healing have been combined with New Age points of view to create similar approaches such as Celtic Reiki, Native American healing, Wiccan Reiki, Reiki Tummo (awa kening the Kundalini chakras in a controlled manner), Shamanism or Channeling.
How is Reiki performed?
Reiki is usually performed by placing the hands on different parts of the client’s body. Most Reiki practitioners treat patients while clothed, unlike massage therapy. In fact, Reiki can be performed from a distance. “First Degree” Reiki is given in person and may be compared to the “laying on of hands” in some Christian traditions. First Degree Reiki involves the practitioner using specific hand gestures to touch the body for the purpose of redirecting and balancing the energy within and around the client. Sometimes the body is not touched but the hands will be held just above the body. In this respect, Reiki is very similar to other energy channeling techniques including Qigong, Faith Healing, Therapeutic Touch or Distant Healing. “Second Degree” Reiki involves the practitioner sending healing energy over a distance and may be compared to praying for someone’s health or recovery in many other spiritual traditions.
Does Reiki work?
Reiki is controversial because there has been little scientific study of the effects of Reiki treatment beyond the power of suggestion or the placebo effect, which are by no means insignificant ways for the mind to affect the health and wellbeing of the body. There are no studies of the effectiveness of Reiki in treating serious diseases such as cancer, but it is definitely a very useful complementary therapy to reduce stress or pain and to ease muscle tension, speed the healing of burns, improve sleep, reduce blood pressure and to enhance the immune system. Reiki definitely promotes relaxation, decreases anxiety, enhances the body’s ability to heal itself and increases a general sense of well-being that most forms of spiritual practice are able to accomplish as well.
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