Shiatsu – Not Just A Breed of Small, Yappy Dog.

People are ever more prone to stress in this day and age, with jobs that are governed to a very large extent by targets and statistics and an all-round increased level of competition. As we are forever hearing, the figures regarding divorce show that as few as half of the marriages consecrated this year might have a happy ending – so there’s another reason people are feeling stressed. And if one takes an interest in national, global or even local news there tends to be something every few weeks (at least) that horrifies and causes tension. And with the detrimental health effects of stress a matter of medical record, it is essential that we learn how to combat it.

There are modern methods of addressing stress, that are clinically tested and created, which have very positive effects but can have the knock on effect of over-relaxing the patient. And if you are wondering how one can be too relaxed, then just give some thought to how you would feel if your body required twelve hours of sleep a day but you only got eight. Often the best solution for stress is a non-clinical one, and this tends to be an old, tried and trusted method that has been around for hundreds of years. Massage therapies or herbal remedies are often as successful as tablets and lotions in dealing with the problem of stress – and they are cheaper into the bargain.

One such method is Shiatsu massage. An old-fashioned Chinese style of massage, Shiatsu is based in the fingers of the masseur or masseuse. It works on some of the same principles as acupuncture – stimulating areas of the body that are considered to be blocked. The explanation for this is that practitioners of Shiatsu see stress as being down to a blockage in the flow of energy (or ki), and by stimulating the correct areas the flow can be raised back to its optimal level. This involves tapping, squeezing and rubbing the affected areas and has the effect of relaxing the subject while also releasing toxins and stimulating the circulation of blood around the body.