And a massage feels good. All of the famous physicians from the ancient Chinese and Indian to the classic Hippocrates and Galen have noted and described massage and its healing uses. Wall carvings in Egyptian temples show doctors healing with massage. In Western culture, what we know as massage is a form of Swedish massage. It began as the skills taught by Per Hendrik Ling known in the 19th century.
Swedish massage is mostly long, stroking movements that manipulate the soft tissue and muscles.
Up until the late 1970s, it was by far the most common. Its therapeutic values are understood and include improved circulation, both vascular and lymphatic, relief of pain and the reduction of stress. Many people feel that massage therapy can help strengthen the immune system, promote emotional well-being and normalize the entire physiology. By the 1980s, specialized forms of massage typical of Eastern cultures began to show up in the West. Eastern systems utilize an advanced understanding of the holistic nature of the body.