LIGHT HISTORY OF MASSAGE

Rubbing Is probably a universal instinct. Humans and mammals know it helps sore limbs and that touch is comforting. Massage therapy is a versatile craft which grew from this instinct. It may well be one of mankind’s earliest therapies.
	People in most ancient cultures practised some form of therapeutic touch or massage. Evidence from many countries suggests that prehistoric people massaged their muscles and rubbed plants, herbs, oils, and various substances on their bodies to heal and protect. In many cultures, special healers were said to have powers of healing by touch
Egypt had a well developed social structure 5,500 years ago and people may have used massage then. Imhotep, the physician and architect recorded his knowledge of aromatic oils or unguents, made by mixing aromatic plants, resins and gums with oils or fats. Middle Kingdom Egyptians used bassi massage which induced trance.
Massage is used today in Nigeria, Uganda and other parts of Africa. Mothers massage babies, and wrestlers use massage for fitness.
	Massage is recorded in China in 3,000 BCE in The Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine and Cong-Fou of the Tao-Tse. Amma was developed using pressure points. The first Chinese massage exam was in the 1^st century CE at Schools of Occult Studies. In the 6^th century, Chinese techniques spread to Japan (via Korea), where Shiatsu developed. For years, blind people were the main masseurs. Thai massage is over 2,500 years old. (Today’s Chinese method is Tui-na.)
In Tibet, medicine is a blend of traditional Indian and Chinese medicine and Bon (the indigenous culture’s medicine). Its practice has been endangered since the 1950’s with the Chinese communist invasion. Remnants survive in Mongolia and Russia. Tibetan remedial massage uses a herbal medicated oil or butter and is an important therapy for stress disorders.
*Massage possibly came to India from China. Between 1,800-500 BCE, the Vedic people developed Ayurvedic medicine. The 2,500 year old Ayurveda* describes body massage with oil. Sensual massage is recorded: erotic sculptures at Khajuraho and Karma Sutra. Tantric massage is used with breathing and yoga.**
Traditional medicine of Thailand dates back some 2500 years. As with many indigenous peoples, the Thai people created their own blend of traditions and techniques, linking Ayurvedic medicine, Buddhist spiritual practice, Chinese medicine and Yoga, as well as indigenous healing practices of ancient Siam. They treated disease and disharmony of physical, emotional, and spiritual origins. Nuad Bo'Rarn is the traditional medical massage. In Kurdistan, Breema developed - similar to Thai Massage.
	Assyria is an ancient country of Asia, noted for art and architecture. Assyrians developed massage treatments using garlic, tamarisk, hellebore, mandrake, cypress, resins and gums. Greece used Egyptian massage knowledge. Receivers included athletes, women and soldiers. Writers on massage include Homer, Aesculapius, Herodotus and Hippocrates. In 326 BCE the Greeks learned Ayurvedic medicine from India.
Rome gained massage from Greece, and it spread through the ancient world. Romans liked bathing and full body massage. Roman massage writers include Asclepiades, Celsus and Galen. Receivers include Pliny and Julius Caesar, who was massaged to relieve epilepsy.
By the end of the Roman empire, massage was associated with indulgence. Emperor Constantine abolished baths and gymnasia, suspecting sexual abuses. Massage study stopped in Europe, but many of Galen's books were translated in Persia by Hunayn ibn Ishaq in the 9th century. In medieval Islam, the medic/philosopher Ibn Sina, or Avicenna included massage in his treatments. In Africa and Asia massage has always been valued and understood as a healing craft. In Europe it struggled, and at times practitioners were persecuted for witchcraft. Mary Queen of Scots probably received massage from Ambroise Pare, but there was little interest until the early 1800’s when Per Henrik Ling developed Swedish Massage, which spread through the West. In 1894/5 the Society of Trained Masseuses was formed in Britain, and in 1899 Sir William Bennett used massage in St George's Hospital, London.
Islanders of the South Pacific have used massage in and out of water for hundreds of years. Lomilomi is an ancient Hawaiian healing massage. Each morning families would Lomi each other to start their day in Lokahi (balance) with mind, body and spirit. Knowledge of this art was held within the family, so distinct styles have developed across the major islands. Today, Hawaiian medical massage is known for its stress relieving power. In the Philippines, traditional medicine includes the "albularyo" or herbalist, spiritual healer; "hilot" or traditional birth attendant, bone setters and massager.
	In the Sandwich Islands, kings were massaged after meals to aid digestion. People of the Peruvian Amazon use the oil of Andiroba for massages for muscle pain and for skin disorders. It is also used in urban Brazil as a massage oil, especially by martial arts practitioners and massage therapists.
Native Americans use heat and massage with herbs to treat various problems. The Cherokee, Penias and Navaho rubbed warriors before they went to war and when they returned. Massage eases labour pains, infant colic and many other ailments. The Acoma and Laguna massaged muscles with crushed plants for cramps, the Blackfoot used an infusion of roots to massage sore breasts with warm stones and the Forest Potawatomi infused roots with lard to massage sore muscles and tendons.
From the mid 1800's, massage skills from Sweden, Germany and France were brought to the US. Therapists worked with European techniques at sanatoriums. Dr. Charles Fayette Taylor’s New York orthopaedic practice specialised in Swedish Massage.
In the early 20^th Century , massage was considered disreputable. Wilhelm Reich caused outrage by using it with psychotherapy. Diet, exercise and massage gave way to medical routine and drugs. In Britain, some massage was used for rehabilitation in Forces hospitals, and from 1945 in athletic clubs and YMCAs.
	Massage Therapy as we know it today grew from the 1960's, emerging as a profession in the 1970's and 80's from schools such as the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. The later 20^th century has seen the creation of a range of massage techniques, including applications for personal growth, emotional release, and balance of mind-body-spirit, in addition to traditional Swedish massage. Many are American techniques from the late 1960s onward, though some appeared in the 1920s.
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