History of Massage Therapy in the Western Society
Evidence of Massage Therapy for the use of healing dates back as far as 3000 BCE. Many believe that touch therapies such as massage therapy are as old as human kind. Spanning back over 5,000 years, massage therapy was used widely in Asia, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and finally, by the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe and then the United States. Jivaka Komarabhacca is known throughout Southeast Asia as the father of medicine and personal physician to the Buddha, and the element theory he used is the basis for all Buddhist medicine including Thai massage. Swedish physician Per Henrik Ling is credited with bringing the modern standard of massage therapy to the Western Societies in the 1800’s, hence the name Swedish Massage. To this day, Swedish Massage is the standard modality taught in massage therapy schools throughout the United States. It is considered the fundamental body of knowledge for Western massage therapy education.
Many of the oldest forms of massage therapy are rooted in element theory and were meticulously preserved and protected by doctors and practitioners who were often also monastic or ascetic practitioners. That preservation of information traditionally came with guarding against any persons who may misuse the information for selfish reasons, or distort the lineage by changing the information or not passing it along correctly. By the time massage therapy was introduced to the West as late as the 1800’s, biomedicine was still at least 100 years away from being developed. Doctor John Harvey Kellogg (yes, one of the Kellogg cereal brothers) was determined to popularize good health including diet and exercise. He established a Sanatorium (akin to a modern day holistic health resort) in Battle Creek, Michigan where he endorsed, implemented and explored holistic practices including massage therapy. The massage therapy modalities investigated at that time were credited to the knowledge initially introduced by Per Henrik Ling after his exposure to massage therapy in Japan. Kellogg, however, conducted extensive (sometimes quite horrific) scientific experiments at his Sanatorium to add to the body of knowledge that exists today. Kellogg’s experiments were focused on discovering scientifically measurable physiological effects of massage therapy, including “electrical effects not attributed to occult forces.” In his experimentation with massage therapy, Kellogg found that even passive touch yields a favorable, physiological effect on the nervous, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and cardiac systems. Kellogg published The Art of Massage in 1895 followed by The Art of Massage; A Practical Manual for the Student, the Nurse, and the Practitioner in 1909 and these texts remained the standard for massage therapy education in the West for roughly 100 years.
Nurse Florence Nightingale of England established the first organized group of women caring for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War in 1854 through 1857 thereby establishing the nursing profession. Under Nurse Florence Nightingale, massage therapy was a standard nursing technique used to promote healing in symptomatic injuries as well as emotional, psychological, and physical discomforts. In both of the World Wars, massage therapy was a standard treatment used by nurses to treat injured soldiers. Massage therapy was a part of standard educational curriculum and practice of nursing, until the profession’s responsibility in patient care expanded roughly 50 years later.
Many of the oldest forms of massage therapy are rooted in element theory and were meticulously preserved and protected by doctors and practitioners who were often also monastic or ascetic practitioners. That preservation of information traditionally came with guarding against any persons who may misuse the information for selfish reasons, or distort the lineage by changing the information or not passing it along correctly. By the time massage therapy was introduced to the West as late as the 1800’s, biomedicine was still at least 100 years away from being developed. Doctor John Harvey Kellogg (yes, one of the Kellogg cereal brothers) was determined to popularize good health including diet and exercise. He established a Sanatorium (akin to a modern day holistic health resort) in Battle Creek, Michigan where he endorsed, implemented and explored holistic practices including massage therapy. The massage therapy modalities investigated at that time were credited to the knowledge initially introduced by Per Henrik Ling after his exposure to massage therapy in Japan. Kellogg, however, conducted extensive (sometimes quite horrific) scientific experiments at his Sanatorium to add to the body of knowledge that exists today. Kellogg’s experiments were focused on discovering scientifically measurable physiological effects of massage therapy, including “electrical effects not attributed to occult forces.” In his experimentation with massage therapy, Kellogg found that even passive touch yields a favorable, physiological effect on the nervous, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and cardiac systems. Kellogg published The Art of Massage in 1895 followed by The Art of Massage; A Practical Manual for the Student, the Nurse, and the Practitioner in 1909 and these texts remained the standard for massage therapy education in the West for roughly 100 years.
Nurse Florence Nightingale of England established the first organized group of women caring for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War in 1854 through 1857 thereby establishing the nursing profession. Under Nurse Florence Nightingale, massage therapy was a standard nursing technique used to promote healing in symptomatic injuries as well as emotional, psychological, and physical discomforts. In both of the World Wars, massage therapy was a standard treatment used by nurses to treat injured soldiers. Massage therapy was a part of standard educational curriculum and practice of nursing, until the profession’s responsibility in patient care expanded roughly 50 years later.
Modern Day Massage Therapy
Massage therapy as a profession took many different courses as it spread throughout the Western world. Even today, variations of the practice are apparent in the laws surrounding required training and scope of practice. For example, as of 2015, in Germany a massage professional is required to complete a minimum of 3,200 hours of training before being legally permitted to practice, and a massage professional must then practice under the direction of a medical doctor. France requires three years of training. In Canada, not all provinces even have regulations for massage therapy. Regulations surrounding massage therapy in the United States also vary from state to state. Most states require at least 500 hours of training, but states like Wyoming still had no state regulations for massage therapy. New York required 1,000 hours of training followed by a state exam, while California required 500 hours of training for a Therapist, or 250 hours for a Practitioner. As of 2015 in the state of Ohio, a minimum of 750 hours of training are required to qualify for the state licensing exam. Once the exam is passed, practitioners obtain a license from the state medical board that permits them to independently practice under that limited branch of medicine. This is why massage therapists in Ohio refer to themselves as Licensed Massage Therapists, rather than masseurs or massage technicians. It is actually a criminal offense to practice massage therapy without a license in the state of Ohio.
The variation in regulations throughout the Western world, and specifically in the United States, reveals much about the varied culture surrounding the application of massage therapy. Massage therapy in Ohio is utilized in a wide variety of settings. Physical rehabilitation centers, hospitals (like Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio), wellness centers, chiropractic offices, even gyms and spas utilize massage therapy in its various applications. Massage therapy is applied for many indications ranging from the desire to increase flexibility and strength of muscles, decrease high cortisol levels, increase vascular or lymphatic circulation, increase oxygen saturation in the blood, decrease swelling or pain, improve mood, aid with sleep regulation, promote healing in the physical, psychological, and/or energetic bodies, or to simply relax and relieve tension (which is a really big deal in our busy lifestyle).
The variation in regulations throughout the Western world, and specifically in the United States, reveals much about the varied culture surrounding the application of massage therapy. Massage therapy in Ohio is utilized in a wide variety of settings. Physical rehabilitation centers, hospitals (like Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio), wellness centers, chiropractic offices, even gyms and spas utilize massage therapy in its various applications. Massage therapy is applied for many indications ranging from the desire to increase flexibility and strength of muscles, decrease high cortisol levels, increase vascular or lymphatic circulation, increase oxygen saturation in the blood, decrease swelling or pain, improve mood, aid with sleep regulation, promote healing in the physical, psychological, and/or energetic bodies, or to simply relax and relieve tension (which is a really big deal in our busy lifestyle).
