Psoriasis and Massage

How Massage Can Help Decrease Previous Emotional Assaults in Those with Psoriasis

Can massage help you if you have psoriasis? Yes and no. Yes, if you have been seriously stressed and can’t seem to get back to ‘normal’. No, if you are expecting massage to be the tipping point that somehow mysteriously cures the lesions.

The Impact of Massage on Stress Reduction

Massage is one of the best things you could ever do for stress. Surprisingly, no scientist so far has ever taken highly stressed individuals during the height of their stress, interrupted their stress with a massage, and recorded what happened. However, studies have shown that when individuals rate their level of stress as high and then get a massage, their stress levels have fallen remarkably.

What about you? When you get a massage, how long does it take before your stress levels fall to half what they were initially? Many people would say about 13 to 15 minutes into the massage is the magical turning point when all their problems seem irrelevant.

Massage is helpful to those with psoriasis because stress can play a big role in flare-ups of the skin lesions. During stress, there are a lot of inflammatory compounds produced in the body that massage can significantly lower. The more inflammation you have, the worse the lesions will look.

The Effect of Stress on Psoriasis

There comes a time in everyone’s life where emotional upheavals make life miserable. I have noticed that those who have psoriasis seem to be in this phase of life more so than other patients. Massage can help immensely because the body stores emotions in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia.

Let’s say you have a really bad experience with your boss who rants and raves at you and even calls you names. During the incident, it’s a human response to ‘brace’ against it. However, when bracing and tensing your muscles, the emotions and stress are held in those muscles.

It’s only during massage that you may realize it, as an image of the event returns to the forefront of your mind.

Stop Emotional Outbreaks from Causing Worse Skin Outbreaks

There are some types of massage that can address this type of stress in life – and in your body. Here are the top five types of massage you might ask for to eliminate these negative emotional ties from your life and muscles:

1. Rolfing / Structural Integration
   This is a type of deep tissue massage with the aim of getting out hurt emotions such as sadness, grief, resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness. They’re there in your body and a rolfer finds them. After the emotions are released, pain in the body is  mysteriously released along with the stress. You must be mentally ready to let go of bad emotions before starting this massage therapy.

2. Myofascial Release Technique
   This technique uses gentle pressure to release the trauma. It’s similar to rolfing but gentler on the body. Nevertheless, you have to be mentally ready for it.

3. Hot Stone Massage
   Dozens of stones are immersed in a hot water bath to prepare them to conduct heat into your body. They are laid on strategic points of your body on your back, buttocks and legs. As the heat is released into your body, the trigger points melt away. This is a great massage for those who are stressed and really don’t have time to deal with negative emotions; it’s a great preliminary massage before rolfing or myofascial release.

4. Deep Tissue Massage
   Deep tissue massage is a type of massage where the practitioner aims for the bottom layers of muscles. Massage is always like peeling an onion, where the trigger points in the outer layer have to be removed first in order to find the lower ones. This is an advanced massage; you wouldn’t just start in with this type.

5. Raindrop Therapy
   This one is similar to hot stone massage in that you can release a lot of emotions without having to dig for them. The practitioner uses nine different types of essential oils that are sprinkled onto the body and then massaged into the skin. The aromas are heavenly and the effects last for a good week. This massage is a good preliminary to dealing with emotional traumas that are flaring up your psoriasis.

Massage for psoriasis is out-of-the-box thinking but it does work to improve health. Sometimes you will have to take a sidestep in addressing emotions before you can take a step forward in curing your other illnesses.

Next page: five types of massage to consider.