Elliott Greene interviewed by Anthony Qaiyum on December 15, 1995 "Massage is both an art and a science." Elliot Greene is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. Tripod: Can you define "therapeutic massage?" EG: Massage therapy is basically the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of improving the well-being of a person. Tripod: How long has massage been used for therapeutic purposes, historically? EG: You can find references to massage in some of the oldest medical texts, which are Chinese. They go back over 4,000 years. While people think of massage therapy as some form of alternative medicine, it's very traditional in the sense that it dates back to these old Chinese medical texts and was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Hippocrates referred to massage therapy. He said that the physician must be acquainted with many things, and assuredly with massage ... It wasn't until the 19th century when it was systematized in terms of Western nomenclature by a Swede named Peter Lyng who's known as the father of Swedish massage. Tripod: Let's say I have sore muscles from skiing, for instance. How can massage help my muscles stop aching. EG: Basically what happens, when you get sore muscles from something like skiing or normal activity -- let's assume you weren't injured seriously -- usually this is because you've used the muscles extensively so that a couple of things are happening. There's a lot of waste that's left over from the physical activity, or what we call metabolic by-products. In other words, stuff that's left over from energy production that stays in the tissues and creates a kind of aching feeling. Another thing that happens is, if there's been a particularly high level of exertion, a little bit of pulling of the soft tissues or muscle tissue needs to recover. And what massage does is it helps you increase circulation, for one thing. It helps to remove the by-products of the physical activity and removes that from the tissues. And it also helps the tissue to recover from the effects of exercise. Tripod: What is it about massage that gives, not just your muscles, but your whole body, a feeling of rejuvenation? EG: I think it's at least a couple of things. One is that there's an overall reduction in tension in the body. So I think that what someone experiences then is relief. And another thing that happens is -- and this has been shown in some research -- that massage can also help stimulate the release of neurochemicals known as endorphins that also create a feeling of well-being. For example, people do running or exercise -- it also releases endorphins, which leads to a feeling of well-being. A third one is, if you feel relaxed, you feel less stressed. And anxiety level goes down. Tripod: Many people say they've had these results when they get a massage from just a friend. What can a massage therapist do that's different? EG: I think the simplest way to put it is that, when someone becomes very skilled at doing massage, they hone an ability to determine what each person needs at that particular moment. They may have a number of different techniques in their repertoire they can draw upon, and they'll use the techniques that seem to suit that person at that particular moment ... I think another level of it is that many massage therapists develop an exquisite sense of touch. That's the thing about massage, it's both an art and a science. So that someone who's trained will have a certain range of knowledge about the body and how it works, but they'll also have a good sense of touch ... And if you had very specific needs, then the contrast would be even greater. If you had a particular problem, let's say you pulled a muscle in your leg. Someone who was trained would know much more what to do. Tripod: I often hear about different types of massage, such as Swedish, or Shiatsu. What do I need to know about the differences in these methods? EG: What someone will encounter in terms of massage therapy is that there are a number of techniques out there -- over a hundred. But the major ones would be Swedish massage -- Swedish massage is the basic form of massage that most people are familiar with. And I would add that most forms of massage have certain basic things in common. They're using movement and pressure applied to the soft tissues. And Swedish is the most classic form. It's just called Swedish because it was first systematized by a Swede. And then it spread through Europe and the United States, and people began to refine it further. Swedish massage is a method that tends to use oils and lotions, but tends to use long strokes, beating strokes, vibration, sometimes percussive movements. And it focuses a great deal on improving circulation and loosening muscles. Another type is deep tissue massage. Deep tissue is a variance on Swedish. The difference is that deep tissue massage, as you can tell by the name, focuses on the deeper layers of muscle. The muscles of the body are in different layers. So it has three dimensions to it. So sometimes, let's say on your back, there's five layers of muscles. If somebody is having a problem with their back, they may need work on the third or fourth layer of muscle. So you would use deep tissue techniques to reach those deeper layers. Tripod: How long, generally, does a session take. EG: Well, most sessions will run about an hour. That, I think, is the most recommended length of time. Sometimes you can get a session for a half hour, if you don't have as much time. And that can be useful, but there's some cumulative effects, so that having a full hour is worth a little bit more than two half hours. You can also get fifteen-minute sessions. If somebody's really looking to get relaxed and feel good, I'd recommend an hour session. Tripod: Do you think the image of therapeutic massage is tarnished by the popular culture status of sexual massage or erotic massage? EG: The way I would put it is, I think that there is confusion that's created by that trend. In reality, what you're talking about is adult entertainment companies ripping off the name of legitimate health care. They really have nothing to do with each other in my mind. And I think that, in the last ten years or so, there's been a lot of progress made in the professional field of massage therapy in terms of separating itself from adult entertainment. And I think that the more educated the public becomes, the more aware they become that there is such a thing as legitimate massage therapy. And someone that wants to get a massage can find a professional massage therapists and not worry that they might be getting involved in something that they weren't bargaining for. Tripod: How should I go about finding a good massage therapist? EG: One method is word of mouth. If you know someone that has a good massage therapist that they like, you can take a recommendation and that's always a good way to start. If not, probably one of the simplest ways is, someone can call the American Massage Therapy Association for a recommendation. The number is 708-864-0123. Then, I think that someone should always be comfortable with checking someone's credentials. Massage therapy is licensed in twenty states and the District of Columbia. In some states it's licensed, and in some states it's not. So in some areas there's no regulation at all ... You need to ask, if there's licensing, is [a particular therapist] licensed? Does somebody belong to a national professional association such as the American Message Therapy Association -- one that has real standards. There is a national exam called the National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. That's another indicator. And, did someone go to massage school, and how much training did they have? I would say that someone should have a minimum of 500 hours of training at a school. And because massage is a very individualistic thing, they should make sure that they feel comfortable with their massage therapist. Sometimes it takes trying a few people before you find someone that you click with or feel that you are a good match with. Sometimes it might happen right away. You can contact Elliot at: [email protected]