Table of Contents Introduction The Power of Touch Base Oils Sweet Almond and Wheat Germ Oil Jojoba Oil And Olive Oil Carrot Oil Essential Oils Lavender Rosemary Roses, Jasmine And Geranium Making Your Own Oil Bases Stimulating Oils Stress Relievers Warming Oil Tips before Massaging Contraindications Varicose Veins Persistent pain Heart Conditions Expectant Mothers Injuries Foot Massage for edema Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction Since ancient times, massage has been a skillful art form, which has been practiced all over the world, in order to heal, as well as a sort of medicinal therapy. Documents going back to 5000 BC, in China have spoken about massage practices where they knew all about pressure points which would be pressed by skillful massagers, who knew exactly where to press, to get rid of stress and tension in other parts of the body and to heal. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, and Romans knew all about the benefits of massage, and the slaves who were experienced in this particular art form were considered to be very valuable. So what is a massage? You just know something about hands being used on parts of the body to knead, pummel, stroke, rub, press, and pound, depending on the type of massage being done on one particular part of a body in order to relax the muscles and to get the circulation moving properly. This is either going to be stimulating or it is going to be soothing. But in any form, it is going to be using the body’s natural healing systems to help heal, cure, and get rid of all the toxins in the body through outward stimulation. Surprisingly enough, not only hands are used traditionally in order to massage, but you can use elbows and forearms also to apply pressure to parts of the body so that the underlying muscles and tissues can feel relaxed. In Japan, China, Korea, and India, since ancient times, massage has been an integral and necessary part of medicinal procedure, to help in the healing process, along with supporting herbal medicines. The word shampoo incidentally happens to come from an oriental word Champi. It literally meant massaging, pummeling, and really good kneading. When I was young, my grandmother used to grab me – like all the traditional grandmothers of that time did, and there we had to sit, in the sun, being massaged thoroughly with warm oil, so that our muscles would grow strong and healthy. During this traditional massage, she would croon, talk, sing, or just speak words in a low tone, in rhythm with the massage and rubbing. This actually, when done to babies meant that they got used to hearing the sounds of voices around them, and began to associate voices with affectionate touch, from members of the family.