Massage is perhaps one of the alternative treatments that we have all heard of, we all realise and have probably felt the benefits that can be gained from a massage; probably most of us had used it for simply easing the everyday strains and stresses in our life but massage can also play a significant part in easing many other more significant illnesses.

Research over the years has come to show that massage can help greatly in reliving pain in cancer patients, aiding recovery in heart and lung transplantation patients, is beneficial for people with chronic insomnia and has proven helpful in people suffering from respiratory infections.

Shiatsu is a form of massage therapy that originated from Japan, it is very much like acupuncture but without the needles instead shiatsu massage is based on finger pressure. The treatment is based on the energy flow throughout the body, called “Chi” this energy is said to course throughout the body in “meridian” channels and at times it may get depleted or blocked.

What are Meridian Channels?

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The Japanese believe there to be twelve meridian channels throughout the entire body each one of these relates to a particular organ of the body these channels allow energy to course through these organs, when people become ill it is thought there has been a disruption of this energy or a blockage of this energy.

The purpose of these channels is to control movement in the body, join the arms, head and legs to the rest of the body and regulate the organs to the body. These channels are not only connected to the organs but also conform to the eastern way of thinking of function of the organs.