I wouldn’t get a massage when you’re sick.
There are many types of holistic therapies that may benefit a person during a cold, flu, virus, or any decline in your immune system.
Chiropractic work realigns the spine and allows better nerve function to the organs that are apart of the immune system. Acupuncture opens up blocked energy in our meridans to boost over-all health and vitality. Visiting your Naturopath can guide you to take the proper foods, herbs, and other natural remedies that will help your body fight off an offending bacteria or virus. Homeopaths can prescribe the right remedy in harmless doses that again will assist the body to do its natural remedy process.
Massage, however, does not do these things. Massage stirs the sands, so-to-speak. It moves fluids through the body, allowing better circulation and lymphatic flow. Massage will definitely ease an achy body, and temporarily give relief to an an ailing person. The consequences, though may end up turning a cold or early onset sickness into something more serious. At minimum, it can drive the unwanted virus or bacteria deeper into the tissues making it harder for the body to defend against the invader.
Massage can make your sickness worse.
But, there are other solutions.
I have experienced this firsthand.
During my practice hours in deep tissue while in school, I found myself about two days into a mild sore throat and a drippy nose.We had been informed by our instructors that if we feel sick or unwell in anyway, it is better to avoid massage. I did not heed that warning. Having my body rubbed made this discomfort I was feeling start to go away, but the next day was not so pleasant. I had quickly turned what started off as the sniffles, into a full blown case of bronchitis. I was down for two whole weeks!
Fortunately massages have an upswing to this. Once the body had gotten through the worst part of the illness (usually 7-21 days) massage can help rid the tissues of any left-overs. What may be floating around dead or dying , or the physical remnants of the virus in the lymph system, blood stream, and other areas.
As with everyday massage, water intake within the first few hours post-session is most important. Resting for the remainder of the day, avoiding caffeine and alcohol is also critical. Drinking water after an appointment replenishes the metabolic fluids that massage flushes out, prevents dehydration, and reduces the possibility of feeling worse.You will be visiting a bathroom a lot for about 24 hours. This is normal.I have also been told by several doctors that taking an extra 500-1000 mgs of vitamin c the same day will boost the healing power. Outside of massage is bodywork. Much like chiropractic or acupressure, bodywork (not massage) like Reflexology, Craniosacral & energy work can assist in removing blocks in the body. These techniques may actually aid in the healing process and give the person suffering some physical relief from the illness.
These techniques have not been shown to make symptoms worse. There’s no promise to speed healing, however some do experience a shortened illness cycle.
So remember, if you are feeling under the weather and have a massage appointment, please notify your massage therapist as soon as possible. Your practitioner may also be well versed in other techniques and practices that could help you heal. This is a courtesy to your therapist and to you. We don’t want to spread anything to you, to get sick ourselves, or make you feel worse. It allows us to plan an alternative to the allotted session.