Therapeutic Touch Nurture the Fifth Sense

By Tracy Soltesz, LAc, MAc

Kunlun Mountain Acupuncture, Inc.

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Therapeutic Touch Nurture the Fifth Sense

When thinking about ways to take care of your health and body, do you include all five of your senses? Nurturing your sense of touch is an integral part of full body health, but many people think of it as a luxury, not a necessity.

Think about ityou schedule a routine eye exam every year. You probably see the dentist at least twice a year to keep your teeth, mouth, and tongue clean and healthy. You might even have seen an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor to inspect your sinuses and keep your breathing clear and free. Do you give the same attention to your body's largest organs your skin and muscular system?

Did you know that each square inch of your skin contains over 50 nerve endings? When you are touched, millions of receptors relay a message to your brain, which calms overstimulation in your body. The chemical reaction that occurs in the body due to touch decreases blood pressure and lowers the racing heart rate. In response to touch, your body produces endorphins the body's natural pain reliever. Therapeutic touch improves your body's overall functioning by improving the strength and suppleness of the muscles.

There are many ways to therapeutically touch the body. Different types of massage help to improve circulation, allow the muscles to release stored toxins such as lactic acid, and stimulate the lymphatic system to remove those toxins from the body. The lymphatic system not only eliminates the waste products of your muscles during a massage, but also brings nourishment to healthy cells so that they can repair and regenerate.

When properly applied by a trained specialist, essential oils can increase and improve all of these functions during your massage. Essential oils stimulate the limbic system, which improves the hormonal regulatory systems' ability to balance “stress” hormones that lead to pain and inflammation.

As you schedule your appointments this year to keep your body functioning at its best, don't forget to include therapeutic touch. Your fifth sense will thank you.