History of Massage Time-line

admin — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 13:34:36 +0000

History of Massage Timeline - Where and When it Began

Pre 3000 BC: Cave paintings of massage being performed.
3000 BC: Chinese books document massage techniques.
2330 BC: Ancient Egypt offers us The Tomb of Akmanthor painting.

1800 BC: Indian Head massage (also called champi or champissage) techniques seen in the texts of Ayurveda (The Art of Life).
722-481 BC: Chinese Nei-jing compilation of medical knowledge offers us 30 chapters referencing massage.
500 BC: Hirodicus uses and his student Hippocrates studies effects of massage.
100 BC: Ancient Chinese text (Inner Classic of Huang Di) documents acupuncture technique and trigger points which is the basis of acupressure and trigger-point therapy today.
27 BC – 1453 AD: Romans build bathhouses with dedicated massage rooms in them.
1025 AD: The Canon of Medicine produced by Persian philosopher Avicenna (Ibn Sina) detailing massage for pain relief.
1450 AD: Renaissance reawakens interest and study into massage.
1550 AD: Ambroise Pare uses massage in France and England as a Royal surgeon. (Rosser)
1813 AD: Per Henrik Ling founded Royal Central Gymnastic Institute in Sweden and is credited with devising an exercise regime and massage techniques.
1878 AD: Dutch physician Dr Johann Mezgner devises a system of massage and names the strokes in French.
1894 AD: Society of Trained Masseuses (now called Chartered Society of Physiotherapy) is formed by 4 nurses as a regulatory body.
1914 – 1918 AD: World War I sees an increase in massage therapy to aid the injured.
1930 – 1950 AD: Decline is massage treatment as medical science find new treatments.
1955 AD: Wat Pho Temple in Thailand establishes the school for traditional Thai massage.
1968 AD: City and Guilds provides a course and qualification through colleges in the UK.
1984 AD: Summer Olympics in Los Angeles televises massage on athletes for the first time.
1996 AD: Summer Olympics in Atlanta US Team is offered massage “as a core medical service”.
Modern day: Massage is now considered a good complementary therapy to help the body to heal and relax.

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History of Indian Head Massage (Champissage)

admin — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 12:10:21 +0000

History of Indian Head Massage Also Called Champissage or Champi

Around 600 BC Indian head massage (champissage or champi) was first documented in the texts of Ayurveda (Knowledge of Life). Generally it is said the women of the family originally practised champi. It was derived from ancient grooming rituals. The name of the therapy, champissage was derived from ancient Sanskrit words. Oils can be massaged into hair to strengthen, condition and created a luxurious texture in it. It became a popular complementary therapy after Narendra Mehta came to Britain to study and was disappointed when massages he had did not include the head.

Ayurveda (Knowledge of Life)

The Ayurveda is a group of ancient texts that were originally written around 600 BC. The name of the texts is derived from the 2 Sanskrit words aura, which means life and veda, which translates to knowledge. Its subject matter is that of healing in the main part. It is the original works that many alternative and complementary therapies are derived from on the Indian subcontinent.

Ancient Indian Family Grooming by Women

Originally Indian head massage techniques were used within a family unit. Back then it was only the women who were using champissage on their children and other family members. Wax M. (1957) points out that grooming denotes the status of the matriarch of the family. So this ancient ritual can be seen as a way to make a statement about who is the female head of the family. This grooming ritual was originally limited to the scalp and hair on the head.

The Origins of Shampooing Might Surprise You

Today men and women, boys and girls all use these ancient techniques regularly. If you can appreciate, you massage your head when you are shampooing your hair. Having someone else do it for you is an even more pleasing. There is also a link between the sound of the words champi and shampooing. Oxford Dictionary tell us the word shampoo originates from the word campo in the Hindi language meaning to press.

Oil on Your Scalp - Yes or No?

Oils can be used but, it is not a requirement. If it is used on dry (as opposed to wet) hair, oil will strengthen, condition and created splendid texture in the hair. There are conflicting arguments as to whether you should massage oil directly onto the scalp. Chande J (2012) quotes renowned hair stylist Rod Anker as saying oil on the scalp is not a good idea as it will block hair follicles. Also it will change the ph level on your scalp. Ph levels of the skin affect what happens to the hair follicles and how much natural skin oil (sebum) is produced. On the other hand, it is well known that oils can be good to manage dry and damaged hair. So applying it to hair rather than the scalp might be the way forward if it is used in the treatment.

Narendra Mehta Invents Modern Indian Head Massage

Narendra Mehta was blind from childhood. Still he made a good life for himself and became educated. After he came to England in 1978 to train in physiotherapy, he became upset that when given a full body massage, head massage did not take place. He had been brought up with champi in his family routine. He knew the benefits of it. So seeing a gap in the market returned to India to study it. In his studies he found that including massage to the upper body was more beneficial than just the ancient champissage techniques, which were limited to the scalp and hair.

He later returned to England and set about practising his new therapy. He heard about the Mind, Body and Spirit exhibition at London Olympia in 1981. So he set up a stall there to show people what he could do for them. People flocked to his stand to receive the treatment and word spread quickly. It was so popular people were returning the same day for more than 1 treatment. So, modern Indian Head massage was born.

References:

No Author (No date) Definition of shampoo in English: [Online] Available from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/shampoo (Accessed 01 08 2018)

Chande J. (2012) Is oiling really good for your hair? [Online] Available from https://www.vogue.in/content/oiling-really-good-your-hair/ (Accessed 02 08 2018)

Wax M.(1957) Themes in Cosmetics and Grooming [Online] Available from https://www.jstor.org/stable/2773134?mag=facing-ourselves-online&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (Accessed 03 08 2018)