Massage and Releasing Toxins: Educating Clients on this Myth

This is a fact: Massage has many health benefits. Massage can reduce stress, tension, heart rate, blood pressure, sore muscles, and joint pain. Massage can increase endorphins, blood circulation, and immune functions. This is also a fact: Massage does not remove toxins that are stored in the body. It is important that massage therapists debunk this age-old myth and educate their clients on the true benefits of massage. Here are 4 commonly asked questions from clients and how you can best answer.

Does massage get rid of lactic acid?

Massage may help address the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles, but it does not flush out lactic acid – which is produced in the muscle tissues during strenuous activity. Lactic acid is quickly metabolized from the muscles in as little as 15 minutes to an hour, so there is no lactic acid left to release.

Can I sweat out toxins?

Sweat is the body’s natural way of cooling itself. While the kidneys and liver are meant to remove waste from the body, however, sweat can contain some small amounts of environmental toxins like sodium chloride and phosphate, urea, ammonia, sulfates, creatinine, and fats. It’s possible that persistent sweat inducing activities like exercise and sauna can also be beneficial. Clients should discuss this with their physicians.

Should I drink water after a massage?

Even though we know that drinking water right after a massage doesn’t flush toxins from the body, water is still good for our clients. So if they are thirsty after a session, feel free to offer them water to rehydrate themselves.

Can massage protect me against environmental toxins and stressors?

Because massage can help boost your immune system, it can help your body fight off some of the harmful effects of environmental toxins; but it doesn’t flush them from your system. And of course, massage helps you relax, warding off stress, which is a natural enemy of homeostasis in the body.