Your liver plays a role in an astounding number of bodily functions: it helps with blood sugar regulation; metabolizes hormones; and traps and breaks down bacteria and toxins. Unfortunately, bodily demands can overwhelm your liver, making it perform less than optimally. Massage therapy can help by restoring healthy circulation and speeding the elimination of toxins. A word of caution: if you suffer from cirrhosis or other serious liver disease, tell your massage therapist before she treats you. Deep tissue massage can lead to serious complications in patients with liver disease, according to Mario-Paul Cassar, author of "Handbook of Clinical Massage."
Improve Digestion
The deep manipulation techniques of traditional western massage work directly on your liver to promote bile production and relax surrounding muscles. A massage therapist may work on the abdomen directly in order to get things moving if you suffer from constipation or bad digestion. Work on your own digestion by lying on your back and drawing your knees toward your chest, advises Joan Budlovsky, co-author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Massage." Gently massage your entire abdomen. To target the liver, use long, firm strokes to rub your right side along the ribs and in toward the center of your upper abdomen, where the liver sits.
Ease Menstrual Cramps
Massage can release stagnation in the liver and resolve menstrual cramps, according to Northwestern Health Sciences University's online article about Eastern abdominal self-massage techniques. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the liver triggers the release of blood at the onset of menstruation each month. If the liver isn't functioning optimally, cramps and breast pain can result, notes Misha Ruth Cohen, director of Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, on her clinic's website. To resolve menstrual issues, she recommends abdominal self-massage to ease the flow of liver qi and harmonize the liver with the other organs.
Soothe Qi Flow
TCM massage techniques, such as tui na, acupressure, or qigong medical massage, target pressure points in order to assist the liver's optimal functioning. In TCM, the liver plays a core role in governing the flow of qi throughout the entire body. When the liver is functioning properly, the flow of qi is smooth and free, notes Jane Bean, licensed acupuncturist. In her book, "Curing IBS Naturally With Chinese Medicine," Bean notes that negative emotions, especially frustration, disrupt the liver. Massaging liver pressure points can release the stagnation caused by frustration and anger, and ease chronic irritation or depression caused by stale liver qi. If you're feeling excessively angry, use a counterclockwise motion to rub the web between your big toe and second toe---the location of a significant liver point.
References
- "Handbook of Clinical Massage;" Mario-Paul Cassar; 2004
- "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Massage;" Joan Budlovsky and Eve Adamson; 1998
- Northwestern Health Sciences University: Self-Massage: Abdominal
- Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine: Gynecological Health: Organ Systems
- "Curing IBS Naturally with Chinese Medicine;" Jane Bean; 2000
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