As the weather gets colder, more and more people begin to come down with either a cold or the flu. Many times people will try to keep their massage appointments, thinking maybe detoxing and immune boosting effects of massage will help them to feel better faster. While a massage during an illness might seem like a good idea, there are a few reasons you should consider rescheduling for a day when you feel better.
To start off, you should not keep a massage appointment if you are contagious. If you're coughing and sneezing you can spread your infection to others, staying home is the best option. Massages usually take place in a warm, enclosed space with limited air circulation, which viruses can thrive in.
So if you come in for a massage while you're contagious, you not only risk making the therapist sick (which can cause them to miss valuable work days in order to recover), you can spread your virus to inanimate objects in the room, which means subsequent clients risk getting sick as well.
Even if you're not contagious, the release of toxins into the body can make you feel worse before you feel better. Your body is already fighting off the cold or flu, and a massage introduces many more toxins into the bloodstream that your body now has to process in addition to the virus. This not only may make you feel even worse, but it could lengthen the recovery time.
Lastly, it may simply be uncomfortable for you to keep your massage appointment while fighting off a cold or the flu. The gravity of laying face-down on an otherwise comfy table can worsen congestion, making you feel even more miserable.
While massage can relieve aches and pains associated with fighting off a cold, you should listen to both your body and your doctor's advice so you can make good decisions about your health. Don't get a massage done if you're actively sick or feeling lousy; it's better to reschedule for when you feel better than to go in while sick and infect even more people. So be smart when it comes to getting massages while you're ill. Not only will your massage therapist thank you, but so will their other patients.
If you have any questions about your appointment and need to speak to a massage professional, contact LaVida Massage of Fayetteville AR today!
