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The importance of the hands
The hands are often overlooked areas of our body but obviously very important. It is indeed thanks to the hands if we are able to perform numerous daily actions, from the simplest to the most complex. The hands are composed of twenty-seven bones in all on which nineteen muscles and twenty-four tendons are inserted that work constantly to allow us to work, write, build and even communicate. In the vast majority of our gestures, the hands are the protagonists and, for this reason, more exposed to fatigue, as well as numerous external, physical and chemical agents. It can therefore happen that due to the “overwork” to which they are forced, the skin of the hands appears dehydrated, dry and cracked, that your muscles are sore or that you suffer from pain in the hands and fingers. Self-massage is a useful practice to take care of your hands, bringing benefits to the skin and to the set of muscles, bones, tendons that constitute them, but also to the well-being of the arms and shoulders. In addition, the self-massage of the hands promotes relaxation general.
Benefits of massage
Hand self-massage is a simple practice that allows you to take care of your hands by dedicating them a few minutes a day. Thanks to self-massage it is possible reactivate circulation at the level of the hands and have relief in case of soreness, fatigue of the muscles and joints of the hands, pain in the hands. Self-massage of the hands also helps improve the appearance of the skin, counteracting dry skin and cracking and is useful for preventing chilblains, redness, swelling of the hands and fingers and can be a remedy against cold hands. The benefits related to massage and self-massage of the hands also affect the neighboring districts such as wrists, arms, elbows and shoulders. Finally, taking a few minutes to massage the hands promotes relaxation and, consequently, general psychophysical well-being.
In palmar reflexology, a practice of alternative medicine with very ancient origins, hand massage is used to treat various ailments and pathologies. According to this discipline, the palm of the hands is associated with the chest of the body, the back with the back, while the fingers represent the limbs, the neck and the head. On the surface of the hands there are therefore gods reflex points to which certain organs correspond. As in plantar reflexology, in the palmar reflexology, e is massaged specific points are pressed of the palms to alleviate problems affecting the various parts of the body connected to them. Acting on the palm of the right or left hand would work on the organs located to the right and left of the chest. Palmar reflexology is used, for example, for relieve chronic pain, respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders. Although there are no studies that prove its validity, according to those who practice it, palmar reflexology is effective in the case of back pain, headache, asthma and other pathologies.
How to do it
Do-it-yourself hand massage is simple, takes about ten to fifteen minutes and can be done by anyone. It is a massage with intuitive movements that follow the anatomy of the hands. Generally it is one hand at a time and starts from the palm, making circles with the thumb from the center of the palm outwards and vice versa. Then you massage the back, applying light pressure with the fingers following the direction of the bones from the knuckles to the wrist. We then move on to fingers to stimulate the circulation of the hand by massaging them one by one, wrapping them between the fingers of the other hand. The massage will be performed from the base of the finger to the nail, with circular movements, stretching in the direction of the muscles and small twists of the finger. Always remaining on the fingers, we then proceed “embracing” the hands with each other and then “untie” them, to improve the flexibility of the joints.
The self-massage of the hands can be done with or without massage oils and creams. The use of a cosmetic product can still be useful to make the hands slide better by reducing friction and to improve the tone, appearance and hydration of the skin. For the beauty of hands and nails, for example, olive oil, argan oil, coconut oil or shea butter, pure or mixed together, are perfect. It is also possible to add lemon, lavender or mandarin essential oil to vegetable oil or butter: one drop is enough for each tablespoon of oil.
Self-massage of the hands can be done Two or three times a week o every day when you prefer: in the morning as soon as you wake up it helps to “awaken your hands”, in the evening before falling asleep it promotes relaxation and at any time of the day to give relief if you feel tiredness and fatigue in the hands .
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