What is Chronic Disease?
Chronic diseases are long lasting conditions with ongoing effects, and more and more Australians are being diagnosed with what are described as ‘Lifestyle Diseases’. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) have reported that many people diagnosed with a chronic condition have multimorbidity – the presence of two or more chronic conditions at the same time. Some of the common conditions classified as chronic include arthritis, diabetes, back pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, and mental health conditions. The AIHW also estimated that 11.6 million people were affected by one or more of the following 10 chronic diseases:
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- back problems
- cancer
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- diabetes
- mental and behavioural conditions, including mood disorders, alcohol and drug problems and dementia
- osteoporosis
- selected heart, stroke, and vascular diseases
How do you Treat Chronic Diseases?
Soft Tissue Therapy (Remedial Massage) can have a very beneficial effect in the management of many of these conditions. This is not to say that it is a cure, but a management strategy, along with other interventions, to help you maintain as healthy a lifestyle as possible. Research has shown that by experiencing a decrease in pain levels, it creates an overall positive result in one’s ability to deal with the challenging physical and psychological aspects of their health condition. One study demonstrated not only significant reduction in pain levels, but also the interrelatedness of pain, relaxation, sleep, emotions, recovery, and finally, the healing process. Massage after a cancer diagnosis can be an hour of care and peace in a time of personal upheaval, and the aches and pain experienced by anyone suffering from fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome can be relieved and improve their comfort level resulting in better sleep.
