There are a lot of differing opinions about massage as an industry; some people think it's the greatest way to care for your health and well being, and others still think of it as being seedy and for 'happy endings'. But in the field of massage therapy, there is something that is even more polarizing; even among massage therapists themselves: Energy Work.

Energy work is any kind of massage that tries to affect the body by first affecting the body's 'energy systems' or pathways. Acupressure, acupuncture, shiatsu, and even cranial sacral therapy all have foundations in energetic work. Basically, they thrive on the concept that we as humans are energetic beings, and the formation of that energy into sentient form draws together the matter that gives us physical form.

Because of that, energetic theory says, if there is a problem with the flow or nature of our energy, it will manifest problems that we experience in our physical body.

Crazy, right? Well that's the thing, it sounds completely bogus, but it gets results! Personally, I like for things to make scientific sense. Testing, re-testing, and more testing should give concrete evidence for the basis of doing something, and it should be recordable, and the experiments repeatable. The problem with energy work though, is that it's all subjective. There isn't a way to measure the energy, or 'chi'/'ki' that a person has. There's no way to see it, and observe the pathways, energy gateways, and blockages that energetic workers say exist. Because of that, there's not really a solid scientific foundation to support much of what is done with energetic massage as a whole field.

Well, that is of course for the thousands of years that it's been around, and for all the subjective reports that it's changed peoples lives.

So, therein lies the whole issue. Energetic massage cannot be scientifically or medically proven to actually do what it claims it's doing, or affect the body in the way that it says. However, despite that fact, millions of people have turned to energetic work, and other forms of therapy based on Traditional Chinese Medicine because it works for them where Western medicine has failed.

So energetic massage-does it work? My best answer: Yes, and No. Perhaps the better question would be: "Will it work for me?" The only way to see if energetic massage could benefit you would be to go out and experience it for yourself.

Just a tip from a skeptical therapist: Try Shiatsu first if you're not to sure you believe in the benefits of energetic work. It's based off the meridian system of the body, and it feels like you're actually getting a massage too!