Our senses are there to help us to survive the world around us. The sense of touch is the main sense organ, and the skin is a place that we can use for healing. Doing massages in medical treatment and in other practices or using therapy such as hold, or hot therapy can help to heal the body.
During ancient times, there were different healings that were used in the environment to help people to be stronger and healthier. When we uses our senses, it affects our physiological self with the stimulus and the responses that we have. It has been known for years that our senses are helpful in our environment, and this is part of even traditional healing methods. In science today, we can find out how validation is used from healing in the past.
Validation about the senses and about touch for healing has happened both in the past and now in modern research. Touch is connected to our nervous system and the receptors that are used can control all of the functions that happen in the body. The nervous system is important because it helps to keep things in check such as the emotions and things such as stress and anxiety.
Research has shown that touch and temperature can send signals to the nervous system, and this is important to help with many different things in the body, even diseases.
Ardem Patapoutian is one that is responsible for identifying genes and for coming up with the term mechanosensitive. This means that you are able to feel mechanical stimulation and pressure and then the gene codes will channel these feelings to the cells. The channels that are being opened will allow the electrical signals to go to the nervous system and it will help to regulate important body functions such as respiration, urinary and bladder control and blood pressure. The channels that have ions are important because the body can sense motion and position. As the receptors are changed, the senses that our body has can be influenced. Cells that are compressed will send electrical signals that can be measured by science and these affect physiology.
Even though a lot has already been learned about mechanoreceptors, there is always more to learn. There are also other complex things in the body that can help with pain. Some look at force-sensing proteins that can help to treat things such as chronic pain. But as medical develops, even some of the ancient traditions of healings can help to influence things like the nervous system and how tolerant it can be to medication.
David Julius, another researcher, has studied sensors on nerve endings for years. He has identified different channels and how they respond to the temperature around them. When he first started researching, he focused on capsaicin from peppers in order to find out how the ions activated by heat. He would put different topical products on areas and then identify how painful they were. This helped science to understand how heat and cold influences the electrical signals in the nervous system with temperature sensing.
Healing with Touch
As science continues to find more information about the human body, we can look at the ancient traditions that were used such as Ayurveda. These are things that were used to help heal. This would use the heat of the sun, the wind to keep cool and then even walking to feel the pressure under foot. There are some tools that Ayurveda teaches on using touch for healing such as:
- Massage.
- Self-abhyanga or a warm oil massage.
- Walking throughout the earth.
- Soaking the feet or rinsing the eyes to reduce heat.
Science has found a connection between the nervous system and the senses. Pressure can be use and will have an effect on the different parts of the body with the nerve impulses along with heat and cold. This can help to relieve issues such as:
• Insomnia and other sleep problems.
• Pain.
• Anxiety.
• Stress
• Inflammation.
With Ayurveda healing therapy, there are massages and even acupressure that can create a response to the body. The way that the strokes are given, the different pressure points and the amount of pressure used can help the body. Other things are used in addition including oils and different temperature ranges. This can show people that there is a connection between touch and temperature and how the body reacts.
The sense of touch can help to heal the body, and this can be combined with other senses such as listening to nature, tasting foods that are natural, smelling essential oils and more. There are different receptors that the organs in the body identify with the senses such as smell, taste and even light. All of these can affect things such as breathing, interpreting things such as light and more within the organ systems.
Finding the sensory receptors in the organ systems and how it affects the body, and the physiology is one of the biggest research focuses that are going on with health conditions. There have been ancient practices that have proven that these practices work, over time.