Remarkable Facts

About Massage

 

 

 

 

Regular Massage is one of the most powerful ways to release stress and promote health in the body. Here are some specifics on what exactly it does for you.

Strengthens Immune System,  Lowers Blood Pressure, Improves Circulation, Increases Flexibility & range of movement, Enhances Deeper Sleep, Improves Rehabilitation post Injury, Improves Posture & Breathing, Conditions Muscles, Prepares body for athletic performance, Encourages Healthy Thyroid Function, Helps Endocrine System, Relieves Headaches.

Here are some more potential benefits, based on research compiled by the American Massage Therapy Association:

 

 

USA TODAY. USA WEEKEND, The Doctors December 20, 2013

Relieve chronic low-back pain.

Nearly everyone at some point has back pain that interferes with work and daily activities; if it lasts more than three months, it's considered chronic. One study showed people with long-lasting low-back pain who got a one-hour Swedish or structural massage once a week for 10 weeks felt and functioned significantly better and significantly faster than those who received standard medical care; they also used less over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs. Other research found massage helps with osteoarthritis of the knee pain, fibromyalgia and nerve pain, among others.

Ease anxiety.

A review of studies that measured the stress hormone cortisol in people before and immediately after massage found the therapy lowered levels by up to about 50%. Massage also increased serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that help reduce depression. That may play into why massage has been shown to help people with anxiety disorders, to increase calm before surgery and to decrease stress and depression in cancer patients; in fact, a recent Turkish study found back massages given during chemotherapy significantly reduced anxiety and fatigue.

Reduce blood pressure.

Women with prehypertension (or slightly elevated blood pressure) who received three 10-minute Swedish massages a week for 10 total sessions lowered their pressure more than patients who relaxed in the same environment but with no massage, according to a small study. Other more recent research on 35 older adults showed therapeutic massage also helped reduce blood pressure, as well as improve stability.

Boost immunity.

Massage may give the immune system a boost by helping to increase activity levels of natural killer T cells, which fight off viruses and tumors. Past, preliminary science suggested full-body massage enhanced immune function of women with breast cancer; a newer but also early study on premature babies came to a similar conclusion: Those who received massage therapy had more active killer immune cells (and gained weight faster), compared with infants in the control group.  

 

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