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Research
in massage therapy has been ongoing for more than 120 years.
Here are some
reported benefits of massage:
- Medical
school students at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New
Jersey-New Jersey Medical School who were massaged before an exam showed
a significant decrease in anxiety and respiratory rates, as well as a
significant increase in white blood cells and natural killer cell
activity, suggesting a benefit to the immune system.
- Preliminary
results suggested cancer patients had less pain and anxiety after
receiving therapeutic massage at the James Cancer Hospital and Research
Institute in Columbus, Ohio.
- Women who
had experienced the recent death of a child were less depressed after
receiving therapeutic massage, according to preliminary results of a
study at the University of South Carolina.
Studies funded by
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found massage beneficial in
improving weight gain in HIV-exposed infants and facilitating recovery in
patients who underwent abdominal surgery. At the University of Miami School of
Medicine's Touch Research Institute, researchers have found that massage is
helpful in decreasing blood pressure in people with hypertension, alleviating
pain in migraine sufferers and improving alertness and performance in office
workers.
An increasing
number of research studies show massage reduces heart rate, lowers blood
pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves
range of motion, and increases endorphins (enhancing medical treatment).
Although therapeutic massage does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate
weak, inactive muscles and, thus, partially compensate for the lack of exercise
and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten and lead to
a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.
Research has
verified that:
- Office
workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were
less stressed than those who weren't massaged.
- Massage
therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression, pain, and
itching in burn patients.
- Abdominal
surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage.
- Premature
infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared better than those
who weren't.
- Autistic
children showed less erratic behavior after massage therapy.
According to AMTA,
massage helps both physically and mentally.
Physical Benefits of Therapeutic
Massage
- Helps relieve stress and
aids relaxation
- Helps relieve muscle tension
and stiffness
- Alleviates discomfort
during pregnancy
- Fosters faster healing of
strained muscles and sprained ligaments; reduces pain and swelling;
reduces formation of excessive scar tissue
- Reduces muscle spasms
- Provides greater joint
flexibility and range of motion
- Enhances athletic
performance; Treats injuries caused during sport or work
- Promotes deeper and
easier breathing
- Improves circulation of
blood and movement of lymph fluids
- Reduces blood pressure
- Helps relieve
tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain
- Enhances the health and
nourishment of skin
- Improves posture
- Strengthens the immune
system
- Treats musculoskeletal
problems
- Rehabilitation post
operative
- Rehabilitation after
injury
Mental Benefits of Massage
Therapy
- Fosters peace of mind
- Promotes a relaxed state of
mental alertness
- Helps relieve mental stress
- Improves ability to monitor
stress signals and respond appropriately
- Enhances capacity for calm
thinking and creativity
- Emotional Benefits
- Satisfies needs for caring
nurturing touch
- Fosters a feeling of
well-being
- Reduces levels of anxiety
- Creates body awareness
- Increases awareness of
mind-body connection
(Source: AMTA)
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