Therapeutic massage is the healing art of touch. From the simple backrub given by a mother to a child, to the skilled application of pressure and motion by certified practitioners of numerous schools and styles of massage, touch creates a full spectrum physical and emotional health benefits. Hospitals are increasingly adding massage therapy to their treatment repertoire, as those studying massage impacts continue to expand the list of positive massage effects.
Relaxation
Massage is relaxing--but that's not where it stops. The anxiety reduction resulting from massage reduces the stress hormone cortisol, according to the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami Medical School. The National Institute of Massotherapy reports that this cortisol boost can in turn can reduce the perception of anxiety and pain in cancer patients, and stimulate the brain to produce feel-good endorphins. The Associated Bodyworks and Massage Professionals public education website MassageTherapy.com, as a tool to manage stress, massage can help its recipients to sleep better, have more energy, and experience increased powers of concentration. MassageTherapy.com also reports that massage can lower diastolic blood pressure in high blood pressure patients.
Immunity Enhancement
Massage can boost the immunity system by encouraging lymph flow and encouraging function of the body's natural defense systems, according to MassageTherapy.com. The Touch Research Institute reports that studies of HIV patients as well as women with breast cancer demonstrated an increase in the body's natural defense cells after massage. The beneficial impacts are also mutual on both the massage giver and the massage receiver, according to Touch Research Institute: a study in which children with leukemia were given daily massages by their parents resulted in an increase in the children's white blood cell counts, and a decrease in their parents' depression and anxiety.
Relief of Stiffness and Pain
The National Institute of Massotherapy states that massage is indeed good at its most basic purpose: relieving sore stiff muscles and reducing muscle spasms. Tight muscles and injured muscles can benefit from massage. The Associated Bodyworks and Massage Professionals public education website notes that massage will relax and loosen up tired, sore, and overworked muscles, and massage encourages the release of endorphins, the body's own natural painkillers. The Touch Research Institute also reports that studies demonstrate a link between massage and a reduction in pain; for example, when children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis were given daily massages by their parents over 30 days, they reported less pain overall.
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