Interesting Massage Facts

Massage has been around for thousands of years. It's impossible to discount the effects
touch has on each and every one of us. Below is a list of some of the research about massage and
additional comments about the conclusions. The following research articles can be found at the Touch Research Institute. We highly encourage you to visit them to learn more about massage research.

Anorexia

Massage therapy reduced anxiety, depressed mood and salivary cortisol (stress hormone) levels and body dissatisfaction and increased dopamine levels.

Hart, S., Field, T. Hernandez-Reif, M., Nearing, G., Shaw, S., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (2001). Anorexia symptoms are reduced by massage therapy. Eating Disorders, 9, 289-299.

Robert's Comments : Massage therapy can over time help people become more comfortable with their bodies. It can also help increase body awareness. I've seen clients who actully learned how to respect their bodies more and consequently treat themselves better.

 

 Adolescents

Adolescents with ADHD rated themselves as happier and were observed to fidget less after massage sessions. Also, teachers rated adolescents receiving massage as less hyperactive and as spending more time on-task. Children with ADHD showed more on-task behavior in the classroom and were rated as less hyperactive by their teachers following one month of twice weekly massages.

Field, T., Quintino, O. & Hernandez-Reif, M., & Koslovsky, G. (1998). Adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder benefit from massage therapy. Adolescence, 33, 103-108.

Khilnani, S., Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., and Shanberg, S. (2004). Massage therapy improves mood and behavior of students with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, Adolescence, 152, 623-638.

Robert's Comments : Is it possible that our school system has gotten to the point, where we no longer get enough physical motion to actually dissipate some of the built up energy in our own bodies? I don't know where you live, but here they have trying to get rid of physical education. So now they want kids to sit there, don't move out of your chair, and pay attention for 6 hours?? Give me a break. As if our bodies are somehow less important than our left brains. I hope someone asks the question "Who's running this show??".

 

Back Pain

Massage lessened lower back pain, depression and anxiety, and improved sleep. The massage therapy group also showed improved range of motion and their serotonin and dopamine levels were higher.

Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Krasnegor, J., Theakston, T. (2001) Low back pain is reduced and range of motion increased after massage therapy. International Journal of Neuroscience, 106, 131-145.

Robert's Comments : This is a no brainer, but now there's research to back it up. Massage works by a physical mechanism. We actually touch people and help release stress and tension from the muscles, including the lower back. Interestingly, it seems as though most back pain is actually coming from the hip flexors, but that's another story.

 

Breast Cancer

Massage therapy reduced anxiety and depression and improved immune function including increased natural killer cell number.

Hernandez-Reif, M., Ironsor, G., Field, T., Hurley, J., Katz, G., Diego, M., Weiss, S., Fletcher, MA., Shanberg, S and Kuhn, C. (2003) Breast cancer patients have improve immune and neuroendocrine function following massage therapy.Journal of Psychosomatic Reseach, 57,45-52.

Robert Comments:  This is interesting because there has been some speculation about whether or not to massage people who have cancer. This study helps show that massage can improve the ummune system function for cancer patients.

More Massage Research coming soon....