Why You Should Book A Massage Today
A review of massage related studies claims the therapy appears to result in lower cortisol levels- this is great because cortisol is one of the hormones that will contribute to weight gain (the other major one is of course Insulin!). When cortisol levels are too high for too long, this hormone can hurt you more than it helps. Over time, high levels may contribute to weight gain and high blood pressure, disrupt sleep, negatively impact mood, reduce your energy levels and contribute to diabetes. So if Massage Therapy can help to reduce cortisol we should embrace that.
There were also may studies with different types of subject groups which show higher dopamine and serotonin measures. These compounds are neurotransmitters which play vital roles in brain functions. It’s very encouraging to know that Massage Therapy can positively affect brain function, isn’t it?
Research also has shown significant positive results in some cases when it comes to elevated blood pressure. A study conducted with pre-hypertension women (blood pressure higher than the normal 120/80 range) showed positive results in lowering blood pressure to normal levels even after 72 hrs after receiving massage. The massage group was compared to another group, who were in a relaxing environment but did not receive massage.
Not surprisingly, massage shows effect for low back pain, chronic neck pain and knee pain that is the result of osteoarthritis as well as other muscular-skeletal conditions.
In terms of exercise science, studies generally show that massage is helpful for muscle recovery. As little as ten minutes of massage, as one study indicates, can curtail inflammation and encourage the growth of new mitochondria.
If you are not sure what a mitochondria is- it’s an organelle that can be considered the power generator of the cell, converting oxygen and nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the chemical energy "currency" of the cell that powers the cell's metabolic activities. So if we have more mitochondria that can only be good for our energy levels and cell activities, right?
Inflammation is also a big issue nowadays. A lot of chronic conditions are due to systemic inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, diabetes. There is a bit hype about eating “anti-inflammatory” foods, but what if we also did more things that lower inflammations such as having Massage sessions?
Other research looks at the psychological related benefits of massage. One study examined the effect of massage on a group of grieving relatives who had recently lost loved ones. Subjects shared that the massage times were a great consolation and source of both energy and rest during the transition. Not surprisingly, the comforting effects of massage work with other kinds of pain and distress.
Massage appears to significantly reduce depressive symptoms and in another study have immediate impact on advanced cancer patients’ perception of pain as well as mood.
Patients recovering from surgery respond better to a combination of massage and pain medication than they do to medication alone.
This is just a small snippet of a bit of research that’s out there related to the Massage and Bodywork field. Hopefully in the future we’ll see some more studies and other evidence coming up.
I’ve notice anyway, that Massage therapy is becoming more and more main stream and accepted amongst all groups of people. If it’s the office person who sit’s too much and has back, neck shoulder pains, the busy mom who needs to relax and recover her energy or the sport person in training ho wants to improve their training and competition outcome or recovery. They may have different goals, but we can target the treatments accordingly.
So what’s the take home message?
If I get any of the above mentioned conditions or similar, will I make regular Massage treatments part of my routine? Absolutely..
If I stay healthy as I am now (and I sure hope it will stay like that), will I have regular Massage sessions to help prevent for me to become ill or sore? Of course.
There are other great things you can incorporate to become healthier or stay healthy in the future, such as intermittent fasting and eating a ketogenic diet. A lot of you have heard me waffle on about these things quite a bit, I apologise if I bore you, just shut me up. :-) That might be something for another post though.
Hopefully see you very soon for your next Massage session.
Melanie
There were also may studies with different types of subject groups which show higher dopamine and serotonin measures. These compounds are neurotransmitters which play vital roles in brain functions. It’s very encouraging to know that Massage Therapy can positively affect brain function, isn’t it?
Research also has shown significant positive results in some cases when it comes to elevated blood pressure. A study conducted with pre-hypertension women (blood pressure higher than the normal 120/80 range) showed positive results in lowering blood pressure to normal levels even after 72 hrs after receiving massage. The massage group was compared to another group, who were in a relaxing environment but did not receive massage.
Not surprisingly, massage shows effect for low back pain, chronic neck pain and knee pain that is the result of osteoarthritis as well as other muscular-skeletal conditions.
In terms of exercise science, studies generally show that massage is helpful for muscle recovery. As little as ten minutes of massage, as one study indicates, can curtail inflammation and encourage the growth of new mitochondria.
If you are not sure what a mitochondria is- it’s an organelle that can be considered the power generator of the cell, converting oxygen and nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the chemical energy "currency" of the cell that powers the cell's metabolic activities. So if we have more mitochondria that can only be good for our energy levels and cell activities, right?
Inflammation is also a big issue nowadays. A lot of chronic conditions are due to systemic inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, diabetes. There is a bit hype about eating “anti-inflammatory” foods, but what if we also did more things that lower inflammations such as having Massage sessions?
Other research looks at the psychological related benefits of massage. One study examined the effect of massage on a group of grieving relatives who had recently lost loved ones. Subjects shared that the massage times were a great consolation and source of both energy and rest during the transition. Not surprisingly, the comforting effects of massage work with other kinds of pain and distress.
Massage appears to significantly reduce depressive symptoms and in another study have immediate impact on advanced cancer patients’ perception of pain as well as mood.
Patients recovering from surgery respond better to a combination of massage and pain medication than they do to medication alone.
This is just a small snippet of a bit of research that’s out there related to the Massage and Bodywork field. Hopefully in the future we’ll see some more studies and other evidence coming up.
I’ve notice anyway, that Massage therapy is becoming more and more main stream and accepted amongst all groups of people. If it’s the office person who sit’s too much and has back, neck shoulder pains, the busy mom who needs to relax and recover her energy or the sport person in training ho wants to improve their training and competition outcome or recovery. They may have different goals, but we can target the treatments accordingly.
So what’s the take home message?
If I get any of the above mentioned conditions or similar, will I make regular Massage treatments part of my routine? Absolutely..
If I stay healthy as I am now (and I sure hope it will stay like that), will I have regular Massage sessions to help prevent for me to become ill or sore? Of course.
There are other great things you can incorporate to become healthier or stay healthy in the future, such as intermittent fasting and eating a ketogenic diet. A lot of you have heard me waffle on about these things quite a bit, I apologise if I bore you, just shut me up. :-) That might be something for another post though.
Hopefully see you very soon for your next Massage session.
Melanie