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Massage & Health
Massage was used in numerous ancient cultures.
Early medicine in the United States relied heavily on massage and herbal
treatments. But over time, hands-on-medicine was largely set aside in favor of
advances in medication and technology.
Today, there’s a growing interest in the benefits of massage used in conjunction
with conventional medical treatments, and when used as a preventative measure to
avoid injury or illness. Massage uses positioning, hands-on pressure and
movement to promote relaxation and to loosen and increase motion in muscles.
Potential benefits include:
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Improved circulation, which can be
helpful in wound healing after surgery, improving blood pressure, and
relieving fluid buildup (edema) in arms or legs
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The release of stress-reducing hormones-such
as endorphins-which can increase energy and reduce the risk of
illness caused by chronic stress
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Reduced pain, which can promote muscle
relaxation and healing of muscles
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Improved range of motion, increased
flexibility, reduced risk of injury, and improved performance when
appropriate stretches are included in the massage technique.
An additional therapy:
Increasingly, the medical world recognizes the value of massage as an additional
(adjunct) therapy to conventional therapies. Massage has helped many conditions
including arthritis, lymphedema, fibromyalgia, scleroderma, pregnancy and
psychological disorders. It has helped relieve agitation that may occur with
Alzheimer’s disease, and the rigidity associated with Parkinson’s disease. It’s
also been used to reduce pain and increase the comfort of people receiving
end-of-life (palliative) care.
Massage can offer relief for less serious problems, too. Including aches and
pains due to hobbies such as gardening and golfing. Its use is also associated
with reducing stress and improving alertness.
Some recent studies have found that massage may help decrease pain, anxiety,
stress and depression. Several studies note that massage helped improve blood
pressure and relieve postoperative pain, chronic fatigue and migraine symptoms.
Massage also may be helpful for people with cancer. In a study involving cancer
patients, researchers asked participants to rate their physical discomfort
before massage, immediately after massage and 48 hours later. Massage appeared
to reduce their discomfort by about half right after massage. Improvement lasted
for two days after the massage.
Another study of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments
found that those who received massages had better pain control, less anxiety,
less distress and slept better that did a similar group who didn’t.
Mayo Clinic Health Letter
January 2005
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