Massage is more than Luxury

In 2010, I started my journey toward becoming a licensed massage therapist without much knowledge about the field and the various healing benefits that it offers. Initially, I believed that massage was a luxury or a vacation indulgence, typically enjoyed while sailing on a cruise ship or staying at a resort hotel. I planned to obtain my license and seek employment with a cruise company that would allow me to work while traveling and exploring different places. It seemed like the perfect jo

b while I figured out my long-term career goals. However, as I progressed through my training, I soon realized the incredible benefits of massage therapy. This realization changed my plans, and I discovered a career that would enable me to make a meaningful impact in people's lives.

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The benefits of massage may seem anecdotal to some, but research is showing proof.

Massage promotes the body’s natural healing response by stimulating receptors that transmit sensory signals to the central nervous system, causing a reduction in muscle tension, and improving circulation of the lymphatic system, which is responsible for transmitting infection-fighting white blood cells throughout the body.

According to the American Massage Therapy Association:

• 75% of the individuals surveyed claim their primary reason for receiving a massage in the past 12 months was medical (including pain relief, soreness, stiffness or spasm, injury recovery, migraines, and injury prevention).

• 61% of the individuals surveyed stated their physician recommended getting a massage.

A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine split 53 healthy adult volunteers to get a deep tissue massage and a light pressure massage they each had Blood samples taken immediately before the massage and up to an hour afterward. Individuals who received the deep tissue massage experienced significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol and in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. The Individuals who received the light pressure massage showed increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are a part of the immune system. Increases in oxytocin a hormone associated with contentment decreases in adrenal corticotropin hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol.

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada did blood and muscle tests on individuals before and after a vigorous workout; each received massage therapy for 10 minutes on one leg and not the other leg. The muscle biopsy results from the leg that had only received 10 minutes of massage surprised researchers. The post-massage blood and muscle tissue showed an increase in a gene responsible for mitochondria development. The mitochondria are known for cell growth and energy production. The lifting and kneading of muscle tissue (common massage techniques) also were shown to ‘turn off’ genes associated with inflammation. The research also contradicted a long-believed idea that massage therapy pushes lactic acid out of muscles.

Why does this matter? This finally proves on a cellular level that massage therapy is improving recovery time after exercise and injury. This is the kind of research and results that will help educate physicians and the general public that massage therapy is a valid treatment for pain, inflammation, and soft tissue recovery.

I'm not disputing the fact that massage can be luxurious - they feel great and who wouldn't want to receive a massage on a tranquil beach with the sound of the ocean in the background? However, massage is more than luxury, they are a form of healing art that can be utilized for many other purposes.

Sources

• The Journal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineA preliminary study of the effects of a single session of swedish massage on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal and immune function in normal individuals Mark Hyman, Pamela Schettler, and Catherine Bresee published online 2010

• consumer views and use of massage therapy published by the American Massage Therapy Association.

• Massage therapy attenuates inflammatory signaling after exercise-induced muscle damage in science traditional magazine.