Massage the Body’s Natural Painkillers and Mood Regulators
The Benefits of Massage Therapy
- Back pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Tension headaches
- Fibromyalgia
- Neck pain
- Surgery-related discomfort
What the experts say
Sure, it feels great, but they provide much more than a few “ahhhs” for people with back pain. “Massage therapy has been shown to boost levels of endorphins and serotonin—the body’s natural painkillers and mood regulators—and to reduce stress hormone levels,” says Dr. Weil. Massage therapy may also work at a molecular level, helping to turn on and off genes associated with inflammation, according to a study in Science Translational Medicine.
It’s showing promise for post-operation patients, as well. “We’ve conducted a number of studies on massage as a treatment for pain following surgery,” says Brent Bauer, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. “In each of these studies, we have been able to demonstrate statistically significant reductions in pain, along with significant reductions in anxiety.” The results have been so compelling, he says, that massage therapy is now routinely available to all patients undergoing surgery at the Mayo Clinic.
What we know
Researchers at the University of Miami followed 37 breast cancer patients who received massage therapy or practiced progressive muscle relaxation for five weeks. Women in the massage group reported feeling less depressed and angry, and they had more energy. In the University of South Florida study of high blood pressure patients, those who got 10-minute massages three times a week for three weeks lowered their higher number by 11 points.
What new research shows
A review of more than a dozen studies conducted by the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine concludes that this therapy relieves depression and anxiety by affecting the body’s biochemistry. In a series of studies including about 500 men, women, and children with depression or stress problems, researchers measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before and immediately after a massage and found that the therapy lowered levels by up to 53%. (Cortisol can drive up blood pressure and blood sugar levels and suppress the immune system.) It also increased serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that help reduce depression.
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