What Does Research Show About Massage Therapy?
Research
on the effects of massage therapy has been ongoing for more than 120 years. A
surge in research over the past 20 years has resulted in more than 2,500
published studies.
At
the University of Miami School of Medicine's Touch
Research Institute, 70 studies on touch - the majority on massage therapy -
have been published or are under way. Recent and ongoing research at some of
the nation's hospitals, such as
Among
research findings:
·
Massage increases activity level of the body's natural
"killer cells", boosting the immune system.
·
Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed
better and were less stressed than those who weren't massaged.
·
Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension,
depression, pain, and itching in burn patients.
·
Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after
massage.
·
Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and
fared better than those who weren't.
·
Autistic children showed less erratic behavior after massage
therapy.
"Massage
therapy is beneficial for almost all diseases. Eighty percent of disease is stress-related,
and massage reduces stress." - Sandra McLanahan, M.D., family
practitioner,
AMTA,
the international 46,000+-member professional association for massage
therapists, supports research through the AMTA Foundation. AMTA and the AMTA
Foundation helped fund research at the Center for Alternative Medicine Research
at
"Massage
is to the human body what a tune up is to a car. It provides a physical and
mental boost to the weary, sore, and stressed..." - Chicago
Tribune,
