Massage for Rejuvenating Your Mind, Body and Soul

Massage can have such a profound effect on the entire body that sometimes a three hour spa treatment can be more relaxing than a seven day holiday abroad. Now, this doesn't mean a full three hours of massage but two hour of massage and then an hour of relaxing within the spa area in the sauna, steam room etc, deeply rejuvenates you entirely and fully.

Massage has not only shown to relax the body in various studies, but the effect is almost instantaneous!

Here are some of the following studies that were done over the last few years with mainly positive results:

Over a 5-week period, women suffering from depression were either given three 30-minute massage sessions per week, practiced progressive muscle relaxation for 30 minutes, three times per week, or received just the standard treatment. At the end of the study, the massage group reported less depression and anger, along with numerous physiological benefits.

A group of 14 people suffering from hypertension were monitored and provided with a 10-minute back massage to 8 of these sufferers, three times a week, while the other 6 relaxed in the same setting for 10 minutes, three times a week. After the 10th session, the people receiving massage showed lower blood pressure than the control group.

The effect of massage was tested over a 5-week period on 24 randomized chronic low back pain sufferers. After having received two 30-minute treatments per week for the duration of the study, the massage group reported less pain, depression, anxiety, and improved sleep.

A study on the short-term effects of massage on chronic pain showed positive improvement. 101 patients were randomly divided, half of which received 15 minutes of massage, while the other half discussed their pain through talking about it. One hour after the treatment, the massage group showed significantly less pain and anxiety.

Eighty-four depressed pregnant women were divided into three groups of the following; massage therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, and a control group. The massage group received two 20-minute massages per week for 16 weeks and reported lower anxiety, depression, and back pain. Interestingly, neonatal outcomes were better for the massage group than the other, leading the authors to conclude that both pregnant mothers and their children may benefit from massage therapy.

The effects of massage therapy was studied on pregnant women versus relaxation therapy. After five weeks of twice-weekly 20-minute sessions, both groups experienced reduced anxiety and leg pain, but only the massage group reported improved mood, better sleep, and less back pain.

One study performed a comprehensive review of massage therapy and its affect on stress reduction. After numerous studies, the team concluded that single treatments improved stress-related conditions and longer-term benefits were apparent in blood pressure, but they were unable to prove longer-term stress-related benefits for massage.

It can be concluded that the effects of massage therapy are simply wonderful and enlightening!


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