More Benefits of Massage
Few things help us both to relax a massage. Well now there is scientific evidence that not only calm the mind, body and spirit, but also help strengthen the body’s natural defenses.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, U.S., recruited 53 men and women, all healthy adults. In 29 of them were randomly assigned sessions of 45 minutes of deep Swedish massage (works on areas of tension.) The other 24 received a gentle massage sessions.
They were also placed intravenous catheters for blood sampling immediately before and one hour massage and then to observe the changes. To their surprise, researchers found that just one massage session triggered biological changes.
Strengthen the body’s natural defenses
Volunteers who received the Swedish massage experienced significant declines in levels of stress hormone (cortisol) both in blood and saliva, as well as arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to rises in cortisol. Also recorded increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are a fundamental part of the immune system.
Those who had received gentle massage they showed greater increases than the other group in the levels of oxytocin, a hormone associated with satisfaction, and further declines in the hormone ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol.
In 2005, scientists had found to reduce blood pressure.