The Psychological Benefits of Massage Therapy

San Jose Therapy Counseling Psychotherapy psychotherapist therapist

About Dr. Fredricks

Testimonials

Books and Publications

Online Articles

Newsletter

Contact

Schedule an Appointment

Location and Office Hours

FAQS

Fees and Insurance

Free Tools

Home

Individual Therapy

Couples Counseling

Family Therapy

Teen Counseling

Depression Relief

Anxiety Relief

Sleep Problems

Grief and Loss

Trauma Resolution

Divorce Prevention

Life Crisis

Self Esteem Building

Stress Management

GLBT Counseling

Chronic Illness and Pain Relief

Eating Disorders and Food Addiction

Codependency and A.C.A.

Addiction and Alcoholism Counseling

Spiritual and Transpersonal Counseling

Natural Therapies

Hypnotherapy

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)

Nutritional Therapy

Herbal Medicine

Auditory Processing Therapy

Therapy and Counseling in San Jose

San Jose Therapy san jose Counseling

The Psychological Benefits of Massage Therapy

By Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D.

Massage therapy, the most familiar type of body work, is a favorite of stressed-out office workers, weekend athletes, and people who have bad backs. Research has shown that massage can help with a wide variety of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders. Alzhiemer's, and Parkinson's. Additionally, there are more than 100 other different ypes of body work that can enhance your health and well-being.

More doctors are referring patients to body work practitioners, and some insurance companies have even begun to pay for body work in hope of preventing costly hospital stays or surgery.

Body work techniques range from the gentleness of massage to reflexology and the rigors of rolfing. The science of Body work is based partly on the therapeutic power of human touch and can also include manipulation, realignment, and posture correction. Body work can be as vigorous as deep tissue manipulation or as simple and minimal as light posture corrections.

Body work includes a variety of things you can do to nurture your body and improve overall health. There's many other treatments that are beneficial. If it works for you - go for it!

Benefits of Massage
Research in massage therapy has been ongoing for more than 120 years. Here are some reported benefits of massage:

Medical school students at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School who were massaged before an exam showed a significant decrease in anxiety and respiratory rates, as well as a significant increase in white blood cells and natural killer cell activity, suggesting a benefit to the immune system.
Preliminary results suggested cancer patients had less pain and anxiety after receiving therapeutic massage at the James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.
Women who had experienced the recent death of a child were less depressed after receiving therapeutic massage, according to preliminary results of a study at the University of South Carolina.

Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found massage beneficial in improving weight gain in HIV-exposed infants and facilitating recovery in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. At the University of Miami School of Medicine's Touch Research Institute, researchers have found that massage is helpful in decreasing blood pressure in people with hypertension, alleviating pain in migraine sufferers and improving alertness and performance in office workers.

An increasing number of research studies show massage reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion, and increases endorphins (enhancing medical treatment). Although therapeutic massage does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and, thus, partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten and lead to a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.

References
(To view, roll mouse over the "References" heading; to hide, click on the heading)

Field, T., Ironson, G., Scafidi, F., Nawrocki, T., Goncalves, A., Burman, I., Pickens, J., Fox, N., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (1996). Massage therapy reduces anxiety and enhances EEG pattern of alertness and math computations. International Journal of Neuroscience, 86, 197-205.

Field, T., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C., Field, T., Fierro, K., Henteleff, T., Mueller, C., Yando, R., Shaw, S., & Burman, I. (1998). Bulimic adolescents benefit from massage therapy. Adolescence, 33, 555-563.

Field, T., Sunshine, W., Hernandez-Reif, M., Quintino, O., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C., & Burman, I. (1997). Chronic fatigue syndrome: Massage therapy effects on depression and somatic symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 3, 43-51.

Fredricks, R. (2008). Healing & wholeness: Complementary and alternative therapies for mental health. Bloomington,IN: Authorhouse.

Hart, S., Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Nearing, G., Shaw, S., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (2001). Anorexia nervosa symptoms are reduced by massage therapy. Eating Disorders, 9, 289-299.

Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., & Hart, S. (1999). Smoking cravings are reduced by self-massage. Preventive Medicine, 28(1), 28-32.

Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Largie, S., Cullen, C., Beutler, J., Sanders, C., Weiner, W., Rodriguez-Bateman, D., Zelaya, L., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C. (2002). Parkinson's disease symptoms are reduced by massage therapy and progressive muscle exercises. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 6, 177-182.

Cady, S. H., & Jones, G. E. (1997). Massage therapy as a workplace intervention for reduction of stress. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 84, 157-158.

Katz, J., Wowk, A., Culp, D., & Wakeling, H. (1999). Pain and tension are reduced among hospital nurses after on-site massage treatments: A pilot study. Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing, 14, 128=133.

Paterson, C., Allen, J. A., Browning, M., Barlow, G., & Ewings, P. (2005). A pilot study of therapeutic massage for people with Parkinson's disease: The added value of user involvement. Complement Ther Clin Pract, 11(3), 161-171.

Wilkinson, S., Love, S., Westcombe, A., Gambles, M., Burgess, C., Cargill, A., Young, T., Maher, E., & Ramirez, A. (2007). Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: A multicenter randomized controlled trial. J Clin Oncol, 25, 532-529.

About the Author

Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and author specializing in the treatment of mental health using integrative medicine and natural therapies. She works with individuals, couples, and families at her office in San Jose, California. Dr. Fredricks' publications include the landmark book Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems. Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Dr. Randi Fredricks as articles often present the published results of the research of other professionals. Copyright © 2012. To cite this article, please use the following citation: Fredricks, R. (2008). Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health. Bloomington, IN: Author House.

Contact Randi Online

Randi Fredricks is a Psychotherapist and Licensed as a Marriage Family Therapist MFC 47803 and not licensed with the California Bureau of
Naturopathic Medicine. © 2012 Randi Fredricks, Marriage and Family Therapist, Inc. All rights reserved. Serving San Jose, Sunnyvale,
Santa Cruz, Palo Alto, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, Cupertino, Mountain View, Scotts Valley, Campbell, Willow Glen, and Milpitas CA.