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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 Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,
is expanding knowledge of the benefits of massage for a variety of injuries and ailments.
Among research findings:
* Massage increases activity level of the body's natural "killer cells", boosting the immune system.
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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, Buckingham,
Va.
copyright AMTA
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