Benefits of Massage

Once considered only a luxury, massage has many health benefits including muscle relaxation, relief of spasms and cramps, relief from edema, increased range of motion, better nutrition and waste removal, improved circulation, reduction of anxiety and tension, relief of fatigue, and an enhanced general sense of well-being.

The effects of massage go beyond simple relaxation. In fact, regular massage has a number of beneficial effects on the immune system.

Some benefits of massage include:

• improved circulation and reduced blood pressure
• improved immune function and increased antibody production in immune deficiency
• increased white blood cell activity
• reduced pain and reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are responsible for inflammation and pain
• enhanced ability of the body to get nourishment to important areas
• reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
• improved sleep

In addition, massage has proven to be helpful in treating various health conditions, including TMJ, hypertension, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and eating disorders.

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TMJ

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), or jaw, can be affected by a host of joint disorders. Joint disorders that affect the jaw are in turn referred to as temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJDs), or simply as TMJs. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimate that over 10 million Americans suffer from TMJDs.

The most common symptom of TMJD is myofascial pain — pain or discomfort in the muscles that control jaw function. Massage therapy can help to relieve pain associated with TMJDs by reducing muscle tension, restoring range of motion, and eliminating trigger points (hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle that refer pain elsewhere).

Some beneficial massage therapy techniques for treating pain associated with TMJDs include:

• Swedish massage
• neuromuscular therapy
• cranial-sacral therapy
• post-isometric relaxation

Stress is also a major contributor to pain associated with TMJDs. Whole body relaxation from massage, too, can play an important role in reducing tension stored in the jaw and thus alleviating pain.

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Hypertension

As many as 70 million Americans suffer from hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. According to a number of studies, massage therapy may be effective in reducing diastolic blood pressure and symptoms associated with hypertension.

In addition, massage has been shown to be effective in increasing circulation and reducing stress and anxiety.

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Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medical disorder characterized by widespread pain, tenderness, and fatigue. It affects 3-6 million Americans. Common symptoms include muscle and soft tissue pain, stiffness, tenderness, fatigue, chronic sleep problems, anxiety, and depression. Many of these symptoms can be relieved with massage therapy.

Massage is one of the most beneficial treatments for FM. In fact, researchers have said that "a correctly formulated medical massage protocol is the main tool in effective control and elimination of FM symptoms."

Specifically, massage therapy:

• increases circulation
• increases range of motion
• reduces pain, swelling and stiffness
• decreases stress and anxiety
• improves sleep

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Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic neurological disorder in which the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheet surrounding the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms vary according to the area and extent of the spinal cord and brain affected. Random attack of immune cells on the myelin cells makes symptoms vary from day to day and are unpredictable. For many living with the disease, stress has been cited as having the potential to bring about MS exacerbations.

Allen Alper, athletic Trainer and massage therapist at IMC's MS programs says, "One of the things we found, of all the modalities, was that massage was most immediately effective in relieving symptoms and improving quality of life."

Benefits of massage therapy include:

• decreased stress
• decreased depression
• decreased spasticity
• decreased parasthesia (numbness and tingling)
• increased self-esteem and body image
• ability to get a better night's rest by sleeping better
• increased mobility
• increased sense of well being

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Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa (the intentional starving of oneself) and bulimia nervosa (characterized by "binging and purging") are serious problems that affect millions of Americans. These eating disorders have serious emotional and health consequences. Shirley Vanderbilt notes, "For those who survive anorexia, the majority will suffer irreversible bone loss, with men being most vulnerable" while bulimics "can develop liver, kidney and bowel damage from binging and purging. Heart irregularities and sometimes cardiac arrest can result from both disorders."

Fortunately, recent studies have shown that massage may be an effective tool for alleviating the anxiety, mood disturbances, and biochemical imbalances associated with eating disorders.

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Living Well the First 114 Years

"The trick is to live a long time without getting old." (Patient, age 32)
"You are old when you start to shuffle your feet when you walk.” (Patient, age 82)

The longest-living person whose dates of birth and death were verified to the modern norms of Guinness World Records and the Gerontology Research Group was Jeanne Calment, a French woman who lived to 122. She was born in 1875, and died in 1997.

Today there are 84,000 centenarians in the US, and as the baby boomers age, that figure could exceed one million. Bruce J. Klein, The Immortality Institute, says the expected life spans for the baby boomers and generations after the baby boomers could reach 120 to 150 years. Excellent health is expected for over half of the baby boomers in America going into their hundredth birthday and beyond according to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

A recent study by Swedish scientists proves that the human body renews itself. Red blood cells last 120 days, skin 2 weeks, bone 10 years, intercostal muscles 15.1 years, intestines 15.9 years, and intestinal lining 5 days. In fact, the average age of human body parts for thirty-some year-olds is about 15 years. The fact the body renews itself means that you can still feel young as you age. As you grow older, good posture will allow you to do things with more energy, less stress and fatigue. It is as important as eating right, exercising, getting a good night's sleep, and avoiding potentially harmful substances.

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