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The Proofs That Massage WorksOutlined below is a sample of the effectiveness of massage. The number of studies conducted is enormous and we do not think that we would want to put it all here. However, after looking at these, we hope it provides an illustration of how massage should be treated as an alternative or complementary care for various illnesses. AnxietyAt the Royal Marsden Hospital, London in 1995 massage was shown to reduce the amount of anxiety felt by cancer patients and at the same time improves their quality of lifeTouch InstituteOne of the institutions that spend a great deal of time researching the effect of massage is the Touch Institute, University of Miami, Florida.Let us see what are the research outcomes from their experiment: HIV PatientHIV positive men, when massaged daily, will produce more of the natural cells that destroy bacteria and viruses.AsthmaAsthmatic children were found to breathe more easily and suffered less number of attacks when they were massaged by their parentsDiabeticsIn diabetic children, their glucose level fell to normal when massaged for 4 weeksPremature BabiesAnother study was conducted in 1986 on premature babies. Babies that were stroked daily were reported to have gained 47 % more weight, were more active and left hospital much earlier than premature babies who were not stroked.Apart from these, the institute has also documented various positive effects of massage. In 1992, in treating patients who were depressed, daily massage was also shown to be more effective than a relaxation video. Cancer PatientsIn the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, breast cancer patients were reported to have improved immune and neuroendocrine function following massage therapy. In other studies, massage therapy has been reported to reduced anxiety and depression while at the same time improved immune function including increasing the number of natural killer cells.Reduce Labor PainThis is good news to women out there. In Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, massage therapy during the first 15 minutes of every hour of labor was reported to decrease anxiety and pain. In addition, the massaged mothers had shorter labor, shorter hospital stay and less depressed moodLeukemiaIn the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapy, there is a study on the effect of massage on kids with leukemia. In the study, twenty children with leukemia were provided with daily massages by their parents and were compared to a standard treatment control group.Following a month of massage therapy, the study reported that depressed mood decreased in the children's parents, and the children's white blood cell and neutrophil counts increased. Also Read:
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