edited by katie barnes. email:
katiebarnes@leisuremedia.com research round-up
New scientifi c research shows that just one massage session can cause signifi cant physiological changes
HEALTH CLUB SPA
body of evidence A
nyone involved with the health club spa business will, of course, know about the benefi ts of massage.
And proof of such claims is becoming increasingly important if the practice is to be seen as offering more than just a pampering experience. Smaller studies on the health benefi ts of massage do already exist, but research published last October* is believed to be the fi rst systematic study of a larger group of healthy adults which focuses on the effects of massage. It revealed that even one massage can have real physical benefi ts within an hour of treatment.
the study The researchers based at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles – who were sponsored by a division of US National Institutes of Health – undertook the study on 53 mentally and physically healthy adults who were aged between 18 and 45 years old. Twenty-nine participants received
a 45-minute Swedish massage incorporating techniques including effl eurage, petrissage, kneading, tapotement and thumb-friction. The massage was administered with subjects lying both face down and face up and used non-aromatic massage oils. The other 24 subjects received a 45-minute massage by the same therapist with an identical protocol, except that the masseuse used only a light touch with the back of the hand. Before the massage, each subject
was fi tted with an intravenous catheter in order to take blood samples. Samples were collected fi ve minutes and one minute before the treatment began and one, fi ve, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes afterwards.
Massage reduced stress, improved the immune system and could help asthma
massage benefits According to the results, people in the Swedish massage group experienced a large decrease in the hormone arginine vasopressin, which is understood to increase the stress hormone cortisol. In addition, Swedish massage also caused a small decrease in actual cortisol levels. It was not only stress levels that
were affected, however. The study found that a single massage session can also have “fairly profound acute effects on the immune system” based on the fact that people in the Swedish massage group had signifi cantly increased numbers of lymphocytes: white blood cells which play a large role in defending the body from disease.
Another fi nding was that Swedish
massage caused a notable decrease in cytokines – molecules which carry signals between cells in the nervous system – produced by stimulated white blood cells. In particular, there was a decrease in TH-2 cytokine levels, which are associated with allergic infl ammation ailments including asthma. Therefore, massage might be used, say researchers, as a “biological basis for reports that massage therapy mitigates the symptoms of asthma in children”. It was suggested that future research
may benefi t from a greater number of study participants, although it is believed that “these biological differences [from the effects of massage] are likely to be real and replicable in a larger sample size”.
* Hyman Rapaport M et al. A Preliminary Study on the Effects of a Single Session of Swedish Massage. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Vol 16, No 10. 60 Read Health Club Management online
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital august 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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