Sure, you could consume large quantities of vitamin C or slather your body in antibacterial soap to ward off germs this cold and flu season, but here’s a remedy we think you’ll like better: Get a massage.
Turns out, massages not only feel great, they might be good for your health, too. According to a study published in The Journal of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, a massage may boost your immune system and help you better cope with stress.
The researchers divided more than 50 participants in to two groups: one that received a traditional Swedish massage and another that received a session of light touch, but didn’t include any actual massage-therapy techniques. After each 45-minute session, blood samples were taken. When compared to the light touch group, the people that received the Swedish massage experienced a significant increase in their lymphocytes—white blood cells that play a large role in protecting the body against disease—and a decrease in their levels of the stress hormones.
“We found that biological changes occur as a result of even a single session of massage, and that these changes may benefit even a healthy individual,” says Mark Hyman Rapaport, MD, one of the study’s authors and a professor and chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Although full-body massages yielded the best immune support in this study, other research has found that a simple five-minute hand massage was able to lower stress levels as well.
To view the original article go to: http://news.menshealth.com/feels-great-and-prevents-colds/2011/10/06/
No comments:
Post a Comment