Finally, scientists have proven the biological benefits of therapeutic massage that so many have presumed. Now, scientific proof has been revealed that massage works. It reduces inflammation and promotes cell growth in muscles. It heals, decreases swelling---and feels good.
So if you were a skeptic, you can now join the 18 million other people who get a massage every year. Athletes have sworn by massage for years, saying that it helps them recover from injury. The couch potatoes among us just love massage because it feels good and is the one hour that some people get to relax.
Thanks to some scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, massage can join the other recognized treatments for muscle aches.
Researcher Dr. Simon Melov said “the pain reduction associated with massage may involve the same mechanism as those targeted by conventional anti-inflammatory drugs.” Tell that to your insurance company.
“The potential benefits of massage could be useful to a broad spectrum of individuals including the elderly, those suffering from musculoskeletal injuries and patients with chronic inflammatory disease,” said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, primary investigator. “This study provides evidence that manipulative therapies, such as massage, may be justifiable in medical practice.”
Full results appear in today’s (Feb. 1) online edition of Science Translational Medicine.
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