In honor of National Massage Therapy Awareness Week, let’s check out some of the benefits of Massage Therapy, one of which is keeping your immune system strong and lymph nodes clear during these upcoming cold months.
For most people, receiving a massage is a relaxing experience. That in itself can be enough of a reason to get a massage, let’s face it, everybody could use a little more R&R. Being relaxed lowers your stress levels, allowing you to deal with life a little easier. There has been scientific research on why you feel this way and how massage affects the body, specifically hormones. Hormones are the primary regulators of most of our physiological functions and when they are not properly balanced, we can become imbalanced. On one extreme we may feel unfocused, sluggish, or conversely we can feel hyper-aware, anxious, and unable to rest. Massage benefits the body by lowering the level of the hormones that make us feel stressed and increasing the level of the hormones that make us feel balanced, so we’re not visiting either of those extremes.
The following information comes from Mosby’s Fundamentals of Massage Therapy 4th Edition: Motor activity, mood, and the ability to focus attention on something are all influenced by the hormone dopamine. When dopamine levels are low, people can become clumsy, bored, or unable to focus. Serotonin is a hormone that “regulates moodiness terms of appropriate emotions, attention to thoughts and calming, quieting, comforting effects; it also subdues irritability” and it “modulates the sleep/wake cycle. Massage seems to increase the available level of serotonin and dopamine in the body, balancing them out.”
The “flight or fight” hormones of epinephrine and norepinephrine are hormones that promote alertness and awareness. When these hormones are at a high level in the body, people feel stressed or under pressure, even if there is no “cause.” When these levels are too low, people feel drowsy or sluggish. Massage helps to regulate these hormones. If someone needs to relax, then a massage lasting longer than fifteen minutes will have a soothing effect. On the other hand, a shorter massage can stimulate a tired person. Cortisol is a hormone produced during times of prolonged stress. Cortisol can reduce your ability to fight infection (immunity), and to get a good night sleep. Getting a massage reduces the cortisol and allows the body to rest and start to build back its immunity.
“Massage balances the blood levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins (mood lifters that support satiety and modulate pain,) which in turn facilitates the production of natural killer cells in the immune system and regulates mood.”
An additional benefit of specific types of massage is lymphatic drainage. Lymph nodes act as the bodies “metal detectors” and are located throughout the body on lymphatic vessels. They filter out dangerous substances and send the good stuff back into the bloodstream. Occasionally, the lymph nodes can become blocked or congested, which is often seen when we’re sick (those painful swollen nodes on your neck when you’ve got a cold). Massages focused on lymphatic drainage can gently resolve the congestion and allow the lymph nodes to get back to work, helping us heal quicker.
So in this month, as we talked about how acupuncture boosts immunity naturally, and the benefits of pumpkins and spices, now you know how massage allows your hormones to balance out, relieving stress and allowing your body and mind to better deal with life.
Celebrate National Massage Therapy week and come get a massage. Be Well Everybody!
Brought to you by Mary Pat Curran, LMT
