Share thisinformation with your clients, in your newsletter and social media, to educatethem on the benefits of your massage therapy. They will need healthy touchsoon, once the pandemic is over and your practice is back online.

Editors note: A healthy immune system is important at any time. This article is not suggesting that massage therapy, or any other known health care practice, can prevent coronavirus (COVID-19) or any other illness.

The healthbenefits of massage are well-known, and according to the MayoClinic include the treatment of soft tissue strains or injuries; headache relief;and help with digestive disorders.

Massageis also great to increase circulation within the body, which improves tissuequality and allows people to move and function better, Kipp Dye, MSPT,owner of OrthosportsMED PhysicalTherapy, told MASSAGE Magazine.

Crucially,massage therapy also relieves pain, which can significantlyaffect your immune response. Research confirms thatpain has a significant immunosuppressive effect on the human body. Scientistshave also found strong evidencethat pain reduces the levels of important parts of the immune system that dealwith infection and even help fight cancer.

Clinicalresearch also suggests that regular massage naturally increases the healthy immunesystems ability to kill certain cells, while decreasing the number of T-cells,for an improvement of the bodys overall immune function.

In this study, 20 HIV-positivemen received five 45-minute massages per week, for a month. The participantsshowed both an increase in serotonin and in the cells that comprise the immunesystems initial defense against infection and disease.

Theoretically,said Dye, [massage] allows for faster recovery due to increased circulation ofthe lymph and blood vascular systems, said Dye.

A randomizedcontrolled trial involving 52 healthy pregnant women examined whetheraromatherapy massage offered immune-boosting benefits.

The womenwere split into two groups: one receiving 70 minutes of aromatherapy massagewith 2% lavender essential oil every other week, the other no massage at all.

Researchersfound that the group receiving aromatherapy massage showed significantly reducedlevels of the stress hormone cortisol, and improved levels of other immune markers.

Accordingto researchers, this study presents evidence that aromatherapy massage couldsignificantly decrease stress and enhance immune function in pregnant women.

Thefindings can guide clinicians or midwives in providing aromatherapy massage towomen throughout the pregnancy, the studys authors wrote.

Recent research from Cedars-Sinai findsthat people who undergo even one session of massage experience significant changesin their immune and endocrine responses. The researchers compared the effectsof either a 45-minute session of Swedishmassage or light touch.

Participatingmassage therapists were trained in the delivery of Swedish and light touchusing specific and identical protocols.

Massageis popular in America, with almost 9% of adults receiving at least one massagewithin the past year, said Mark Rapaport, MD, chairman of the Department ofPsychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences and lead study author, said in a statement.

He emphasized,People often seek out massage as part of a healthy lifestyle but there hasntbeen much physiological proof of the bodys heightened immune responsefollowing massage until now.

Bloodsamples were collected at various intervals before and after each session, andresearchers found that those who received Swedish massage experiencedobservable changes in lymphocytes,which play an important role in a healthy immune system that protects us fromdisease.

TheSwedish massage group also had decreased levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP),a hormone associated with increased stress hormone (cortisol) levels, and adecrease in inflammatory cytokines,which are produced by infection-fighting white blood cells.

Thisresearch indicates that massage doesnt only feel good, it also may be good foryou, said Rapaport. More research is ahead of us but it appears that a singlemassage may deliver a measurable benefit.

Does thismean a relaxing massage session can help reduce your risk of catching a cold orflu?

Massage offers relaxation and stress relief, and when people are less stressed, theyre much less likely to fall ill. This is because chronic stress impairs your bodys inflammatory immune response, increasing your susceptibility to infection, according to research published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchersrecruited 34 post-surgery breast cancer patients, diagnosed with stage 1 or 2breast cancer, to a massage therapy group receiving 30-minute massages threetimes per week for five weeks, or a control group.

On thefirst and last day of the study, participants were assessed for both theirpsychological state and levels of immune system markers in their urine samples.

Accordingto the studyfindings, immediate effects of massage therapy included reduced anxietylevels, depression and anger, while longer-term benefits showed direct impacton the bodys immune markers such as increased dopamine, improved serotoninvalues and better lymphocyte levels.

Theresearchers concluded that breast cancer patients experience significantlyimproved immune, NK-cell(natural killer cell) and neuroendocrinefunction after receiving massage therapy.

There is still so much unknownabout the coronavirus, but having a healthy, functioning immune system willalways be helpful in reducing the effects of the virus, if contracted, and,could possibly be helpful in prevention of even contracting the virus at all,said Vicky Karr, LMT, aCE provider and owner of Spa Success.

Becausemassage therapy aids in improving the immune system, it is generally assumedthat it could help reduce the risk of coronavirus infection, she added.

However, accordingto Karr, because of the close bodily proximity between a massage therapist andtheir client, all of us should be following the social distancing guidelinesthat have been put into place, and not seek massage therapy until the pandemichas subsided.

Even after the pandemic is over, Karremphasizes the important of frequent hand-washing and that whenever yourenot feeling well, the best course of action is always to reschedule a massageappointment.

George W. Citroneris a freelance health journalist and author who covers breaking news in medicine and healthfor a broad range of publications. His articles for MASSAGE Magazine include Bill Introduced to License Minnesota Massage Therapists.

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