Research shows massage can lower stress, tension and fatigue, and one study in the International Journal of Neuroscience showed people given massage therapy proved more alert and calculated math problems faster and more accurately.

Will Work for Massage
More companies are offering employees the on-site pleasures of massage and yoga, not just to make their staff happy but to be competitive and even boost the bottom line. In a sign of their appeal, programs such as on-site massage -- when a company may hire a licensed masseuse to set up shop in a spare room -- typically show up as desirable factors in lists of the best U.S. places to work. A survey by Massage Therapy Journal found at most companies that offer massage, more than half added it in the last five years. In New York, a number of hedge funds offer employees massage or yoga during their workdays.

Massage and Dementia help
Gentle massage therapy shows some promise for easing dementia patients' agitation and anxiety. In a review of two clinical trials, Danish researchers found that hand massage helped calm dementia patients' agitation levels, while gentle touch and "verbal encouragement" at mealtime improved their food intake.The findings suggest that human touch could help allay the agitation, anxiety and other behavioral and emotional problems that come with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Cochrane Library, online October 18, 2006.

Massage after surgery
An evening back massage helps relieve the pain and anxiety experienced by patients after major surgery.

Infant Massage Benefit
Infant massage has long been used in many Asian and African cultures to ease babies' colic and fussiness, help them sleep, and even aid their growth and development. There is growing interest in infant massage among parents in Western countries as well. To assess the science behind the practice, UK researchers analyzed 23 clinical trials in which infants younger than 6 months were randomly assigned to receive massage or not. They found that across nine of the studies, gentle massage appeared to improve infants' sleep patterns, ease crying, and strengthen mother-child bonding. Some studies found that massage lowered babies' levels of certain stress hormones. Given this apparent hormonal effect, it's "not surprising" that massage seemed to improve sleep and crying, according to the researchers, led by Angela Underdown of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England.

Swedish massage and arthritis pain
People who suffer from the pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis of the knee may find relief with Swedish massage.
In a study, reported he Archives of Internal Medicine, doctors assigned 68 subjects with knee arthritis to either a massage group or to a "usual care" comparison group. The people in the massage group received standard Swedish massage for one hour twice a week for one month followed by one hour once a week for the second month. Those who got massage showed improvement at the end of 8 weeks compared to their baseline and compared to the usual care control group. Swedish massage is not a replacement for existing therapies, but can be used in addition to exercise, weight loss, and natural supplements. Archives of Internal Medicine, December 11, 2006.

Massage Research - Neurotransmitter and hormone changes from massage therapy
Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy.
Int J Neurosci. 2005 Oct;115(10):1397-413. Field T, Hernandez-Reif M, Diego M, Schanberg S, Kuhn C.
Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
In this article the positive effects of massage therapy on biochemistry are reviewed including decreased levels of cortisol and increased levels of serotonin and dopamine. In studies in which cortisol was assayed either in saliva or in urine, significant decreases were noted in cortisol levels after massage therapy. In studies in which the activating neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine) were assayed in urine, massage therapy led to an increase in serotonin and dopamine. These studies combined suggest the stress-alleviating effects (decreased cortisol) and the activating effects (increased serotonin and dopamine) of massage therapy on a variety of medical conditions and stressful experiences.

Massage Equipment Seized
June 2006 - A complaint in the U.S. District Court in New Haven that seeks the seizure and ultimate forfeiture of numerous medical devices and their component parts and accessories that were stored in a distribution warehouse in Meriden, Connecticut. The Complaint alleges that the medical devices, which were muscle stimulators being sold as "Dr. Ho's Double Massage" and "Dr. Ho's Muscle Massage," are in violation of a series of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) statues in that the devices are both adulterated and misbranded. The seized devices are owned by Universal Academy, Inc., an importer located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Universal Academy, Inc. is associated with a Dr. Ho from China, who has sold various products and has marketed these devices touting miracle cures. On June 8, the United States Marshals Service, accompanied by FDA officials and State of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Drug Control Agents, executed a warrant to seize the items, which have an estimated retail value of more than $1 million, from Fosdick Fulfillment Corporation in Meriden. The devices, components, and accessories, are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they are unapproved class III medical devices and they do not meet mandatory performance standards. In addition, the devices are labeled for use to treat serious medical conditions, including diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and migraine headaches. Since these devices have not been approved by FDA, the safety parameters associated with their use and the efficacy of the devices for use to treat diseases have not been determined. These devices are misbranded because their labeling lacks adequate directions for intended use, they are not labeled prescription use only, and they are not being used by consumers by order of a licensed practitioner. They are further misbranded because they were manufactured at an unregistered facility.

Questions regarding massage
Q. I'm currently going to school for massage therapy. i was wondering if you could email me and tell me your thoughts on massage therapy for patients with cerebral palsy. just your thoughts on how it would benefit them and your thoughts on everything related to it.
   A. We could only find one study regarding the role of massage

Effects of massage on the mechanical behaviour of muscles in adolescents with spastic diplegia: a pilot study.
Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007 Mar;49(3):187-91. Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Calf muscles of five adolescents aged 12 to 15 years (three males, two females) with spastic diplegia were massaged for 14 minutes twice a week for 5 weeks in a controlled sequence, stretching the muscles transversely rather than longitudinally, without eliciting pain. Slow, passive test stretches were applied before and after massage. After massage, the range of movement was not consistently increased but, on average, greater force was needed to stretch the muscle than before massage. However, after massage the resting ankle angle sometimes changed so that the calf muscles were either shorter or longer. We suggest that these phenomena could be explained if massage resets sarcomere lengths which corrects for thixotropic effects (i.e. previous use modifies a muscle's mechanical behaviour). A redistribution on sarcomere lengths within muscles could also have reset proprioceptive feedback. The incidence of abnormal stretch reflexes during test stretches fell from 40 to 22%, comparing the first five sessions with the last five sessions. The amplitude of voluntary alternating ankle rotation increased in three participants. Motor skills were assessed with the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) 1 week before the test period, during the 5th week, and 12 weeks later. Our participants in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels I and II made sustained improvements in GMFM-66 scores (6.4% at 5 weeks falling to 5.5% at 17 weeks), one increase being significant. One participant in GMFCS Level III improved significantly only after massage of all leg muscles for 30 weeks.

Q. I'm a remedial massage student and I'm writing an assignment about Cushing's syndrome and massage. I'm finding it very difficult to find any information whatsoever, in fact, I'm sot sure this has ever been investigated. What is the link between massage and cortisol? If someone is using cortisol medication is massage indicated or contraindicated, and why?
   A. I have not come across studies regarding the role of massage in Cushing's syndrome, but at least one study reports that massage reduces levels of cortisol in patients with cancer getting chemotherapy.  I don't see any contraindication to massage therapy in people taking cortisol medication.

Massage in patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy reduces serum cortisol and prolactin.
Psychooncology. 2008 February. Stringer J, Swindell R, Dennis M. Haematology and Transplant Unit, Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
The objective is to identify whether single 20 min massage sessions were safe and effective in reducing stress levels of isolated haematological oncology patients. 39 patients were randomised to aromatherapy, massage or rest (control) arm. The measures were serum cortisol and prolactin levels, quality of life and semi-structured interviews. This pilot study demonstrated that in isolated haematological oncology patients, a significant reduction in cortisol could be safely achieved through massage, with associated improvement in psychological well-being.