Boston, MA (PRWEB) February 23, 2012
The Doctors Health Press, a publisher of various natural health newsletters, books and reports, including the popular online Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, is reporting that a new study shows that massage could help ease inflammation.
As reported in Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin on Friday, February 17, 2012 (http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-2/a-relaxing-way-to-fight-inflammation), researchers found that, on a cellular level, massage lessens inflammation and promotes the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle. Mitochondria are the energy center of every cell in the body. The research appears online in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The study involved the analysis of muscle biopsies taken from the quadriceps of 11 young men who had exercised vigorously on a stationary bicycle. One of each participant?s legs was randomly chosen to be massaged. Biopsies were taken from both legs prior to the exercise, immediately after 10 minutes of massage treatment and after a 2.5-hour period of recovery.
According to the Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin article, the results indicated that massage dampened the expression of inflammatory chemicals in the muscle cells and strengthened mitochondria. The reduced pain associated with massage may involve the same mechanism as targeted by conventional anti-inflammatory drugs.
About 18 million individuals undergo massage therapy annually in the U.S., reports Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, making it the fifth most widely used form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Despite several reports that long-term massage therapy could reduce chronic pain and improve range of motion, the biological effects of massage on skeletal tissue have remained unclear.
According to the Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin article, a 2008 review of 13 clinical trials found evidence that massage might be useful for chronic low-back pain. Clinical practice guidelines issued in 2007 by the American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that physicians consider using certain CAM therapies, including massage (as well as acupuncture, chiropractic, progressive relaxation, and yoga), when patients with chronic low-back pain do not respond to conventional treatment.
(SOURCE: Crane, J., et al., “Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage,” Sci. Transl. Med., Feb. 1, 2012; 4: 119ra13.)
Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin is a daily e-letter providing natural health news with a focus on natural healing through foods, herbs and other breakthrough health alternative treatments. For more information on Doctors Health Press, visit http://www.doctorshealthpress.com.
Victor Marchione, MD is the Chairman of the Doctors Health Press Editorial Board. He is also the editor of The Food Doctor and has released a new video revealing 12 fighting foods to help virtually all of your current health problems. To see the video, visit http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/12-fighting-foods.
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