Mental benefits of massage therapy: Mental Health Month
Mental illness is a health condition that affects the person thinking, mood, behavior and may interrupt the ability to do daily activities. Furthermore, it can make life miserable and can cause problems with work, studies or with relationships.
The following are different types mental health problems and its degree of severity are depression, anxiety, personality disorder, bipolar mood disorder and many more. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Depression is the most common type of mental illness, affecting more than 26% of the U.S. adult population. It has been estimated that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability throughout the world, trailing only ischemic heart disease.
Alarming isn't it? As this epidemic mental health problem continues to grow throughout the nation, many people are in search of positive benefits from a healing touch such as massage therapy. Study shows that a massage therapy is an excellent tool in treating depression, anxiety and insomnia. According to Ezzat, a registered massage
therapist (RMT) practising in Pitt Meadows, BC, "the state of calm is achieved, allows one to have a better chance of using coping skills that have been acquired in other therapies such as counseling".
Another massage study conducted by the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine concludes that massage therapy relieves depression and anxiety through the body's biochemistry. The study includes about 500 men, women and children with depression or stress problems. They first measured the stress hormone (cortisol) in the participants before and immediately after the massage therapy. They found out that the stress hormone lowered by up to 53% after the massage session. Massage therapy also increases the happy hormones that helps reduces depression.
Massage therapy is a powerful tool against the increasing cases of mental illness in our country. If you feel that you are having one or any member of your family, talk to your doctors and find a certified massage therapist to see how massage session can fit into your overall treatment plan.