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.