Massage therapy has been around for thousands of years and is widely used for various health benefits, including pain relief, stress reduction, and improved circulation. However, some people may wonder if the benefits of massage are simply a placebo effect.
A placebo effect refers to the idea that a person’s belief in a treatment can lead to real physiological changes in the body, even if the treatment itself is inert or has no active ingredients. In other words, the power of the mind can influence the body’s response to a treatment, regardless of whether the treatment itself has any therapeutic value.
While some studies have suggested that the benefits of massage may be partially due to a placebo effect, there is also a growing body of research indicating that massage has real physiological effects on the body.
One study found that massage therapy led to decreased levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increased levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin in participants with lower back pain (Field et al., 2005). Another study found that massage therapy reduced the perception of pain and increased blood flow in participants with fibromyalgia (Castro-Sanchez et al., 2011).
In addition to these physiological effects, massage therapy has also been shown to have positive effects on mental health. A systematic review of 17 studies found that massage therapy was effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression (Hou et al., 2010).
While the power of the mind cannot be discounted when it comes to the benefits of massage, the scientific evidence suggests that massage has real physiological effects on the body that go beyond just a placebo effect.
In conclusion, while it’s true that the placebo effect can play a role in the benefits of massage, there is also evidence to suggest that massage has real physiological effects on the body. Whether you’re seeking massage for pain relief, stress reduction, or other health benefits, the evidence supports the use of massage as a valuable tool for improving overall health and wellbeing.
References:
Castro-Sánchez, A.M., Matarán-Peñarrocha, G.A., Granero-Molina, J., Aguilera-Manrique, G., Quesada-Rubio, J.M., & Moreno-Lorenzo, C. (2011). Benefits of massage-myofascial release therapy on pain, anxiety, quality of sleep, depression, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011.
Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Diego, M., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (2005). Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy. International Journal of Neuroscience, 115(10), 1397-1413.
Hou, W.H., Chiang, P.T., Hsu, T.Y., Chiu, S.Y., Yen, Y.C. (2010). Treatment effects of massage therapy in depressed people: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 71(7), 894-901.
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