The Healing Power of Touch
If you are a parent you`ve used the healing power of touch on your children too many times to count; whether you brush away a tear, or gently soothe their heads when they`re running a fever--your child is comforted just by knowing that you are there. We use the power of touch every day, when we greet our friends and family with hugs and kisses, shake the hand of our boss or massage our necks when we`ve been sitting at a desk for 8 hours.
Now researchers at the McMaster University in Ontario, Canada may have pinpointed why it feels oh so good to get a massage. The study revealed that massage switches certain genes on and off, which reduces inflammation and invites the muscles to adapt. Massage is commonly recommended for those with injuries or chronic disorders such as CRPs (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome) and fibromyalgia but now lead author Dr. Mark Tarnpolsky`s study warrants further inspection of just how much massage can affect a person.
According to Tarnpolsky`s research the study was conducted by performing biopsies on leg muscles in healthy young men both prior to and after they`d undergone vigorous exercise. The subjects were then biopsied again after a massage. By comparing the biopsied muscles from the before and after; Tarnpolsky and his colleagues were able to determine that massage therapy reduced the inflammation of the exercised muscle by reducing activity of a protein called NF-kB. Another notation made of the research was the noticeable boost in the amount of protein called PGC-1alpha which entices the production of new mitochondria (tiny organelles inside you cells). Mitochondria are needed because they employ energy to your muscles allowing them to adapt to both exercise and endurance.
So those days when you`ve over done it, whether it was from a rigorous work-out, or because you`re under too much stress—if you think you need a massage, chances are you probably do!
