Massage Therapy Research Papers Samples For Students

Massage Therapy as a Rising Form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Society’s increase in awareness of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques can be very visible nowadays. This reflects the growing awareness of people regarding practices related to CAM and also an increased emphasis on promoting health and wellness instead of medically fixing the body when it is already burdened by disease and other ailments. Complementary and alternative medicine is a broad term that encompasses all non-Western medical practices that aim to promote health such as massage, yoga, acupuncture, aromatherapy and other related practices. One of the most popular CAM techniques is massage.

Massage History and Important Principles

Massage has a long standing tradition that dates ...

Why does a change in cortisol and serotonin levels demonstrate the effectiveness of massage as a healing therapy?

After reading this entire article and various studies conducted on different patients; it is evident that therapeutic massage can reduce cortisol levels and have a tendency to raise the dopamine and serotonin levels at the same time (Field, 1998). Cortisol is mainly responsible for high level of anxiety and inflammation (Field, et al., 2005). It is important to know that Cortisol becomes high with stress and lessens with relaxation (Field, et al., 2005). The Cortisol destroys the natural immune cells that target the viruses and cancer (Field, et al., 2005). Serotonin, often present in pain-killers and antidepressants medicines, suppresses noxious ...

Abstract

Conventional medicine or mainstream medicine, which is often called as allopathic medicine, is based on the Cartesian model of dualism that holds the view that the human body and the mind are two entities. On the contrary, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) views the human body and the mind as a single entity. Many mainstream therapies were once considered complementary until they were proven clinically effective through research. Currently, many mainstream practitioners are adopting CAM therapies to provide integrated or holistic care. The National Institutes of Health and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NIH/NCCAM) have divided CAM therapies ...