Article

The effects of massage therapy on the human immune response in healthy adults

Authors:
  • Kolling Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health The University of Sydney
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Abstract

Little scientific investigation has been conducted to examine objectively the belief that massage therapy can effect the immune system of healthy people. If there are any links between massage therapy and improved immune function, the mechanisms by which they operate are not known. This study evaluated the effects of massage therapy on immune functions of two healthy females.Using a single-case experimental ABAB design, two subjects received a relaxing massage during the experimental phases (B) and no massage during baseline phases (A). Assays were conducted for T and B lymphocyte mitogen-induced proliferation, enumeration of T and B lymphocyte subsets, quantification of immunoglobulins A, G and M (IgA, IgG, IgM) and cortisol levels. Trait and state anxiety levels were also examined.The results indicated a consistent and significant trend of increased activity of both T and B lymphocytes and levels of serum IgG for both subjects during the B phases compared to the A phases. There were no other significant differences between experimental and control conditions for the remaining measures, although serum IgM levels approached significance (P=0.06). Both subjects demonstrated a reduction in trait anxiety over the period of massage therapy.Further studies with larger sample sizes in control and experimental groups, over a longer experimental period are necessary. The study of the effects of massage therapy poses an exciting challenge in psychoneuroimmunology.

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... Twelve studies described among others, the influence of physical activity, psychological stress, or sleep (112)(113)(114)(115)(116)(117)(118)(119)(120)(121)(122)(123). Psychological stress, either due to blood donation (117) or a university examination (118,119), was associated with increased levels of IgA (117)(118)(119), IgG, and IgM (117,119). ...
... Sleep deprivation (SD) was associated with increased serum IgA, IgG, and IgM levels in one study (121), while no differences were observed in another study (122), and serum IgA even decreased during rapid eye movement SD (REM-SD) in a third study (123). While various relaxation techniques and tai chi increased all serum immunoglobulin levels (112,115), and an increase in IgA and IgG was seen after combined aerobic and resistance exercise respectively a full body Swedish massage (114,116), aromatherapy did not influence serum immunoglobulins (113). ...
Article
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Background An up-to-date overview of determinants of serum immunoglobulins in adults is pivotal for clinical practice and research, but currently lacking. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify determinants of serum immunoglobulin levels. Methods Embase, Web of Science, Medline, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to July 11th, 2019 for articles reporting on determinants of serum immunoglobulin A, G or M (IgA, IgG or IgM) in adult humans. Random and fixed effect models were applied to obtain pooled mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of age and sex with serum immunoglobulins. Results We retrieved 117 articles reporting on determinants of serum immunoglobulins, of which 28 could be meta-analyzed. Older compared to younger individuals had higher IgA (MD: 0.38; CI: 0.18 – 0.58), but lower IgM levels (MD: -0.40; 95%: -0.66 – -0.14). Men had higher IgA (MD: 0.22; CI: 0.03 – 0.42), but lower IgM levels (MD: -0.21; CI: -0.32 – -0.10) than women. Age and sex did not influence IgG. Caucasian ethnicity was associated with lower IgA, IgG, and IgM. Smoking and corticosteroid use were associated with lower IgG. Positive associations were reported of probiotics with IgG, alcohol with IgA, hypertension with IgA and IgG, and acute psychological stress with IgA, IgG, and IgM. Conclusions Older age and male sex are associated with higher IgA, but lower IgM, and urge investigation of age- and sex-specific reference ranges of immunoglobulins. Other identified determinants were ethnicity, diet, lifestyle and cardio-metabolic factors.
... The use of complementary and integrative medicine practices has recently increased greatly in the world [1]. A common philosophy and approach are used by nursing and complementary practices in order to develop their own databases and practices. ...
... Massage has important emotional and psychological benefits [10]. In particular, the use of massage therapy is increasing because of its effects in decreasing stress and increasing physical and psychosocial calming [1]. Also, many evidencebased studies have shown that massage has an effect in strengthening the immune system, increasing cognitive and psychological comfort, increasing mental state and the feeling of wellbeing, and reducing blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol release, pain and anxiety [11][12][13][14]. ...
... Massage therapy can also increase immune function. In one experimental study (21), two subjects received a massage therapy treatment during the experimental phase and no massage during the baseline phase while assays were conducted on lymphocyte proliferation (T and B lymphocytes), immunoglobins, and cortisol levels. There was a consistent and significant trend of increased activity of both lymphocytes and levels of serum for both subjects during the treatment phase compared to the control phase. ...
... Although a more robust study design and larger sample size are required, the preliminary findings present a basis for further study. Immune disorders would also be expected to benefit from massage therapy treatment due to lowered cortisol and catecholamine levels noted in several studies (2,3,21,5). Ironson, Field, Scafidi, and Hashimoto (22) found increased cytotoxic capacity (Natural Killer Cell cytotoxicity and counts) in HIV positive adults after one month of daily 45-minute massage therapy treatments. ...
Article
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Assess the effects of workplace-based massage therapy on physiological and psychological outcomes. We used afield experiment in which 28 participants were randomly assigned into either an experimental (n = 14) or control (n = 14) group. The experimental group received weekly massage treatments at work for a four week period while the control group did not. Both strain and blood pressure were significantly reduced during treatment for the experimental group but not for the control group. This study provides initial support for the effectiveness of workplace-based massage therapy as part of a comprehensive workplace health strategy.
... However, given that the evidence discussed here suggests that acute stress may have beneficial effects on vaccine responses, it is worth considering that it may not be appropriate to try to reduce this form of stress with the aim of improving vaccination response. Conversely, evidence suggests that massage not only reduces chronic stress (Cady & Jones, 1997;Davis, Cooke, Holzhauser, Jones, & Finucane, 2005;Shulman & Jones, 1996), but may also have beneficial effects on various aspects of immunity (Hernandez-Reif et al., 2004;Ironson et al., 1996;Lovas et al., 2002), suggesting that the effect of stress reduction on antibody levels may depend on the nature of the stressor. ...
Poster
The influenza vaccine is less effective in older adults compared to their younger counterparts. At the same time, this population is more susceptible to contracting influenza, with more severe consequences, including higher rates of complications, hospitalisations, and deaths. There is an abundance of evidence demonstrating how psychological factors, such as stress, can influence and modulate immune function, including response to vaccinations. Recent work has extended this to other psychological factors, suggesting that mood, or affect, may also be linked to vaccine response, however the evidence here is much more limited. This thesis presents three inter-related pieces of research, which sought to build on this evidence base and contribute to our current understanding of the influence of mood on vaccinations. The ultimate aim of this research was to develop an intervention to enhance positive mood, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of the influenza vaccination in the older adult population. First, the evidence surrounding the effectiveness of using participant-driven choice in interventions compared to ‘no-choice’ interventions was systematically reviewed. This review sought to investigate whether the integration of participant choice within an existing, previously trialled, positive mood intervention would maximise mood enhancement and thus the potential to enhance vaccine-specific antibody levels. The review found that whilst choice-interventions led to less drop-out and greater adherence, evidence for mood-related outcomes was unclear and warranted further investigation. Second, a randomised controlled clinical study (n=654) was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the previously trialled fixed-content positive mood intervention, a new choice-based intervention, and usual care, in terms of enhancing positive mood. Vaccine response at four-weeks post-vaccination was assessed as a secondary outcome. Results showed that both the fixed-content and choice-based interventions significantly improved mood compared to usual care, however there were no significant differences between the two interventions. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of antibody levels at four weeks post-vaccination. Finally, a qualitative study using a thematic-content hybrid analysis approach was carried out with a selection of participants from the randomised trial, to assess participants’ perceptions of how the intervention may or may not have worked, and to identify ways in which both the intervention and study experience as a whole could be improved for a future trial implementing the optimised intervention. Analysis revealed that both interventions, as well as the overall study experience, were liked by participants, indicating that further optimisation may not be necessary. Additionally, several potential mechanisms underlying the relationship between the interventions and mood were identified. The research presented in this thesis has several important implications. Firstly, that the use of choice should be considered where there is concern regarding drop-out or adherence, but may not be more effective than no-choice interventions in enhancing mood. Secondly, that brief positive mood interventions are effective in enhancing positive mood in older adults in a primary care setting. Future work is required to evaluate their impact on immune outcomes including mechanistic work to understand the relationship between mood and immunity, and a large scale trial, with immune response as the primary outcome.
... In this study, the massage protocol is an hour of Swedish Massage Therapy to the whole body, once a week for four weeks. An hour of massage allows enough time to apply all the Swedish massage techniques to the whole body which was expected to produce positive effects on BP and HR [30,31]. Massage sessions once a week for four weeks are considered not too frequent as they prevent the subject from showing any signs of relaxation prior to the massage session as would be expected if the sessions are more frequent. ...
Article
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Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) is known for its therapeutic relaxation effects. Hypertension is associated with stress and elevated endothelial inflammatory markers. This randomized control trial measured the effects of whole body SMT (massage group) or resting (control group) an hour weekly for four weeks on hypertensive women. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured before and after each intervention and endothelial inflammatory markers: vascular endothelial adhesion molecules 1 (VCAM-1) and intracellular adhesion molecules 1 (ICAM-1) were measured at baseline and after the last intervention. Massage group (n=8) showed significant systolic BP (SBP) reduction of 12 mmHg (P=0.01) and diastolic BP (DBP) reduction of 5 mmHg (P=0.01) after four sessions with no significant difference between groups. Reductions in HR were also seen in massage group after sessions 1, 3, and 4 with significant difference between groups. VCAM-1 showed significant reduction after four sessions: the massage group showed reduction of 998.05 ng/mL (P=0.03) and the control group of 375.70 ng/mL (P=0.01) with no significant differences between groups. There were no changes in ICAM-1. In conclusion, SMT or resting an hour weekly has effects on reducing BP, HR, and VCAM-1 in hypertensive women.
... El masaje es una modalidad terapéutica relacionada con la capacidad de generar estados de relajación, que benefician la mejora del estado inmunológico y por tanto, la salud del individuo. En este sentido, se han desarrollado trabajos que evidencian, no sólo la inducción de la relajación, sino incluso una mejora cuantificable de la respuesta inmunológica, caracterizada por incremento de la respuesta proliferativa de linfocitos T y B, durante la sesión de masoterapia, que se sigue de incrementos de IgG, aunque los estudios pecan de una causística muy pobre ( Lovas JM et al., 2002). ...
Article
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Tesis Univ. Granada. Departamento de Radiología y Medicina Física. Leída el 19 de julio de 2006
... Recently, the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies has increased around the world, and the prevalence of and expectations for massage therapy have rapidly increased, particularly because of its emphasis on stress reduction and increased physical and psychological relaxation (Lovas et al 2002). In Japan, practitioners of massage therapy, including traditional Japanese massage called Anma therapy, foreign-style massage, and shiatsu, should undergo professional training for at least three years after finishing high school, then they should pass the national examination to obtain a national license for massage practitioner. ...
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An examination was made of how differences in the proficiency of massage practitioners had different physical and psychological effects on clients. Eight healthy 50-year-old females, suffering from chronic neck and shoulder stiffness, were recruited and four interventions were conducted: three 40-minute massage therapy interventions, one each by a freshman and a sophomore student studying massage therapy, and one by their instructor, and one rest on the massage table. Visual analogue scale score for muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder, state anxiety score, and salivary cortisol concentration levels and secretory immunoglobulin A, were measured pre- and post- interventions. Visual analogue scale of neck and shoulder stiffness after massage by the instructor was significantly lower than that after the other interventions, and the score of state anxiety was lower than that after resting.
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By comparing with contemporary preventive medicine principles, this study aims to present the most salient preventive measures found in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and which can be useful in preventing COVID-19 epidemic. This study follows the partial inductive approach to identify the Prophetic Sayings pertaining to the subject. In addition, it follows the analytical approach in studying the subjects which could be related to the protection against infection transmission and compare them with well-established principles of preventive medicine. And the study follows deductive approach to identify the most important rules and instructions pertaining to the subject from the Prophetic Sayings. The study found that the most preventive principles found in the Prophetic sayings are daily hand washing while massaging them, ensuring the cleanliness of the mouth and nose, encouraging the use of available means such as handkerchiefs to prevent the spread of coughing and sneezing droplets, burying the secretions of the nose and mouth if handkerchiefs are not available, and the frequent use of toothpicks to brush the teeth and tongue. Furthermore, the study found that the Prophetic Sayings accentuate the importance of strictly-enforced isolation and quarantine during an epidemic. Such measures are found to coincide with the teachings of Islamic faith.
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Primary health care is a vital component in health care delivery. Non-communicable diseases (NCD's) are rising like a major threat to human survival, which is expected to account for 75% of the total mortality by 2030. Lifestyle and behavioural changes are reckoned as the way ahead. Yoga and Naturopathy, a drugless system of medicine has intersecting paradigms which addresses all planes of health effectively. Yoga and Naturopathy through its holistic approach educate and make the people responsible for their own health. It has shown its efficacy in alleviating and preventing various NCD's. A systematic approach should be initiated, which can channelize the integration of Yoga and Naturopathy at the primary care level considering its cost-effectiveness and efficacy over NCD's.
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Objective: The primary objective of this scoping review was to examine and map the range of neurophysiological impacts of human touch and eye gaze, and consider their potential relevance to the therapeutic relationship and to healing. Introduction: Clinicians, and many patients and their relatives, have no doubt as to the efficacy of a positive therapeutic relationship; however, much evidence is based on self-reporting by the patient or observation by the researcher. There has been little formal exploration into what is happening in the body to elicit efficacious reactions in patients. There is, however, a growing body of work on the neurophysiological impact of human interaction. Physical touch and face-to-face interaction are two central elements of this interaction that produce neurophysiological effects on the body. Inclusion criteria: This scoping review considered studies that included cognitively intact human subjects in any setting. This review investigated the neurophysiology of human interaction including touch and eye gaze. It considered studies that have examined, in a variety of settings, the neurophysiological impacts of touch and eye gaze. Quantitative studies were included as the aim was to examine objective measures of neurophysiological changes as a result of human touch and gaze. Methods: An extensive search of multiple databases was undertaken to identify published research in the English language with no date restriction. Data extraction was undertaken using an extraction tool developed specifically for the scoping review objectives. Results: The results of the review are presented in narrative form supported by tables and concept maps. Sixty-four studies were included and the majority were related to touch with various types of massage predominating. Only seven studies investigated gaze with three of these utilizing both touch and gaze. Interventions were delivered by a variety of providers including nurses, significant others and masseuses. The main neurophysiological measures were cortisol, oxytocin and noradrenaline. Conclusions: The aim of this review was to map the neurophysiological impact of human touch and gaze. Although our interest was in studies that might have implications for the therapeutic relationship, we accepted studies that explored phenomena outside of the context of a nurse-patient relationship. This allowed exploration of the boundary of what might be relevant in any therapeutic relationship. Indeed, only a small number of studies included in the review involved clinicians (all nurses) and patients. There was sufficient consistency in trends evident across many studies in regard to the beneficial impact of touch and eye gaze to warrant further investigation in the clinical setting. There is a balance between tightly controlled studies conducted in an artificial (laboratory) setting and/or using artificial stimuli and those of a more pragmatic nature that are contextually closer to the reality of providing nursing care. The latter should be encouraged.
Book
"Research Methods for Massage and Holistic Therapies supplies you with a comprehensive resource enabling you to become a knowledgeable reader of research material as well as an active researcher. Each chapter is consistently formatted with detailed learning aids, such as concept maps, content outlines, and objectives. For each research category covered, you'll discover the specific research strategies, research methods, research designs, and research procedures you need to become a successful massage therapist or holistic practitioner."--BOOK JACKET.
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This article presents a meta-analysis of the literature on stress and immunity in humans. The primary analyses include all relevant studies irrespective of the measure or manipulation of stress. The results of these analyses show substantial evidence for a relation between stress and decreases in functional immune measures (proliferative response to mitogens and natural killer cell activity). Stress is also related to numbers and percent of circulating white blood cells, immunoglobulin levels, and antibody titers to herpesviruses. Subsequent analyses suggest that objective stressful events are related to larger immune changes than subjective self-reports of stress, that immune response varies with stressor duration, and that interpersonal events are related to different immune outcomes than nonsocial events. We discuss the way neuroendocrine mechanisms and health practices might explain immune alteration following stress, and outline issues that need to be investigated in this area.
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Many people use unconventional therapies for health problems, but the extent of this use and the costs are not known. We conducted a national survey to determine the prevalence, costs, and patterns of use of unconventional therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic. We limited the therapies studied to 16 commonly used interventions neither taught widely in U.S. medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals. We completed telephone interviews with 1539 adults (response rate, 67 percent) in a national sample of adults 18 years of age or older in 1990. We asked respondents to report any serious or bothersome medical conditions and details of their use of conventional medical services; we then inquired about their use of unconventional therapy. One in three respondents (34 percent) reported using at least one unconventional therapy in the past year, and a third of these saw providers for unconventional therapy. The latter group had made an average of 19 visits to such providers during the preceding year, with an average charge per visit of 27.60.Thefrequencyofuseofunconventionaltherapyvariedsomewhatamongsociodemographicgroups,withthehighestusereportedbynonblackpersonsfrom25to49yearsofagewhohadrelativelymoreeducationandhigherincomes.Themajorityusedunconventionaltherapyforchronic,asopposedtolifethreatening,medicalconditions.Amongthosewhousedunconventionaltherapyforseriousmedicalconditions,thevastmajority(83percent)alsosoughttreatmentforthesameconditionfromamedicaldoctor;however,72percentoftherespondentswhousedunconventionaltherapydidnotinformtheirmedicaldoctorthattheyhaddoneso.ExtrapolationtotheU.S.populationsuggeststhatin1990Americansmadeanestimated425millionvisitstoprovidersofunconventionaltherapy.ThisnumberexceedsthenumberofvisitstoallU.S.primarycarephysicians(388million).Expendituresassociatedwithuseofunconventionaltherapyin1990amountedtoapproximately27.60. The frequency of use of unconventional therapy varied somewhat among socio-demographic groups, with the highest use reported by nonblack persons from 25 to 49 years of age who had relatively more education and higher incomes. The majority used unconventional therapy for chronic, as opposed to life-threatening, medical conditions. Among those who used unconventional therapy for serious medical conditions, the vast majority (83 percent) also sought treatment for the same condition from a medical doctor; however, 72 percent of the respondents who used unconventional therapy did not inform their medical doctor that they had done so. Extrapolation to the U.S. population suggests that in 1990 Americans made an estimated 425 million visits to providers of unconventional therapy. This number exceeds the number of visits to all U.S. primary care physicians (388 million). Expenditures associated with use of unconventional therapy in 1990 amounted to approximately 13.7 billion, three quarters of which (10.3billion)waspaidoutofpocket.Thisfigureiscomparabletothe10.3 billion) was paid out of pocket. This figure is comparable to the 12.8 billion spent out of pocket annually for all hospitalizations in the United States. The frequency of use of unconventional therapy in the United States is far higher than previously reported. Medical doctors should ask about their patients' use of unconventional therapy whenever they obtain a medical history.
Article
To determine the prevalence and cost of alternative medicines and alternative practitioner use in an Australian population. We conducted a representative population survey of persons aged 15 or older living in South Australia, which required 3004 personal interviews. We assessed the rates of use and types of alternative medicine and therapists used by this population in 1993, and correlations with other demographic and medical variables. The overall use of at least one non-medically prescribed alternative medicine (excluding calcium, iron and prescribed vitamins) was 48.5%. The users were more likely to be perimenopausal females, better educated, have a higher alcohol intake, be of normal weight and more likely to be employed than non-users. 20.3% of respondents had visited at least one alternative practitioner, most commonly chiropractors (15%). The users of alternative practitioners were more likely to be younger, live in the country and be overweight. Women were more likely to consult naturopaths, iridiologists, and reflexologists than men. Extrapolation of the costs to the Australian population gives a natural expenditure in 1993, for alternative medicines, of 621million(Australiandollars)andforalternativetherapistsof621 million (Australian dollars) and for alternative therapists of AU309 million per annum. This compares to the $AU360 million of patient contributions for all classes of pharmaceutical drugs purchased in Australia in 1992/93. The public health and economic ramifications of these huge costs are questioned in view of the paucity of sound safety and efficacy data for many of the therapies and products of the alternative medicine industry.
Article
Twenty-nine gay men (20 HIV+, 9 HIV-) received daily massages for one month. A subset of 11 of the HIV+ subjects served as a within subject control group (one month with and without massages). Major immune findings for the effects of the month of massage included a significant increase in Natural Killer Cell number, Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity, soluble CD8, and the cytotoxic subset of CD8 cells. There were no changes in HIV disease progression markers (CD4, CD4/CD8 ratio, Beta-2 microglobulin, neopterin). Major neuroendocrine findings, measured via 24 hour urines included a significant decrease in cortisol, and nonsignificant trends toward decrease of catecholamines. There were also significant decreases in anxiety and increases in relaxation which were significantly correlated with increases in NK cell number. Thus, there appears to be an increase in cytotoxic capacity associated with massage. Implications for HIV+ men as those with other illnesses, particularly cancer, are discussed.
Article
HIV+adolescents (M CD4=466 mm3) recruited from a large urban university hospital's outpatient clinic were randomly assigned to receive massage therapy (n=12) or progressive muscle relaxation (n=12) two-times per week for 12 weeks. To assess treatment effects, participants were assessed for depression, anxiety and immune changes before and after treatment the 12 weeks treatment period. Adolescents who received massage therapy versus those who experienced relaxation therapy reported feeling less anxious and they were less depressed, and showed enhanced immune function by the end of the 12 week study. Immune changes included increased Natural Killer cell number (CD56) and CD56+CD3-. In addition, the HIV disease progression markers CD4/CD8 ratio and CD4 number showed an increase for the massage therapy group only.