Massage therapy can help increase focus, relieve anxiety, and even improve sleep. One of the immediate benefits of massage is a feeling of deep relaxation and calm. This happens because massage causes the release of endorphins, the brain's chemicals (neurotransmitters) that produce feelings of well-being. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health will not assume any responsibility for any user's reliance on the materials contained on this website.
The principles of traditional Chinese medicine are very different from traditional Western notions about health, disease, and body functioning. And considering the benefits of massage therapy as something unexpected, thankfully, massage can counteract the imbalance caused by sitting. Increased activity in the vagus nerve could have, among other benefits, a calming effect similar to meditation, which would explain the decrease in cortisol and other stress-related symptoms. In fact, pain reduction along with relief from depression is one of the benefits that research has most consistently linked to massage, says Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami.
While the latter is truly a question for medical researchers, existing evidence indicates that, for a variety of health conditions, it is.
