One can only speculate why this is.  Maybe it has to do with a general sense of powerlessness around the care during their hospital stay, which is not uncommon. It would be very helpful to conduct more studies, however, they cost a lot of money. Since most of these programs are funded by grants, providing treatments is prioritized over conducting studies.

A new study published in Science Translational Medicine found that a short, 10-minute Swedish-style massage session can reduce inflammation, which can help your muscles recover after a hard workout.

“What massage seems to do is … it reduces the inflammatory response as a function of the damage you incurred while you’re exercising,” explained one of the study’s authors Simon Melov, a molecular biologist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.

The authors explain the natural life force that runs through the body and demonstrate with case studies, detailed analysis, and more than 30 illustrations, how to integrate this system into one’s life. The key healing points and body flows, known as “Safety Energy Locks,” are presented with step-by-step instructions on how to utilize them for healing and greater self-awareness. Many self-help practices are also offered that address a wide array of common ailments, including headaches, digestive disorders, fatigue, depression, and arthritis along with prescriptive exercises for relief of emotional ailments such as loss of confidence, anxiety, and depression.

• A 10-minute massage upped mitochondria production, and reduced proteins associated with inflammation in muscles that had been exercised to exhaustion, a small study last month found.
• A full-body massage boosted immune function and lowered heart rate and blood pressure in women with breast cancer undergoing radiation treatment, a 2009 study of 30 participants found.
• Children given 20-minute massages by their parents every night for five weeks plus standard asthma treatment had significantly improved lung function compared with those in standard care, a 2011 study of 60 children found.

The title of the article: “Don’t Call It Pampering: Massage Wants to Be Medicine.”

So it was really exciting when I found this article in the NYTimes. Upon looking at it online, I then discovered the video below.

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh was invited to the Google campus as part of its Optimize Your Life initiative, which seeks to encourage health, happiness, and balance among employees and recognizes that mindful, meditative practices are critical to mental health.

According to this recent article from the Well section of the NYTimes, researchers found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.

Many people pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness, but Dr. Tarnopolsky suggests that, in the long run, a professional massage may even be a better bargain than a pill. “If someone says “This is free and it might make you feel better, but it may slow down your recovery, do you still want it?” he asked.

“This is important research, because it is the first to show that massage can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines which may be involved in pain,” said Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School. She was not involved in the study. “We have known from many studies that pain can be reduced by massage based on self-report, but this is the first demonstration that the pain-related pro-inflammatory cytokines can be reduced.” she said.

However, I soon switched to a more holistic dentist, and the dental hygienist there told me about oil pulling.  Despite regular brushing and flossing, 98 percent of the population has some degree of gum disease or tooth decay.  As it turns out, all disease starts in the mouth, and therefore, the mouth is a reflection of our health.  Recent research has also demonstrated a direct link between oral health and chronic illness.  Combining the wisdom of Ayurvedic medicine with modern science, oil pulling could help with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis, and migraine headaches. The science behind oil pulling is fully documented in the book, with references to medical studies and case histories. Although incredibly powerful, oil pulling therapy is completely safe and simple enough for even a child.

Within 3 months, I went from quarterly dentist visits with periodontal care, to twice a year regular cleanings, and my gums are much healthier and are no longer receding.  On top of that, I’ve been saving at least $600 per year!  I’m happy, my dentist is happy – I  recommend reading this book to anyone.  I know it sounds incredible, but it definitely works for me.

Volunteers who had the light massage experienced greater increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment, than the Swedish massage group, and bigger decreases in adrenal corticotropin hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol.

The study was published online in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

The lead author, Dr. Mark Hyman Rapaport, chairman of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai, said the findings were “very, very intriguing and very, very exciting — and I’m a skeptic.”

This could be an important lesson to anyone who engages in large amounts of cardio exercise, because as it turns out, excessive cardio may actually be counterproductive. Not only is it possible to over-exercise, but simply focusing on the wrong type of exercise to the exclusion of everything else can actually do you more harm than good.

Long-term endurance athletes were found to suffer diminished function of the right ventricle of the heart after endurance racing, according to this recent study. They also had increased blood levels of cardiac enzymes, which are markers for heart injury, and 12 percent of the athletes had detectable scar tissue on their heart muscle one week post-race. The authors of the study concluded that “Although short-term recovery appears complete, chronic changes may remain in many of the most practiced athletes, the long-term clinical significance of which warrants further study. ”

When exercising, remember that it can be overdone, and that you can push yourself too far.  I’d like to invite you to be gentle with yourself and not to judge yourself.

Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor, 26 April 121 – 17 March 180 AD)