Everyone knows that massages feel good. And although regular massage has been shown to reduce stress and improve overall wellness and mood, there isn’t a lot of research to explain exactly what goes on inside the body. Until now!
A recent study published in the The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that massage decreased levels of the stress hormone cortisol in blood and saliva, and in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. Subjects who received massages also had an increase in the number of lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that are part of the immune system.
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