PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Adults demonstrate modified immune response after receiving massage, Cedars-Sinai researchers show

2010-09-08
(Press-News.org) LOS ANGELES – Sept. 7, 2010 – Researchers in Cedars-Sinai's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences have reported people who undergo massage experience measureable changes in their body's immune and endocrine response.

Although there have been previous, smaller studies about the health benefits of massage, the Cedars-Sinai study is widely believed to be the first systematic study of a larger group of healthy adults.

The study is published online at http://www.liebertonline.com/loi/acm. It also will be published in the October printed edition of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

"Massage is popular in America, with almost 9 percent of adults receiving at least one massage within the past year," said Mark Rapaport, M.D., chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences. "People often seek out massage as part of a healthy lifestyle but there hasn't been much physiological proof of the body's heightened immune response following massage until now."

In the study, 29 subjects received 45 minutes of Swedish massage and 24 received 45 minutes of light touch massage. Each participant underwent informed consent, a physical and mental evaluation and was deemed to be physically healthy and free of any mental disorder. Massage therapists were trained in how to deliver both Swedish and light touch using specific and identical protocols.

Prior to the massage, study participants were fitted with intravenous catheters in order to take blood samples during the study session. Then participants were asked to rest quietly for 30 minutes. Following the rest period, blood samples were collected from each person five minutes and one minute before the massage began. At the end of the 45-minute massage session, blood samples were collected at one, five, 10, 15, 30, and 60 minutes after the massage.

"This research indicates that massage doesn't only feel good, it also may be good for you," said Rapaport, the principal investigator of the study and the Polier Family Chair in Schizophrenia and Related Disorders. "More research is ahead of us but it appears that a single massage may deliver a measurable benefit."

Among the study's results:

People in the Swedish massage group experienced significant changes in lymphocytes ,(lymphocyte numbers and percentages white blood cells that play a large role in defending the body from disease.

Swedish massage caused a large decrease (effect size -.74) in Arginine Vasopressin (AVP) a hormone believed to play a role in aggressive behavior and linked to helping cause increases in the stress hormone cortisol.

Swedish massage caused a decrease in levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Swedish massage caused a notable decrease in most cytokines produced by stimulated white blood cells.

###

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Energy drinks may give young sports teams an edge, study says

2010-09-08
Consuming energy drinks during team sports could help young people perform better, a study suggests. Sports scientists found that 12-14 year olds can play for longer in team games when they drink an isotonic sports drink before and during games. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh measured the performance of 15 adolescents during exercise designed to simulate the physical demands of team games such as football, rugby and hockey. They showed for the first time that sports drinks helped the young people continue high intensity, stop-start activity for up to ...

Experts question claim that Alexander the Great's half-brother is buried at Vergina

2010-09-08
The tomb was discovered during the excavation of a large mound – the Great Tumulus – at Vergina in 1977. Along with many treasures including ceremonial military equipment, bronze utensils, silver tableware, and gold wreaths, the tomb contained two sets of skeletal remains. Those of a man were found in a gold casket in the main chamber and those of a woman in a smaller gold casket in the second chamber. Both individuals had been cremated and evidence of a wooden funerary house containing a pyre was also found near the tomb. Dr Jonathan Musgrave of the University of ...

Micro-RNA determines malignancy of lung cancer

2010-09-08
Cancer becomes life-threatening when tumor cells start leaving their primary site. They travel through the lymph and blood streams to other tissues where they grow into metastases. This transition to malignancy is associated with characteristic changes in the cancer cells. The activity of several genes is reprogrammed and, thus, the production of proteins anchoring cells to a tissue is reduced. On the other hand, the amount of surface markers which make a cancer cell mobile increases. Professor Dr. Heike Allgayer heads a Clinical Cooperation Unit of DKFZ and UMM. She ...

A nearby galactic exemplar

A nearby galactic exemplar
2010-09-08
Originally discovered from Australia by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop early in the nineteenth century, NGC 300 is one of the closest and most prominent spiral galaxies in the southern skies and is bright enough to be seen easily in binoculars. It lies in the inconspicuous constellation of Sculptor, which has few bright stars, but is home to a collection of nearby galaxies that form the Sculptor Group [1]. Other members that have been imaged by ESO telescopes include NGC 55 (eso0914 - http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso0914/), NGC 253 (eso1025 - http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1025/, ...

Chopping and changing in the microbial world: How mycoplasmas stay alive

2010-09-08
Mycoplasmas are responsible for a variety of important diseases, including atypical pneumonia in humans and mastitis in cows, sheep and goats, which results in loss of milk production. Mycoplasmal mastitis represents a particular problem in the dairy industry and is thus a subject of intense study. One of the most important mastitis agents in sheep and goats is Mycoplasma agalactiae, which has been under investigation by the group of Renate Rosengarten and Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly at the Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene at the University of Veterinary Medicine, ...

Does the impact of psychological trauma cross generations?

2010-09-08
Philadelphia, PA, 8 September, 2010 - In groups with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as the survivors of the Nazi Death Camps, the adjustment problems of their children, the so-called "Second Generation", have received attention by researchers. Studies suggested that some symptoms or personality traits associated with PTSD may be more common in the Second Generation than the general population. It has been assumed that these trans-generational effects reflected the impact of PTSD upon the parent-child relationship rather than a trait passed biologically ...

Scientists make leap forward in early detection for Alzheimer's and cancer

2010-09-08
Scientists at the UK's National Physical Laboratory have developed a new strategy for quicker and more precise detection of biomarkers – proteins which indicate disease. The work could pave the way for new tools to detect early stages of Alzheimer's and cancer at the molecular level. All diseases have proteins specifically linked to them called biomarkers. Identifying these in body fluid such as blood can be a powerful tool in identifying diseases in their early stages. This would help doctors increase the success rate of treatment through early intervention and help ...

New American Chemical Society podcast: Economical biodiesel from sewage sludge

2010-09-08
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2010 — Biodiesel fuel could be produced from municipal sewage sludge at a cost that is within a few cents a gallon of being competitive with conventional diesel refined from petroleum, according to the latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) award-winning podcast series, "Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions." To boost biodiesel production, sewage treatment plants could use microorganisms that produce higher amounts of oil, says study leader David M. Kargbo, Ph.D., with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).That step alone ...

ACP explores ethical issues for use of incentives to promote personal responsibility for health

2010-09-08
PHILADELPHIA, September 8, 2010 -- The American College of Physicians (ACP) today released a new position paper that provides ethical guidance for using incentives to promote personal responsibility for health. In "Ethical Considerations for the Use of Patient Incentives to Promote Personal Responsibility for Health: West Virginia Medicaid and Beyond (http://www.acponline.org/running_practice/ethics/issues/policy/personal_incentives.pdf)," ACP stresses that innovative programs designed to motivate behavior change should be part of a comprehensive strategy for well-being ...

Tips from the journals of the American Society for Microbiology

2010-09-08
Frog Skin May Provide Antimicrobial Peptides Effective Against Multidrug-Resistant Infections Antimicrobial peptides from the skin of frogs may protect against life-threatening, multidrug-resistant infections such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa say researchers from Italy. They detail their findings in the September 2010 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes some of the most prevalent life-threatening infections such as eye and ear infections, burn wound infections and lung infections in cystic ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Can early exposure to dogs lessen genetic susceptibility to eczema?

Are stress and resilience factors among gender and sexual minority adolescents related to sleep health?

How does a common plant pathogen affect urban trees, and how should it be managed?

Which seeds are best to include in annual flowering seed mixes to attract insect pollinators?

How useful are states’ adolescent social media laws?

Evidence to support state policies regulating teen use of social media is limited, study finds

Pet dogs could combat genetic eczema risk in children

A threesome that hatches potato parasites

Young people discover the technologies shaping their future in the World Economic Forum and Frontiers for Young Minds collection

Real-time 3D visualization reveals potent antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against superbacteria

Abnormal uterine bleeding and insulin resistance are on the rise: Is there a connection?

Eye wear breakthrough: MXene-coated lenses for safer and smarter wearables

‘AI scientist’ suggests combinations of widely available non-cancer drugs can kill cancer cells

Phage therapy at a turning point: Global experts converge in Berlin to shape the future of antimicrobial medicine

Low calorie diets linked to heightened risk of depressive symptoms

Bronchiolitis, monoclonal antibody halves hospitalizations of children younger than six months old

Mum’s obesity linked to child’s heightened hospital admission risk for infection

Millions of new solar system objects to be found and ‘filmed in technicolor’ – studies predict

Pitt study has upended decades-old assumptions about brain plasticity

Hertz Foundation partners with Analog Devices to empower future leaders in analog, digital and software technology solutions

Would you hand over your health data if it meant better care?

Study examines how well wearable tech tracks fitness metrics

Dr. Nikolaos Koundouros wins 2025 Tri-Institutional Breakout Award

Low vs. High blood pressure avoidance in non-cardiac surgery: Neurocognitive outcomes unchanged

Telehealth can improve care for cats with chronic health issues

Researchers develop innovative model to study sense of smell

Birds may be drinking on the wing, but in moderation

Collaboration can unlock Australia’s energy transition without sacrificing natural capital

Study identifies proteins involved in the effectiveness of immunotherapy against blood cancer

Cannabis extract could treat fungal diseases

[Press-News.org] Adults demonstrate modified immune response after receiving massage, Cedars-Sinai researchers show