While individuals suffering anxiety may turn to alternative health resources such as aromatherapy and acupuncture, massage therapy and simple relaxation may also be key to letting go of lifes stresses.
According to a new study published in the journal, Depression and Anxiety, patients who received a series of 10 massage therapy sessions are reported to be half as anxious as they used to be up to three months after the treatment.
Additionally, the researchers found that while massage therapy was effective for anxious patients, it had the same results as people who were left in a room alone with soft and relaxing music. These findings puzzled the scientists.
“We were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than those of the same number of sessions of thermotherapy or listening to relaxing music,” said Dr. Karen J. Sherman, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute. “This suggests that the benefits of massage may be due to a generalized relaxation response.”