{"id":1721,"date":"2015-10-05T16:20:59","date_gmt":"2015-10-05T16:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c1mdevsite.com\/navacenter.com\/?p=1721"},"modified":"2020-10-19T16:21:17","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T16:21:17","slug":"going-beyond-pampering-how-massage-can-actually-help-you-from-getting-sick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c1mdevsite.com\/navacenter.com\/going-beyond-pampering-how-massage-can-actually-help-you-from-getting-sick\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Beyond Pampering\u2026 How Massage Can Actually Help You from Getting Sick"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s that time of year.\u00a0 People are constantly looking for ways to \u201cboost\u201d their immune systems or to try new preventative measures. Think about how we all carry things like strep and MRSA on our skin, but yet we rarely contract them.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not even talk about what little bugs are living on all the surfaces we come into contact with daily.\u00a0 So why do some people succumb while others do not?\u00a0 When your body is run down from things like stress or hormonal imbalances, it just can\u2019t keep up to fight off invaders.\u00a0 Keeping your body fine-tuned gives you the best chance to prevent illness, and if you are unlucky enough to get sick, a strong immune system will help you get better faster with fewer effects.<\/p>\n

Ok, so now what?<\/p>\n

More and more people are using massage for health benefits such as boosting your immune system during cold & flu season. Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, led by Dr. Mark Rapaport, reported that a single massage produced measurable changes in the immune system and endocrine system of healthy adults*; additionally, Swedish massage participants also had an increase in lymphocytes, cells that help the immune system defend the body from harmful substances**. \u00a0Massage helps ward off bugs by boosting your “natural killer cells”, the immune system’s first line of defense against invading illness. “We know that cortisol destroys natural killer cells,” Field says. “Therefore, since massage decreases cortisol, your immune cells get a boost.” Massage even seems to boost immunity in those people with severely compromised immune systems **.<\/p>\n

“This research indicates that massage doesn’t only feel good, it also may be good for you,” Rapaport said in a news release. “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.”*<\/p>\n

If you are taking a proactive role in your health, then you know it takes an integrated approach to truly harness the power of living life at 100% and if you are looking to\u00a0increase the effectiveness of your immune system, a plan might include:<\/p>\n