Imagine that for 180 days, you must learn something new every day, whether you’re interested in it or not. You must learn or teach even when you don’t feel well, only resting when absolutely necessary. Sound familiar?  I’ll bet you were thinking, “I do that every day.”  We all have stress -- even children -- and managing stress is often a challenge. Therapeutic massage is the best way to unwind from the stresses of life that create real and often unwelcome changes in our bodies.

Like stress, therapeutic massage has a profound and real chemical effect on us. Chemicals rage through our bodies helping us to prepare for big stressors such as dodging a bad driver to small ones like not having enough ingredients to finish dinner. “Two adrenal secretions are at the center of the stress response: adrenaline (from the adrenal medulla) for short-term, in-your-face, we're-all-gonna-die-now stress, and cortisol (from the adrenal cortex) for long-term, low-grade, grit-your-teeth, here-it-comes stress.”¹

Many of us remain in a state of stress response, unable to relax. In studies conducted before and after massage therapy, “in which cortisol was assayed either in saliva or in urine, significant decreases were noted in cortisol levels (average decreases 31%).”² “Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibited less hyperactivity and more on-task behavior, and generally were happier with regular massage treatments. For autistic children, there was a decrease in touch sensitivity and disruptive behavior, and increased ability to relate to their teachers.”³

³ Vanderbilt, Shirley, “Children and Massage A Powerful Combination,” www.massagetherapy.com, 2008, Originally published in Body Sense magazine, Spring 2003.