www.massagetherapy.com—your resource for all things bodywork 3
B O D Y T A L K
C O M P I L E D B Y B R A N D O N T W Y F O R D
Massage
Improves
Aching Muscles
In a randomized,
blinded study involving
36 sedentary young
adults, lower-extremity
massage was found to
increase upper-extremity
blood flow in patients
with exercise-induced
muscle injuries. The
treatment included a
30-minute leg massage
using Swedish techniques
ranging in pressure from
superficial to deep.
While it has long
been believed that one of
the benefits of massage
therapy is increased
circulation resulting in
improved health and
wellness, this study is
one of the first to add
valuable clinical support to the anecdotal observations and case
study results that massage therapists have presented for years.
The findings were published in the Archives of
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Read the abstract
here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24583315.
Retrain the Brain to Desire Healthy Foods
Our brains are programmed by evolution to reward the
consumption of high-calorie foods—a mechanism that helps
us survive when food is scarce. In a society where food
is not scarce, however, the overactivity of this reward
system is implicated in the development of obesity.
A new study published in Nutrition & Diabetes is said to be
the first to demonstrate that the brain can be altered to desire
and reward the consumption of healthy foods. The results were
achieved through behavioral intervention in the form of an
adapted version of the "I" Diet (S. B. Roberts and B. K. Sargent,
www.theidiet.com). Researchers tracked changes in brain activity
through functional magnetic resonance imaging scans.
In addition to showing altered brain activity when shown images
of low-calorie foods versus high-calorie foods, subjects who received the
intervention achieved significant weight loss versus the control group. Read
the full study at www.nature.com/nutd/journal/v4/n9/full/nutd201426a.html.
The Health
Benefits of Tea
Long-term studies performed at the
Harvard School of Public Health
demonstrated that regular tea
drinkers are less likely to develop
diabetes compared with people who
drink less tea. The polyphenols (a
type of antioxidant) in tea—especially
green tea—help regulate blood sugar
and assist insulin in metabolizing
the body's glucose levels. This
glucose regulation may also be
responsible for tea's association
with a lower risk of cardiovascular
disease, improved cholesterol,
and lower blood pressure.
While the studies suggest drinking
tea is associated with better health,
it is difficult to rule out the possibility
that tea drinkers simply live healthier
lifestyles overall. The best way to
ward off illness and disease remains
a healthy lifestyle that includes a
balanced diet and plenty of exercise.
Read more at www.health.
harvard.edu/press_releases/health-
benefits-linked-to-drinking-tea.