Massage Archives

Pediatric Massage. (Archive.)

Friends.

Isn't it about time?

Walt

Enjoy,
Misty L. Trepke
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

Pediatric Massage Reduces Symptoms of Serious Illnesses

Good Morning!

I want to thank Michael Evers for this winderful article on
Pediatric Massage.

Pediatric Massage Reduces Symptoms of Serious Illnesses
by Michael Evers

Researchers evaluating the effects of massage, or "pediatric touch
therapy," on infants with various disease conditions have concluded
that it may play a role in improvement of symptoms. Pediatric touch
therapy involves a parent or caregiver massaging areas of a child's
body such as the face, neck, head, shoulders, arms, hands, back,
legs, and feet.

"Our research suggests that touch is as important to infants and
children as eating and sleeping," said Tiffany Field, PhD, director
and founder of the Touch Research Institute (TRI), at the University
of Miami School of Medicine. TRI was established via a start-up
grant from Johnson & Johnson in 1992. It is the only center in the
world devoted solely to the study of touch and its application in
science and medicine.

Researchers at TRI conducted four soon-to-be-published studies on
the pediatric health effects of massage. Parents in the studies were
asked to gently massage their infant or toddler for between 15 to 20
minutes each night just before bedtime for a period of 30 days.

The investigators said massage helped four different child illnesses:

-- Juvenile diabetes. Nearly a third of diabetic children fail to
comply with the medication, food, and exercise regimens necessary to
keep their blood sugar levels under control. After nightly massage
therapy, "children improved compliance with insulin and food
regulation," Field said, "and had lower blood glucose (sugar)
levels."

-- Asthma. Peaks in levels of stress hormones like cortisol may help
contribute to asthmatic congestion and respiratory 'flare-ups'.
Massage therapy brought children "an immediate decrease in anxiety
and stress hormone levels," Field said, after which "their peak air
flow and pulmonary functions improved" as well.

-- Skin rashes. Atopic dermatitis is a common pediatric skin
condition which may be connected to a child's feelings of anxiety or
depression. Parents who massaged their affected youngsters "reported
lower anxiety levels in their children," along with reduced redness
and scaling of skin.

-- Sleep problems. Insomnia, in either its juvenile or adult forms,
has long been linked to stress. Fields said that only a third of
children who received regular bedtime massages reported continuing
insomnia by the end of the one-month study, compared with 70% of
those youngsters who were simply read to before lights-out.

Field believes pediatric massage has broad health benefits. "Touch
therapy triggers many physiological changes that help infants and
children grow and develop," she explained. "For example, massage can
stimulate nerves in the brain which facilitate food absorption,
resulting in faster weight gain. It also lowers levels of stress
hormones, resulting in improved immune function."

For more information,

Tiffany Field, PhD e-mail: tfield@mednet.med.miami.edu

Touch Research Institute
Department of Pediatrics University of Miami School of Medicine
P.O. Box 016820 (Dept. - 820)
1601 NW 12th Avenue
Miami, FL 33101
(305) 243-6781
(305) 243-6488 FAX
http://www.miami.edu/touch-research/

Glad to see I wasn't massaging my son in vain! nmi