Perfect Scents Therapies News

Essential Therapeutics Essential Oils and Associated Products for the practice of Aromatherapy
Uspa Uskincare Thermal Water Pillows Subtle Energies Argiletz Active Clay  Alpha Music
 Ancient Minerals Magnesium Zen Therapeutics Opal London Body Brushes

It’s official - Massage Works!

If you are a devotee of massage therapy you already know it's relaxing, feels good and does you good.
Here is some more good news.
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center reported this week that a single massage produced measurable changes in the immune system - lymphocytes – white blood cells that help protect the body from disease -  increased.
It was also shown that there were significant decreases in the stress hormone cortisol and in arginine vasopressin - a hormone that can result in cortisol increases.

“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,” said lead author Mark Rapaport, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences.

Cortisol?

When all is well….
Cortisol is an important hormone in the
body, secreted by the adrenal glands
and involved in the following functions
and more:

• Proper glucose metabolism
• Regulation of blood  pressure
• Insulin release for blood sugar
• maintenance
• Immune function
• Inflammatory response

When all is not well...
Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

• Impaired cognitive performance
• Suppressed thyroid function
• Blood sugar imbalances such as hypoglycemia
• Decreased bone-density
• Decrease in muscle tissue
• Higher blood  pressure