Breathing and digestion can also improve. The sense of relaxation and well-being that results can help prevent disease by dispelling the stress hormones that weaken the immune system. It is therefore beneficial for conditions such as tension headaches, backaches, stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, constipation, high blood pressure and joint pain. Massage can be extremely beneficial during pregnancy especially during the last few months, when the body can begin to feel strained and very heavy. It can help to alleviate backache, improve skin tone and so reduce the chance of stretch marks, improve circulation, reduce fluid retension, tone the muscles, minimise fatigue and prepare the body for childbirth by keeping the whole system relaxed.
Massage can also be beneficial following childbirth, for mother and baby.
Treatment is not given during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. An increasing number of doctors now accept the power of massage to ease anxiety in sick babies and children. Recent studies reveal its ability to help healthy babies and infants, too. Research has shown that babies who are massaged are more alert, gain weight faster, sleep more soundly and suffer less anxiety than babies who have not been massaged. Massage can also reduce stress levels in parents helping them to be more responsive to their babies needs.