Are there good scientific studies evaluating the effects of massage?
Yes, especially in the last decade, a significant body of academic research has documented a number of benefits from massage therapy. Massage has been studied in relation to anorexia, arthritis, asthma, ADHD, autism, and many more topics on through the alphabet. The Massage Therapy Foundation, established in 1990, promotes research, funds research grants, and offers a searchable online database of research reports published in peer-reviewed academic journals in a number of languages. The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine has conducted a number of studies, and their website offers a searchable database of the studies they have conducted. If you’re looking into other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as acupuncture, chiropractic, or homeopathy, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, offers fact sheets about such treatment modalities as well as about specific
