Benefits & Uses For Massage & Acupuncture

Acupuncture needles inserted into a client's stomach.

Both massage and acupuncture come from ancient China. They have been part of Eastern medicine for thousands of years, according to Christian Nordquvist of Medical News Today and Temma Ehrenfeld of Newsweek. Message involves rubbing and pressing against parts of the body. Acupuncture involves puncturing the skin with needles to realign body energies. These techniques have similar benefits and uses.

Immunity

Both acupuncture and massage impact the immune system according to Ehrenfeld, the Mayo Clinic and American Acupuncture. Ehrenfeld asserts that massage reduces the level of the stress hormone cortisol that damages and kills immune system cells. Additionally, American Acupuncture claims the immune system and the nervous system are linked. When the body feels pain, or when pain is taken away, the nervous system responds either positively or negatively by stimulating the release of other chemicals. When a person relaxes or pain is diverted through massage or acupuncture, stress hormones decrease while pleasure hormones increase, giving the immune system a boost.

Pain Relief

Acupuncture and massage may be useful for relieving pain in a large number of conditions ranging anywhere from a sprained ankle to headaches or asthma. Since, as explained by American Acupuncture, the immune system and the nervous system are intertwined, when the immune system attacks invaders, the result is inflammation and pain. By boosting the immune system, massage and acupuncture reduce this inflammation and discomfort. The Mayo Clinic reports that professionals already use massage to relieve pain and stiffness with good clinical results. For this reason, some insurance companies now cover alternative therapies like acupuncture and massage, and more Western doctors are accepting these Eastern methods as viable medical techniques.

Hormonal Conditions

Both acupuncture and massage impact hormone levels in the body by reducing stress. Since hormones in the body are very intricately tied together, people may use massage and acupuncture to manage conditions impacted by hormones such as menstrual cramps, blood pressure, insomnia, infertility and digestive problems, according to Nordqvist, Acupuncture Treatment and Ehrenfeld. Since hormones also control mood and behavior to a large degree, the Mayo Clinic postulates that massage and acupuncture may be effective treatments for disorders such as depression or anxiety.

Tags: immune system, acupuncture massage, American Acupuncture, massage acupuncture, Mayo Clinic, nervous system, acupuncture massage impact