What Massage Does - Lowers Blood Pressure

Known as "The Silent Killer" because of it's insidious onset, high blood pressure (aka: hypertension) can seriously affect your overall health. Many of the symptoms of high blood pressure are not visible until it is very advanced, sometimes resulting in stroke or heart attack. Learn more about how hypertension impacts your health here.

Typical ways of managing elevated BP include exercise and a balanced diet that is low in animal fats. But here's the good news: massage therapy has also been shown to lower blood pressure!

Hypertensive individuals can expect a decrease in their systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings after receiving massage treatment. The Touch Institute further explains their findings here. Their results were partially found by measuring the amount of a stress hormone known as cortisol found in a patient before and after massage. 

Like a water slide, arteries should be free of obstructions.
Not only is it more fun for the blood cells, it's also healthier.

Three ways relaxation massage reduces blood pressure:

1. Relaxation stimulates parasympathetic nervous system function.
   Your body relies on a balance of parasympathetic (rest & digest) and sympathetic (fight & flight) nervous system functions. But when the sympathetics are firing at a higher rate than the parasympathetics, one result is heightened blood pressure. If you spend time in deep relaxation you are less stressed and your blood pressure lowers - simple as that.
2. Massage stimulates the peripheral blood vessels to dilate.
   Repeated stroking of the limbs mechanically aids the peripheral blood vessels to open, thereby increasing the area in which blood can circulate. This is where the garden hose analogy comes in: imagine the difference in flow between a skinny hose versus a wider hose. The skinny hose would spray water at a higher pressure. Now, if you massaged that skinny hose in a warm environment the walls of the hose would soften and the water pressure would decrease because it has more room to flow. Relaxing the body relaxes the vessels making more room for blood and thereby reducing BP.


3. Endorphins are released during massage which lowers the production of stress hormones.
   Endorphins, commonly known as "The Feel Good Hormones", are in circulation during and after a massage, explaining why it is widely accepted that you feel so good after a massage. When feel good hormones are in ample supply there's few stress hormones at work.

Artery walls contain muscle that respond to stress signals.
A high stress lifestyle & dietary intake of foods that cause
plaques increase your risk of hypertension.

So there you have it: relaxation massage will lower your blood pressure and help to keep you happy and healthy and that's some of the best preventative medicine out there! Yet another great reason to see your massage therapist regularly. As with most therapies, massage requires regular dosing in order to experience lasting effects. Why not book a series of treatments?

Registered massage therapists of BC are trained to provide safe and effective treatments to those diagnosed with hypertension by modifying technique and positioning. If you are uncertain if massage therapy is appropriate for you, seek advice from your primary care provider. However, you do not need a referral to see a massage therapist.

See you in the clinic.
Dana


Sources: 

• http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/ss/slideshow-visual-guide-to-heart-disease
• http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/blood-pressure/why-hypertension-is-a-silent-killer
• http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/blood-pressure/how-high-blood-pressure-affects-your-body