| When dealing with a progressive disease like | | | | improvement, the group that received massage |
| Parkinson's it's good to explore all options of | | | | therapy showed higher levels of improvement in |
| treatments as medicines such as dopamine | | | | performing their daily activities and in their sleeping |
| agonists and Levodopa gradually wear off and | | | | abilities. This was recorded in observations by the |
| symptoms become more pronounced and | | | | researchers as well as in assessments by the |
| debilitating. One form of treatment that can | | | | patients themselves. Urine samples of these |
| supplement the treatment of Parkinson's disease | | | | patients also showed a significant decrease in the |
| is massage therapy. Recent research has shown | | | | amount of stress hormones that were registered |
| that regular massage can help patients suffering | | | | at the beginning of the study. |
| from Parkinson's disease improve in their daily | | | | A separate study performed in 2005 showed that |
| functions, sleeping abilities, self-confidence, walking, | | | | massage helped boost the self-confidence, |
| and well-being, as well as decrease their overall | | | | well-being, walking abilities and performance of |
| stress levels. | | | | daily living activities in a group of seven patients |
| Symptoms of Parkinson's disease (rigidity, | | | | suffering from Parkinson's disease who were |
| depression, fatigue, etc.) are conditions that | | | | monitored while receiving eight one-hour, full body |
| massage has been proven to relieve. The disease | | | | massage therapy sessions over the course of |
| is a central nervous system disorder, where | | | | eight weeks. These positive results were once |
| dopamine is not produced or received correctly. | | | | again registered by the researchers performing |
| This failure of dopamine transmission leads to | | | | the study as well as from assessments |
| rigidity of muscles, poor balance, and fatigue. | | | | conducted by the participants of the study |
| Collectively these symptoms can lead to | | | | themselves. This suggests that while massage |
| depression, isolation, and low-self esteem. As I | | | | leads to measureable biological and chemical |
| have written in previous articles massage can help | | | | improvements in the condition of patients |
| relieve many of these symptoms in all patients, | | | | suffering from Parkinson's disease, the patients |
| whether they have Parkinson's or not. | | | | themselves can actually feel this difference |
| It should therefore come as no surprise that | | | | tangibly in their everyday life. |
| massage therapy has been shown to help lessen | | | | With more than 500,000 people currently |
| these symptoms in patients that do have | | | | suffering from Parkinson's disease and its |
| Parkinson's disease. In one study performed in | | | | symptoms - and 50,000 new people contracting |
| 2002, adults with Parkinson's disease were given | | | | Parkinson's disease annually - further exploration |
| either muscle relaxation classes or massage | | | | of massage as a complementary way to treat |
| therapy twice a week for the course of five | | | | the symptoms of the disease should be taken up |
| weeks. While both groups of patients showed | | | | by researchers - and by the patients themselves. |