Pediatric Massage Reduces Symptoms of Serious Illnesses

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Pediatric Massage Reduces Symptoms of Serious Illnesses

 

Good Morning!

 

I want to thank Michael Evers for this winderful article on

Pediatric Massage.

 

Pediatric Massage Reduces Symptoms of Serious Illnesses

by Michael Evers

 

Researchers evaluating the effects of massage, or " pediatric touch

therapy, " on infants with various disease conditions have concluded

that it may play a role in improvement of symptoms. Pediatric touch

therapy involves a parent or caregiver massaging areas of a child's

body such as the face, neck, head, shoulders, arms, hands, back,

legs, and feet.

 

" Our research suggests that touch is as important to infants and

children as eating and sleeping, " said Tiffany Field, PhD, director

and founder of the Touch Research Institute (TRI), at the University

of Miami School of Medicine. TRI was established via a start-up

grant from Johnson & Johnson in 1992. It is the only center in the

world devoted solely to the study of touch and its application in

science and medicine.

 

Researchers at TRI conducted four soon-to-be-published studies on

the pediatric health effects of massage. Parents in the studies were

asked to gently massage their infant or toddler for between 15 to 20

minutes each night just before bedtime for a period of 30 days.

 

The investigators said massage helped four different child illnesses:

 

-- Juvenile diabetes. Nearly a third of diabetic children fail to

comply with the medication, food, and exercise regimens necessary to

keep their blood sugar levels under control. After nightly massage

therapy, " children improved compliance with insulin and food

regulation, " Field said, " and had lower blood glucose (sugar)

levels. "

 

-- Asthma. Peaks in levels of stress hormones like cortisol may help

contribute to asthmatic congestion and respiratory 'flare-ups'.

Massage therapy brought children " an immediate decrease in anxiety

and stress hormone levels, " Field said, after which " their peak air

flow and pulmonary functions improved " as well.

 

-- Skin rashes. Atopic dermatitis is a common pediatric skin

condition which may be connected to a child's feelings of anxiety or

depression. Parents who massaged their affected youngsters " reported

lower anxiety levels in their children, " along with reduced redness

and scaling of skin.

 

-- Sleep problems. Insomnia, in either its juvenile or adult forms,

has long been linked to stress. Fields said that only a third of

children who received regular bedtime massages reported continuing

insomnia by the end of the one-month study, compared with 70% of

those youngsters who were simply read to before lights-out.

 

Field believes pediatric massage has broad health benefits. " Touch

therapy triggers many physiological changes that help infants and

children grow and develop, " she explained. " For example, massage can

stimulate nerves in the brain which facilitate food absorption,

resulting in faster weight gain. It also lowers levels of stress

hormones, resulting in improved immune function. "

 

For more information,

 

Tiffany Field, PhD e-mail: tfield

 

Touch Research Institute

Department of Pediatrics University of Miami School of Medicine

P.O. Box 016820 (Dept. - 820)

1601 NW 12th Avenue

Miami, FL 33101

(305) 243-6781

(305) 243-6488 FAX

http://www.miami.edu/touch-research/