Now I admit I don’t know many people that excited about reducing their cortisol, but what if I told you that after massage and being able to relax, you will benefit from lower levels of this neurotransmitter in two really wonderful and desirable ways? There are many reasons why a relaxing Massage treatment has such a positive affect on us with numerous health benefits as well as its role in the treatment of musculoskeletal problems. Today I want to highlight these two really significant affects.
Firstly, one of the reason we feel so good after a massage treatment is that it changes three neurotransmitters (I will focus on decreasing cortisol) in our body that automatically result in us feeling good and feeling great!
Secondly, and some might even say more importantly, because of the first thing, our immune system is stimulated.
So this is how it goes
Massage = Relaxation
Relaxation = Cortisol Decrease, Serotonin & Dopamine increase
Neurotransmitter changes = Immune stimulation
So there is one really good effect followed by another – A causes B causes C . There’s a fascinating review by Field T et al. (1) showed the positive effects on neurotransmitters following massage therapy. The review looked at people with the following conditions: depression, pain issues, asthma, chronic fatigue, immunological conditions, general “job stress”, and the stress of aging. “These studies combined suggest the stress-alleviating effects (decreased cortisol) and the activating effects (increased serotonin and dopamine) of massage therapy on a variety of medical conditions and stressful experiences.”
“Massage, Relax, Reduce Cortisol
and Stimulate Your Immunity”
NOTE: You can read up more about Remedial Massage on my website.
Cortisol And Immunity
Now the effect of low cortisol on the immune system has been know for many years. R. Cavallo et al reported (2) way back in 1986, how cortisol, “minimizes the enhancement of human natural killer (NK) cell activity in vitro…”. In other words, it can reduce the effect of the immune cells.
And again (3), this time in 2014, PJ Oh and ES Lang evaluated the interactions between cortisol and the immune system cancer, in people with cancer. They concluded, “Although these results provide only small evidence of successful immune modulation, they support the conclusion that psychosocial interventions can assist cancer patients in reducing emotional distress and improving immune response.”
Lowering High Cortisol Levels Can Increase Your Immunity
Serotonin
Serotonin is another neurotransmitter that’s associated with helping the immune system (REF) as well as stabilising and controlling of our moods and feelings of wellbeing and feelings of joy and happiness. It helps control your sexual desires. When levels are low, feelings of depression can appear. The essential amino acid, tryptophan gets converted into serotonin, helping to regulate when you sleep and wake up. It is found in highest concentrations in the brain, intestines and blood. .
Increasing the serotonin levels may help reduce conditions like depression, stress, OCD, panic and PTSD.
So when the levels of serotonin are low, you can become more prone to depression and anxiety.
Low Levels
- Problems remembering
- General feeling down
- Sweet cravings
- Insomnia
- Low self esteem
- Low sex drive
Dopamine is another important neurotransmitter. It’s the one associated with you receiving something you enjoy – a reward, particular foods – it’s the positive anticipation of these things. Say if you love to go to the beach- the mere thought of this can increase dopamine levels. When you can see beautiful hills, the clear blue water and smell the sea air, again levels can rise.
Dopamine has a wide action throughout your body – for example, it is involved in the digestive system, brain function (memory) and controlling your muscles so they do what you want them to do.
In terms of your emotions, it helps with being alert, feeling happy and enthusiastic. Increased release of the neurotransmitter can give you that state of ‘bliss’. Low dopamine levels decrease your attention span, make it harder to concentrate and lower your motivation level. There are conditions associated with low levels of dopamine, Parkinson’s being perhaps the most well-known as well as depression.
So next time you enjoy your Remedial Massage Treatment, not only will you feel relaxed and refreshed, but your neurotransmitters will be re-balanced and your immunity boosted.
References
(1) Int J Neurosci. 2005 Oct;115(10):1397-413.Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy. Field T1, Hernandez-Reif M, Diego M, Schanberg S, Kuhn C.
(2) Experientia. 1986 Feb 15;42(2):177-9.
Cortisol and immune interferon can interact in the modulation of human natural killer cell activity.
Cavallo R, Sartori ML, Gatti G, Angeli A.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3081362
(3) J Korean Acad Nurs. 2014 Aug;44(4):446-57. doi: 10.4040/jkan.2014.44.4.446.
Effects of psychosocial interventions on cortisol and immune parameters in patients with cancer: a meta-analysis.
Oh PJ1, Jang ES2.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25231810
Dev Comp Immunol. 2020 Jan;102:103473. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2019.103473. Epub 2019 Aug 19.
Effects of dopamine on immune signaling pathway factors, phagocytosis and exocytosis in hemocytes of Litopenaeus vannamei.
Tong R1, Wei C1, Pan L2, Zhang X1.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31437524
Front Immunol. 2020 Feb 11;11:186. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00186. eCollection 2020.
Serotonin: A Potent Immune Cell Modulator in Autoimmune Diseases.
Wan M1,2, Ding L2,3, Wang D1,2, Han J2, Gao P1.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32117308
Hamostaseologie. 2016;36(1):11-6. doi: 10.5482/HAMO-14-11-0073. Epub 2015 Feb 19.
Platelet serotonin modulates immune functions.
Mauler M, Bode C, Duerschmied D1.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25693763