Massage Reduces Agitation in Patients Suffering from Dementia

Posted on 16th | Posted by admin in alternative medicine

A gentle, slow stroke massage can reduce the physical expressions of agitation in those suffering from dementia, including Alzheimers Disease. Dementia refers to a cluster of symptoms resulting from brain disorders that greatly impair cognitive skills, without causing a loss of consciousness. Although the onset of dementia can occur in mid-life, it is most commonly found in the elderly, leading to institutionalization for the vast majority of sufferers.

Many elderly patients become sensory deprived as their faculties fade away, but the basic need for touch remains constant. As patients lose sensory and cognitive skills, they become unable to interact socially, leading to feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety and agitation. Touch often remains the last bastion of communication when all other avenues have succumbed to the disease. Caregivers who administer massage therapy to patients in the end stages of dementia report having a closer bond with them, as touch fosters feelings of intimacy and emotional connectedness.

Regular Massage Helps Reduce Frequency, Intensity of Chronic Tension-Type Headaches | ArticlesBase.com

Posted on 3rd | Posted by admin in alternative medicine

Throbbing pain. Vice-like pinching. Pressure. Tension. There are many ways to describe a headache and recent research has shown headaches to be more than just a mere annoyance. Headaches are, well, a major headache for the United States where 157 million workdays " accounting for almost $13 billion!! " are lost each year due to missed work caused by headaches. Fortunately, recent research has also shown that regular massage therapy can help ease the intensity, duration, and number of tension-type headaches, a pain that 78 percent of American will experience in their lifetime.

The effectiveness of massage for preventing and lessening the pain caused by headaches is another reason why people should use massage to improve their health and quality of life. But this research could turn out to be a Godsend for those who dont just suffer from infrequent headaches, but, instead, chronic tension-type headaches.