Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin Deep
New York Times 9/21/10

Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress-related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. Massage is an effective tool for managing this stress, which translates into:

•  Decreased anxiety
•  Enhanced sleep quality
•  Greater energy
•  Improved concentration
•  Increased circulation
•  Reduced fatigue

Massage can also help specifically address a number of health issues. 
Bodywork can:

•  Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion
•  Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten
    maternity hospital stays
•  Ease medication dependence
•  Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural
   defense system
•  Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles
•  Help athletes of any level prepare for and recover from strenuous workouts
•  Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin
•  Increase joint flexibility
•  Lessen depression and anxiety
•  Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks
•  Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues/vital organs, improving circulation
•  Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling
•  Reduce spasms and cramping
•  Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles
•  Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body's natural painkiller
•  Relieve migraine pain