Deep breathing 'cuts stress as much as massage'

Source: BBC News - Deep breathing 'cuts stress as much as massage'
Massage is no more effective at cutting anxiety than deep breathing
and soothing music, say US researchers.The study of 68 people,
reported in Depression and Anxiety, showed anxiety symptoms were
halved for those given 10 massage sessions over three months. But
those given relaxation therapy, which is much cheaper, improved by the
same amount. Massage experts say the primary aim of massage is to
treat damage to soft tissue rather than relaxation. The study looked
at people with generalised anxiety disorder, a condition involving
excessive worry that makes normal life difficult. The patients were
given one of three treatments. One group had massage. The other two
groups had relaxation therapy (breathing deeply while lying down) or
thermotherapy (having their arms and legs wrapped up intermittently
with heating pads and warm towels).
We were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater
than those of the same number of sessions of 'thermotherapy' or
listening to relaxing music Karen Sherman, lead researcher All
three therapies were given in a relaxing environment with soft
lighting and quiet music. At the end of the treatments, all three
groups reported their anxiety had decreased by about 40% - and about
50% three months later. Lead researcher, Dr Karen Sherman from the
Seattle based Group Health Centre for Health Studies said they were
surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than
those of the same number of sessions of 'thermotherapy' or listening
to relaxing music. "This suggests that the benefits of massage may be
due to a generalised relaxation response," she said. "Treatment in a
relaxing room is much less expensive than the other treatments
(massage or thermotherapy), so it might be the most cost-effective
option for people with generalised anxiety disorder who want to try a
relaxation-oriented complementary medicine therapy." TensionBut
massage organisations pointed out that massage aims to do more than
relax people. Susan Findlay, spokesman for the General Council for
Massage Therapies, said massage was not just about dealing with
emotional issues and relaxation. "Massage therapists do corrective
work with soft tissue such as muscles and tendons. They try to make
these tissues work as well as possible," she said. "However, by
releasing tension in a shoulder for example, massage may also reduce
pain and so make the person feel more relaxed. "This can give the
person being treated a powerful psychological boost."

Chocolate helps treat high BP,cuts stroke risk by 20%

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exchange and not for any commercial gains
Chocolate helps treat high BP,cuts stroke risk by 20%
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Source: Times of India
London: Suffering from hypertension Fret not,just gorge on a chunk of
dark chocolate daily,for a new study reveals that it could have the
same positive effect on high blood pressure as half an hour of
exercise. Researchers have carried out the study and found that people
with high blood pressure can reduce the chance of having a heart
attack or a stroke by 20% if they eat chocolate everyday. According to
them,chocolate,particularly the dark variety,contains chemicals known
as flavanols which naturally open up blood vessels in the body,which
means blood can flow more easily and the pressure drops.You don't
always need medication to reduce blood pressure.This shows that there
are some foods that can help, lead researcher Karin Ried of Adelaide
University was quoted by the Telegraph as saying. For the study,the
experts combined the results of 15 other studies looking at chocolate
and cocoa between 1955 and 2009 covering hundreds of people.They found
that for people with hypertension,eating chocolate could reduce the
blood pressure by up to 5%.But for those with normal pressure it had
no effect,the findings revealed.PTI