Hands-On Pain Relief

Saying “ouch” a lot? Schedule a massage. It feels good, of course, but it’s also an effective treatment, according to a recent study of 605 people. Those who got a daily 20-minute massage (in addition to medication) after surgery reported less pain a day earlier than those who just got drugs, or who got drugs plus 20 minutes of one-on-one conversation. Other benefits:

• It fights the blues. A rubdown cut depression, pain, anxiety, nausea, fatigue and other symptoms in half for cancer patients, according to one study.
• It calms kids. In a small study of children with ADHD, those who got a 20-minute massage twice a week for a month behaved better in school.
• It soothes an aching head. Chronic tension headache sufferers had fewer episodes after neck and shoulder massages.

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