In the latest issue of Spa Business magazine, the founder of the US-based Touch Research Institute (TRI) Miami, Dr Tiffany Field, talks about her research into the therapeutic benefits of massage.

The Touch Research Institute (TRI) was established in 1992 at the University of Miami School of Medicine, US, and is the first centre in the world devoted to the study of touch. To date, it has conducted more than 100 studies into the effects of massage on functions and diseases across a variety of age groups.

Field’s research found that, while human touch has therapeutic benefits, machine-administered massage tended to arouse more than relax.

It was also found that, when pressure receptors under the skin were stimulated, there was a decrease in stress hormones, especially cortisol, which kills immune cells.

Consequently, if the production of cortisol can be slowed down, immune cell production can be increased.

According to figures from the American Massage Therapy Association, about 39 million American adults – more than one in six – are getting massages annually, and 30 per cent cite medical reasons for doing so. (See Spa Business 07/01 p70. To order, visit www.spabusiness.com)