
Does massage flush toxins from the body?
The flushing model is bogus. Massage isn’t “liberating” any toxins that were there when the client walked in the door. If anything, ironically, massage may be creating them — by-products of minor muscle injury. That would mean that massage is actually a “toxifying” treatment, not a de -toxifying one.
What happens to your body during a massage?
In a massage, a caring, safe touch is an invitation to relax. This, together with pain relief, generally produces a "relaxation response." The relaxation response is a state in which your heart and breathing rate slow, your blood pressure goes down, your production of stress hormones decreases, and your muscles relax.
How does massage therapy help detoxify the body?
Massage therapy aids in lymphatic drainage, promotes immune system health and function, and enhances overall well-being sensation by improving sleep and relaxation, increasing serotonin and dopamine levels, and activating parasympathetic response ( 6 ). Additionally, massage therapy’s psychology effects can support detoxification efforts.
What chemicals affect your mind and body during and after sex?
There are a host of sexual chemicals that affect your mind and body during and after sex. Check 'em out. 1. Prolactin What it does: Prolactin relieves sexual arousal after orgasm and takes your mind off sex. It rises sharply immediately after orgasm in almost everyone.

What chemical gets released when you get a massage?
endorphinsWhen you get a massage, your body releases endorphins. These are the happy chemicals often related to a “runner's high.” You'll notice an extra bounce in your step and more energy to tackle the rest of the day. A good massage should help you relax, physically and mentally.
Can toxins released during massage make you sick?
Nausea: Because massage deals with and releases toxins from the body, sometimes nausea may occur after treatment. It is not unheard of for clients to feel as though they have an upset stomach in the hours and days after their massage.
Do deep tissue massages release endorphins?
It seems likely that more endorphins are released in the deep tissue modality (as opposed to lighter Swedish massage). In a deep tissue massage, you often experience that feeling of productive pain — the pressure hurts, but the pain is mixed with relief. Endorphins may be at least partially to thank.
Does massage release neurotransmitters?
The production of serotonin during massage sessions is one of the reasons you feel relaxed and sleepy during a massage session. Another neurotransmitter known as Dopamine is also increased during massage. Dopamine also known as “The Molecule of Happiness,” is very popular for its powerful functions.
Why do I feel sick after a deep tissue massage?
Dehydration After Massage Dehydration decreases blood volume, which can contribute to feelings of dizziness and/or nausea after massage. To add fuel to the fire, massage causes dehydration, as water is essentially pumped out of your soft tissue and into the circulatory system.
Can lymphatic drainage make you sick?
What happens if I'm feeling sick after a lymphatic drainage massage? Few people have negative reactions to lymphatic drainage massage. Some people, however, complain of headaches, nausea and fatigue. When that happens, you should ask your healthcare provider about managing your side effects.
Do massages release cortisol?
Cortisol is released when pain and stress levels rise, worsening their effects. During massage, a decrease in cortisol levels occur. A decrease in cortisol levels helps to reduce stress. A reduction in stress helps to relieve symptoms of pain and increase relaxation.
Do massages release oxytocin?
Massage increases oxytocin and reduces adrenocorticotropin hormone in humans.
What happens to the brain during a massage?
Increased levels of cortisol & stress neurotransmitters and lowered levels of serotonin and dopamine all equal more stress. Massage not only has the opposite effects on cortisol, serotonin, and dopamine levels, but it decreases frontal right lobe activity in the brain and increases activity in the left.
Does massage raise serotonin?
Massage therapy helps increase serotonin and dopamine, another mood-related neurotransmitter. It also helps to decrease cortisol, a hormone your body produces when stressed.
Why do you feel high after a massage?
The therapist's touch causes an immediate reaction in your brain. As soon as your skin's nerve cells feel pressure, they signal the brain to release feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which boost your mood and give you a natural high.
What happens to your body when you get a massage?
The physical manipulation in massage has two major physical effects: Increase in blood and lymph circulation. Relaxation and normalization of the soft tissue (muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments), which releases nerves and deeper connective tissues.
Rather Than Being De-Toxifying, Deep Tissue Massage Can Probably Cause A Slightly Toxic Situation in The Body
My title is provocative and sensational — guilty! But I love massage therapy — this is not an anti-massage article — it’s a fascinated-by-massage a...
PMSM = Feeling A Bit Gross After Massage
Flu-like symptoms are surprisingly common after massages. The recently massaged often suffer from varying degrees of soreness and malaise following...
Rhabdo The Terrible: A Medical Emergency (which Has Nothing to Do With Massage)
Rhabdomyolysis — or just “rhabdo” for short, and for the rest of this article — is a medical emergency that mostly crops up in the aftermath of hor...
An Extreme-Massage Horror Story: A Case of Genuine Rhabdomyolysis Induced by Massage, With Kidney Danger and Everything
In 2006, an elderly gentleman collapsed with a fever and failing kidneys.7 There are any number of reasons that might happen to an 88-year-old man,...
Disintegrating Muscle Tissue!
Rhabdo the Terrible is mostly defined by nasty muscle damage and kidneys dying from myoglobin poisoning — right before you die. It’s the kidney dam...
Rhabdo The Merely Unpleasant (a.k.a. Recreational Rhabdo)
Read up on rhabdo and it becomes clear that while the worst cases are caused by things like buildings falling on people’s legs, there are plenty of...
Mild Rhabdo as A Common Denominator in Feeling Cruddy After Virtually Any Physical Stress
To understand common experiences, it is often helpful to learn about their extreme and exaggerated forms. What’s going on here? Turn it up! Acute r...
So What? The Implications Are Surprisingly Unexciting
This is all very interesting, but it may not be very important.As I mentioned at the start, “Poisoned By Massage” is a sensational title. I chose i...
Afterword: The Flushing Theory Goes Down The Drain
If PMSM is basically a light poisoning, does this validate the popular practice of advising massage clients to drink extra water? Mostly no — it’s...
No, PMSM Is Not Caused by A Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction
Many massage therapists have speculated that PMSM is caused by a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which is being poisoned by the corpses of dead bacter...
What causes PMSM in massage?
Many massage therapists have speculated that PMSM is caused by a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which is being poisoned by the corpses of dead bacteria during antibiotic treatment. The most polite response to this idea I’m capable of is that it is wildly speculative, citation needed, and good luck with that. It rests heavily on huge optimistic assumptions about the powers of massage, specifically its ability to cause such an extraordinary surge in immune system activity that it could kill off enough bacteria to cause this effect. 30
What is the effect of detoxification?
The effect is often explained more specifically as the symptom of a healthy detoxification process with a (rather doubtful) happy result: unspecified toxins trapped in weary, tight muscles are freed and flushed from muscle, poisoning us mildly as they make their way out of the body via kidneys and livers.
What causes rhabdo in the body?
Read up on rhabdo and it becomes clear that while the worst cases are caused by things like buildings falling on people’s legs, there are plenty of other less traumatic causes: 1 a variety of unusual metabolic states 2 miscellaneous drugs, toxins, and infections 3 extended tissue compression (e.g. a long surgery) 4 both hypo and hyperthermia 5 and even just extreme exertion
How to release myoglobin into blood?
Instructions for releasing lots of myoglobin into the blood: Step 1: Physically crush muscle. You’re done! But rhabdo is not just caused by “crushed” muscle but by muscle that, in the words of Wikipedia, “rapidly breaks down” … by any means.
Does Rhabdo the Terrible have to be massaged?
Rhabdo the Terrible, the medical emergency, really has nothing to do with massage. Be aware of this if you mention a connection to a doctor — you will get scoffed at.
Is massage a de-toxifying treatment?
That would mean that massage is actually a “toxifying” treatment, not a de -toxifying one. (This is actually one of the original reasons for the idea that toxins need to be flushed out from the body by drinking some extra water.)
Is massage bad for you?
Intense massage may be routinely harming people, especially some vulnerable populations, people who mostly don’t even know that they are vulnerable. Specifically, there is a strong scientific case that strong massage can damage muscle, spilling proteins into the blood and clogging up the kidneys — a type of literal poisoning.
Why do you need to massage during peak drug levels?
Because there are some massage strokes that can potentially affect the bioavailability of drugs, massages should be scheduled during periods of peak drug levels.
Why do massage therapists have to alter their treatment plans?
There are common conditions that can sometimes require massage therapists to alter their treatment plans, either because of the symptoms of the condition or because of side effects of the medications. Brent A. Bauer, MD, FACP, Director, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic, says there are precautions all massage therapists ...
What to look for in a diabetic massage?
When you are performing massage on a person with diabetes, look for any wounds, and ask whether your client is experiencing any sensory loss or alterations, tingling or numbness, leg cramps, fatigue and muscle weakness.
When to schedule massage therapy?
For example, if your client takes a pain medication, it is best, if possible, to schedule massages when your client isn’t taking the medication or just before they’re due for their next dose.
Can antidepressants cause bruising?
Antidepressants can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and fatigue, along with a tendency to bruise, depressed stretch receptor response and altered temperature perception. Watch for bruising, and avoid deep tissue work if bruising is present or occurs during massage.
Can you massage a diabetic?
Before beginning massage therapy on a person who is being treated for diabetes, get a physician's referral for massage. You may also want to start with shorter massage sessions to see how therapy affects your client's diabetes or the side effects of medication .
What is detoxification in massage?
The true medical definition of detoxification is the “physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver.”. ( 1)
What does "massage may detox the body" mean?
The phrase “massage may detox the body” is a common claim made in the massage therapy and bodywork industry . This article will examine how massage may aid the body’s detoxification efforts.
What is lymphatic massage?
Lymphatic Massage. Lymphatic massage is a modality often utilized in removal of metabolic waste from the body. This style places emphasis on encouraging swifter movement of lymph fluid through the body’s lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is the “waste management” system of the body. Its primary role is to mobilize metabolic ...
What are the three ways to mobilize lymph?
Both Foeldi and Chickly’s methods were paramount in the confirmation that the lymphatic system was a necessary system to address manually. The lymphatic system does not possess a muscular pump, such as a heart; therefore, it is discovered the three main ways to mobilize lymph through the body are: movement.
How does massage therapy help with depression?
Massage therapy promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, promotes well-being to combat depression, and has been useful in treating hyperactivity disorder s. These effects can bring ease to mind and body of detoxing patients to further aid their efforts ( 6 ).
What enzyme breaks down drugs?
Specialized liver enzymes break down these drug elements to metabolize these components that potentially weaken the drug’s effects. Some drugs are administered via the anal canal, sublingual, nasal or urogenital routes to avoid the liver’s first pass effect, thereby maintaining potency factor. ( 8)
Is massage therapy good for addiction?
In recent decades, massage therapy’s role in addiction treatment has been explored as a means of aiding the detoxification efforts of addiction patients. A myriad of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) approaches have been employed for addiction patients, with massage being prominently utilized.
Why do massage chairs work?
These benefits of massage work both physically and psychologically to help reduce common symptoms of back pain. Through the study of the human body and analysis of feedback, many massage chair designs have been developed with the goal of achieving similar benefits.
Why is massage important?
Comprehensive research has demonstrated that there are three central reasons why massage is beneficial: Massage improves venous and lymphatic flow —mani pulating muscles increases blood flow. Increasing blood flow facilitates the circulation and absorption of nutritional elements into the muscles and tissues.
Why do people use massage chairs?
Getting a massage in the privacy of home, along with convenience and time efficiency, are the major reasons why some are opting to go with a massage chair as a potential means to ease their back pain. Comprehensive research has demonstrated that there are three central reasons why massage is beneficial:
Is massage therapy considered invasive?
In general, any type of massage is non-invasive and considered very low risk. While there aren't specific contraindications or risks associated with use of massage chairs, in general any of the contraindications to general massage therapy should be followed when using a massage chair.
Is a massage chair good for back pain?
A good hands-on massage can play a crucial role in alleviating back pain. Similarly, a good massage chair is designed to provide some measure of pain relief and relaxation, however, without the need for person-to-person interaction.
Can you get a massage from a massage therapist?
While it is still best to get a massage from a licensed massage therapist, an electronic substitute is now also available that may provide some of the benefits of the human touch - the massage chair. Most believe massage chairs are a luxury item.
Is a massage chair necessary?
A massage chair is certainly not necessary for every day living, or for relieving back pain. However, for some, the benefits that a massage chair can bring may outweigh the price.
How to clean contaminated skin?
Thoroughly wash and rinse (using cold or warm water) the contaminated skin of the patient/victim using a soap and water solution. Be careful not to break the patient/victim’s skin during the decontamination process, and cover all open wounds. Cover the patient/victim to prevent shock and loss of body heat.
How is fentanyl absorbed into the body?
ROUTES OF EXPOSURE: Fentanyl can be absorbed into the body via inhalation, oral exposure or ingestion, or skin contact. It is not known whether fentanyl can be absorbed systemically through the eye. Fentanyl can be administered intravenously (IV), intramuscularly (IM), or as a skin patch (transdermally).
How long does it take for fentanyl to absorb?
Dermal exposure to fentanyl results in absorption over hours to days. Oral exposure occurs in two phases. Initial exposure will occur within in a few minutes, with absorption through the intestinal tract occurring over 2 hours. Inhalation of fentanyl results in rapid absorption.
What is the purpose of decontamination?
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of decontamination is to make an individual and/or their equipment safe by physically removing toxic substances quickly and effectively . Care should be taken during decontamination, because absorbed agent can be released from clothing and skin as a gas. Your Incident Commander will provide you with decontaminants specific for the agent released or the agent believed to have been released.
What are chemical resistant gloves?
Chemical-resistant gloves (inner). Chemical-resistant boots with a steel toe and shank. Escape mask, face shield, coveralls, long underwear, a hard hat worn under the chemical-resistant suit, and chemical-resistant disposable boot-covers worn over the chemical-resistant suit are optional items.
What type of respiration apparatus do first responders need?
GENERAL INFORMATION: First Responders should use a NIOSH-certified Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) with a Level A protective suit when entering an area with an unknown contaminant or when entering an area where the concentration of the contaminant is unknown.
Is fentanyl an incapacitating agent?
Fentanyl: Incapacitating Agent. The information and recommendations below were developed to address a wide area release of fentanyl as a weapon of terrorism, and are not specifically intended to address exposures associated with fentanyl use as an illicit drug.
What are the two substances that help with pain?
3. Endorphins. What they do: Endorphins are a group of neurotransmitters formed within the body that bind to opiate receptor sites in your brain to naturally relieve pain. The bio-chemicals acetylcholine and dopamine are known as endorphins, and have a similar chemical structure to morphine.
How do endorphins affect you?
They are also known to lower stress and boost confidence. How they make you feel: Endorphins produce feelings of euphoria and pleasure , and they have a calming effect . They fill you with a sense of well-being and relaxation. They may also make you feel dizzy and drowsy, and you might even drift off to sleep.
Do endorphins release during sex?
In fact, you can even argue that the faster you fall asleep, the better the sex was. Of note, endorphins are released by your brain during sex, sporting activities, skydiving, fights, grievous injuries, and almost any other exhilarating activity you ...
Why do you give drugs by IV?
Certain drugs may be given by IV administration because if you took them orally (by mouth), enzymes in your stomach or liver would break them down. This would prevent the drugs from working well when they’re finally sent to your bloodstream.
How to administer IV infusion?
An IV infusion is a controlled administration of medication into your bloodstream over time. The two main methods of IV infusion use either gravity or a pump to send medication into your catheter: 1 Pump infusion. In the United States, a pump infusion is the most common method used. The pump is attached to your IV line and sends medication and a solution, such as sterile saline, into your catheter in a slow, steady manner. Pumps may be used when the medication dosage must be precise and controlled. 2 Drip infusion. This method uses gravity to deliver a constant amount of medication over a set period of time. With a drip, the medication and solution drip from a bag through a tube and into your catheter.
What is a pump in an IV?
The pump is attached to your IV line and sends medication and a solution, such as sterile saline, into your catheter in a slow, steady manner. Pumps may be used when the medication dosage must be precise and controlled. Drip infusion.

Common Conditions That Require Medications
- Arthritis
Arthritis is a condition that affects the joints. There are many types of arthritis, but the most common types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain, stiffness and swelling, redness, and a decreased range of motion. Arthritis is typically … - Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition caused by too little insulin in the blood or an inability of the body to use insulin. Type 1 diabetes often begins in childhood. Type 2 diabetes most often begins during adulthood, but children can develop Type 2, as well. Uncontrolled diabetes can cause excessive …
Common Side Effects of Medication
- In order for you to ensure your clients’safety, you also need to understand how some of the common side effects of various medications can affect your clients and, in turn, how you proceed with a massage therapy session.
Getting The Information You Need
- Doing a thorough intake is a necessary part of any massage therapy session, but especially so when you have clients who may be taking medication for acute or chronic health conditions. Having important health information, like what medications your clients are taking—as well as knowing the possible side effects of medication—helpsyou ensure client safety.
Ways You May Need to Alter The Massage Session
- Most medications will not require you alter a client’smassage therapy session, but some will. If your client is taking medication, you may need to alter massage scheduling, the area of focus during the massage, the duration of the massage, as well as the modalities you will use during the session.