I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man,
and I hate people like that!
Tom Lehrer
Sometimes it doesn’t matter how positive you try to be and how wonderful your life is. Sometimes things happen and you get blindsided with negativity or sink down into a pit of pitifulness and depression.
People are negative no matter what you do. Cher
Depression can be an expensive and 
devastating condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Depression can adversely affect the course and outcome of common chronic conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Depression also can result in increased work absenteeism, short-term disability, and decreased productivity.”
The CDC also recommends “collaborative care, an approach that involves the collaboration of primary care providers, mental health specialists and other providers to improve disease management for adults with major depression on the basis of strong evidence of effectiveness in improving short-term depression outcomes.”
The world is a heartbreaking place, without any question.
Annie Lennox
In October of 2011 The American Massage Therapy Association approved this Position Statement; Massage Can Reduce Symptoms of Depression.
You can’t have a light without a dark to stick it in.
Arlo Guthrie
Research indicates massage can:
– Improve mood
– Reduce depression:
in those with chronic pain
in those with chronic pain over time
in hospice patients
in children with cancer
in children with HIV
in pregnant women
associated with lower back pain
in those with tension-type headaches
in children and adolescent psychiatric patients
in women with breast cancer
in people with chronic disease
in adolescent mothers
in those with chronic fatigue syndrome
in those with high blood pressure
in those with fibromyalgia
in adults with multiple sclerosis
in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder
in women in labor
– Reduce trait anxiety and depression with a course of treatment providing benefits similar in magnitude to those of psychotherapy
So the silver lining is that someone has been doing a serious amount of research on this. Some research may seem silly because it just shows things we already know are true. That indeed is one point of research.
There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
Leonard Cohen
On another note, the fact that the research was done with a wide variety of demographics strengthens it. It also helps educate us. It should be no surprise that people who already have a health or medical issue have a darn good reason to be depressed. Now you have a great reason to recommend that they get a massage or better yet, get them a gift certificate and it is backed by research!
I just need somewhere to dump all my negativity.
Van Morrison
So if you have any questions, would like us to send you a copy of the full Position Statement and research, purchase a gift certificate or schedule an appointment with Christopher or I please give us a call at 610-906-2322.