In recent decades, massage therapy’s role in addiction treatment has been explored as a means of aiding the detoxification efforts of addiction patients. One significant study published in the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine indicated that a chair massage was more effective than pharmacy-induced methods to increase relaxation and ease anxiety when detoxing.
A similar study in the same journal highlighted that fifty patients recovering from alcoholism indicated that a back and shoulder massage reduced their Alcohol Withdrawl Scale scores in the early stages of detox.
What Is Detoxification?
As a massage therapist, I often tout the benefits of detox on the body as a result of massage. The 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.”
Detoxification in context to addiction means managing the acute symptoms of withdrawal associated with the cessation of drug or alcohol use. It’s the first step among many in the long road to “getting clean.”
Stages of Alcohol Detoxification
In the case of alcoholism, there are three primary stages of withdrawal:
- Stage 1: Anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and abdominal pain, which typically set in about eight hours after the last drink.
- Stage 2: High blood pressure, increased body temperature, irregular heart rate, and confusion arrives between twenty-four and seventy-two hours later.
- Stage 3: Hallucinations, fever, seizures, and agitation begins two to four days after Stage 2 begins.
All these symptoms tend to decrease within a week.
How Massage Can Help
Massage therapy’s positive physiological effects can support a patient during because massage improves lymphatic drainage, promotes the immune system, and improves sleep and relaxation. These positive effects result in the increase of serotonin and dopamine levels and activate the body’s parasympathetic response.
Additionally, massage therapy’s psychological image also supports detoxification by promoting relaxation and reducing stress and anxiety.
Who Do You Know Who…?
Who do you know who could use support through the challenges of detox? Gift them with a massage today.