Don't Call It Pampering: Massage Wants to Be Medicine - The Wall Street Journal
A 2012 article from The Wall Street Journal looks into the growing medical research on the benefits of massage therapy.
“New research is also starting to reveal just what happens in the body after a massage. While there have long been theories about how massage works—from releasing toxins to improving circulation—those have been fairly nebulous, with little hard evidence. Now, one study, for example, found that a single, 45-minute massage led to a small reduction in the level of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the blood, a decrease in cytokine proteins related to inflammation and allergic reactions, and a boost in white blood cells that fight infection.”