Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/434495
F r e e m u s i c d o w n l o a d s f o r C e r t i f i e d m e m b e r s : w w w. a b m p . c o m / g o / c e r t i f i e d c e n t r a l 45 Eleven of the clinical trials compared two other groups: a group that received massage plus antihypertensive medication versus a group that received medication alone. Meta-analysis of these studies was even more exciting: massage combined with antihypertensive medication was signifi cantly more effective at reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure than medication alone. In other words, people who take antihypertensive medication have better results if they also receive massage therapy. Looking at the actual numeric results of this review, the overall decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure due to massage therapy was approximately 6.9 and 3.6 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) respectively. To put this in context, the CDC reports that a 12–13 mmHg reduction in average systolic blood pressure over four years can reduce heart disease risk by 21 percent, stroke risk by 37 percent, and total risk of cardiovascular-related death by 25 percent. Massage therapy plus antihypertensive medication may give your clients the blood pressure reduction they need in order to avoid the perilous conditions associated with hypertension. A point of interest in this review article was that massage was shown to be signifi cantly safer than antihypertensive medications based on the number of side effects reported. No serious adverse events occurred in either group, but there were signifi cantly fewer minor adverse events with massage therapy than with medication. Systolic: measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. Diastolic: measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.