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Interesting Facts on Touch
* Touch is the first sense to develop in humans, and may be the last to fade.
* There are approximately 5 million touch receptors in our skin-- 3000 in a finger tip.
* A touch of any kind can reduce the heart rate and lower blood pressure.
* Touch stimulates the release of endorphins (the body's natural pain killers) which is why a mother's hug for a child's skinned knee can literally make it better.
* People with eating disorders who receive massage three time a day for ten day's, gain weight faster and get out of the hospital six days sooner than those who don't.
* Elderly people who massage surrogate grandchildren report higher-esteem and better moods .
* Massage before an athletic event, makes the athlete more flexible, enhanced speed and power, and less prone to injury .
* One in five Americans have had a massage from a massage therapist in the past five years and 13% report receiving one in the past year. This is up 8% from 1997.
* Today, there are more than 60,000 Nationally Certified practitioners that serve millions of consumers.
* Nationally Certified practitioners provide expertise in various areas of therapeutic massage and body work; Nationally Certified practitioners provide expertise in various areas of therapeutic massager and body work, including Swedish massage, shiatsu, polarity therapy, Rolfing?, Trager? techniques, reflexology, neuromuscular therapy and many more.
* In 1996, massage therapy and bodywork was officially offered for the first time as a core medical service in the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. At the Games, Nationally Certified practitioners were providing key medical services.
* Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia now regulate the practice of therapeutic massage and bodywork. Of those, twenty-five states, in addition to the District of Columbia, now use the NCBTMB examination as meeting (in part or in whole) the requirements of regulation.
* NCBTMB currently has over 600 Approved Providers of Continuing Education.
* Consumers spend between $2 and $4 billion dollars annually on visits to massage and bodywork practitioners, totaling approximately 75 million visits each year.
* The three most often cited reasons for getting a therapeutic massage are relaxation (27%), relief of muscle soreness, stiffness or spasm (13%), and stress reduction (10%).
* Health insurers are increasingly expanding coverage to include alternative medicines. In addition, several healthcare network providers use NCBTMB to check the National Certification status of the practitioner.
* Fifty-four percent of primary care physicians and family practitioners say they would encourage their patients to pursue massage therapy as a complement to medical treatment.
* Massage therapy accounts for 18% of the 425 million visits made to alternative healthcare providers each year.
* In 1999, 52% of American adults thought of massage as "therapeutic," which is up 47% from 1997.
* An estimated 20 million Americans receive massage therapy and bodywork each year, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).
* Approximately 50,000 massage and bodywork practitioners provide 45 million one-hour therapy sessions each year.
* Two thirds of Americans have tried at least one form of alternative therapy or treatment for medical conditions.
* Massage therapy is the third most commonly used form of alternative medicine in the U.S., having been tried by 35% of Americans.
* Women are more likely than men to have tried alternative treatment.
* Forty-two percent of Americans have used some type of alternative care in the past.
* Americans make more visits to see alternative therapists than to see primary-care physicians, spending $21.2 billion.
* The number of massage practitioners in the U.S. is between 120,000 and 160,000.
* Massage and bodywork therapy is sought out by a large number of people in age brackets: 18-24 (22%); 25-34 (31%); 35-44 (25%); 45-54 (22%); 55-64 (19%); and over 65 (9%).
* The most important driver to try an alternative treatment is a recommendation from a friend or family member, which leads 62% of their patients to these providers.