National Health Concept Leader Massage Envy Donates To Massage Therapy Research

Massage Envy Donates $10,000 to the Touch Research Institute

The healing power of touch has been a part of wellness for thousands of years. Helping fund research in the field of therapeutic massage lets massage therapists combine the best of both worlds--new breakthroughs with time tested techniques

Miami, FL (PRWEB) July 23, 2008 -- Massage Envy, the nation's leading provider of therapeutic massage, donated $10,000 to the Touch Research Institute at the Florida State Massage Conference. This marks Massage Envy's second contribution to the field of therapeutic massage research--earlier this year Massage Envy donated $20,000 to the Massage Therapy Foundation to fund additional research in the field of therapeutic touch.

"The healing power of touch has been a part of wellness for thousands of years. Helping fund research in the field of therapeutic massage lets massage therapists combine the best of both worlds--new breakthroughs with time tested techniques" said CG Funk, Vice President of Industry Relations and Product Development of Massage Envy. Massage Envy is the largest single employer of massage therapists in the nation, with over 8,000 licensed professional therapists providing the healing benefits of massage to clients across the country.

The Touch Research Institute was established in 1992 by Director Tiffany Field, Ph.D. at the University of Miami School of Medicine via a start-up grant from Johnson & Johnson. TRI was the first center in the world devoted solely to the study of touch and its application in science and medicine. The TRI distinguished team of researchers, representing Duke, Harvard, Maryland, and other universities, strive to better define touch as it promotes health and contributes to the treatment of disease. Research efforts that began in 1982 and continue today show that touch therapy has numerous beneficial effects on health and well-being.

And CG Funk couldn't agree more. "I've been a massage therapist for 16 years. It's been such an amazing journey and I've had a first row seat watching the growth of the massage therapy profession and industry. It's exciting to witness the expanding acceptance of massage therapy as an integral part of creating an sustaining health and wellness." TRI's findings confirm what massage therapists have intuitively known for years. TRI has conducted over 100 studies on the positive effects of massage therapy on many functions and medical conditions in many different age groups. Among the significant research findings are diminished pain in patients with medical conditions such as fibromyalgia, decreased autoimmune problems such as increased pulmonary function in asthma sufferers and decreased glucose levels in diabetes patients, enhanced immune function and enhanced alertness and performance.

Massage Envy, headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., is the first national franchise to bring therapeutic massages to the masses. The company has over 450 operating clinics and over 775 franchises sold in 36 states. For more information, visit www.MassageEnvy.com.

For more information on the Touch Research Institute, visit their website at www.miami.edu/touch-research.

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