She massaged me for ten minutes before the game against Spain and it was the best game of the tournament
By Sophie Hardach
BEIJING (Reuters) – Happy elves, Viking rituals and a back rub from the first lady are powering Iceland’s handballers on their way to what could be a first Olympic gold for their frosty island.
Iceland’s handballers usually struggle to attract 500 spectators when they play at home. But their formidable performance has fired up the entire nation of 300,000 people — when they played against Spain in the semi-finals, …

By John Schumacher – jschumacher@sacbee.com | Photo: Paul Kitagaki Jr.
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A
Stephanie Brown Trafton, Galt’s gold medalist, believes it takes a village to make an Olympic athlete.
So she relied on an extensive support network to prepare for the Beijing Games: a trainer, a massage therapist, a biomechanist, two former Olympic throwers, an understanding husband and a flexible employer.

Thursday July 31, 2008
By WONG LI ZA
Infant massage can help in baby’s growth and well-being.
A MASSAGE is usually what a mother needs after a long day of looking after her children.
Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, consultant paediatrician and former president of the Malaysian Paediatric Association, demonstrating the Touch Infant Massage technique for a baby’s leg, which includes bringing the knees up to the body.
However, studies from as far back as 1997 show that massaging babies not only relaxes the child but also has physical and psychosocial benefits.

Thursday, July 10, 2008 – 1:06 PM CDT
Nashville Business Journal
Saint Thomas Health Services has launched a therapeutic massage service for mothers and infants at Baptist Hospital in Nashville and Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro.
A free, 15-minute massage will be offered to women who deliver their babies at Baptist Hospital and MTMC.
The massage is provided during a hospital stay, pending physician approval. The patient can choose to have the therapist focus on the neck and shoulders, back or legs and feet.
Additional 15-minute sessions can be purchased for $20 each.
Pregnant …

By Anne Harding
MSNBC contributor
updated 9:42 a.m. PT, Fri., Dec. 12, 2003
Parents turning to ancient practice of infant massage
Strollers are double-parked in the hall outside, and 16 moms, one dad and 17 babies have packed a playroom at the 14th Street Y in New York City on a recent afternoon. They’re about to take part in a class on one of the latest trends in baby care — the ancient practice of infant massage. Babies who get a daily rubdown sleep better, grow faster and are less fussy, research suggests. …

Studies at the Touch Research Institute have found that preemies massaged three times a day for as few as five days consistently fare better than equally frail babies who don’t get massages. Full-term infants and older babies also benefit from them.

Fortunately, scientists now do more compassionate research. But their work with fragile neonares and classrooms full of romping preschooler a points toward much the same conclusion: touch is vitally important to the development of healthy, happy children. Whether bolstering the immune system or simply increasing communication between parents and children, an extra dose of cuddling and massage appears to have many positive effects.

According to the newspaper, the baby’s immune system is boosted by the amount of touching they get in the womb.

Research shows that when women massage infants, their levels of the stress hormone cortisol drop, which in turn calms them down, says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine.