3380: Does Deep Tissue Massage Release Toxins and Cause Flu-Like Symptoms on Massage Myths

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[00:00:30] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily and I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your host of the show. As I always say, I want this to be a space where you can find relevant and good information. Why might I be qualified to give this type of information? In case you're wondering about my credentials and my education, when I'm not here recording these shows, I spend a lot of my time as faculty within the California State University System. I've published peer-reviewed studies and have been interviewed by over 70 different media outlets

[00:00:58] for my expertise on basically all the stuff I talk about on this podcast. So, all of this to say that when I provide my commentary after each episode and answer the questions you send in, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place of truth. Alright, and with that, let's hear today's question as I help you optimize your life. Hi, Dr. Neal.

[00:01:25] So, I got a deep tissue massage yesterday and as soon as I got home, I started to feel sick, like a cold. And I was just wondering if you knew why that happens and what's causing it. I've done some research about detoxifying and then there's a lot of debate about really if there's toxins being released or not.

[00:01:53] So, whatever perspective you can provide would be appreciated. Thank you so much. Okay, bye. Thank you for your question, caller. I'm sorry you weren't feeling well after your massage. Getting a massage is one of my favorite ways to relax and de-stress. And from personal experience, I know that later on that day or even the next day, I sometimes feel a bit out of sorts. I may start feeling symptoms similar to what you mentioned, cold or flu-like symptoms.

[00:02:22] And like you, massage therapists have mentioned that I might feel this way because they're detoxifying my body. Now, I must say, usually they don't know that I'm in the health field and that I'm going to go home and do some research to see if this is really true. Now, based on the data I have seen, most researchers don't agree that any form of massage really detoxifies the body. Again, we have organs like our liver and kidneys to help with that. But is there a real reason we may be experiencing these symptoms after getting a massage?

[00:02:53] Unfortunately, there's no easy way to answer this. Let me explain. There could be a number of reasons why you and I could be feeling that we're coming down with something after receiving a massage. Some of it may have nothing to do with the massage at all. It's possible that we could have been fighting something off for the past few days before we got our massage. We may have been dehydrated. We also have to consider the type of massage we were given. Now, the most common type is Swedish massage. But then there are at least four different types of Swedish massage.

[00:03:22] Then there's deep tissue massage. When a therapist uses this form of massage, it's possible that there may be some soreness afterwards. Anytime there's muscle soreness, the body's immune system has become activated to try and repair those sore muscles. And anytime the immune system becomes activated, we may feel fatigued or like we're coming down with a cold or the flu. Now, back to the releasing toxins idea.

[00:03:47] The theory was that by squeezing muscles and possibly the lymph tissue around those muscles, we're pushing the blood and lymph fluids around so that they move on to our detoxifying organs more quickly and then those get out of the body. But so far, studies haven't shown this to be true. One of the ways researchers test for this is by looking at something called blood lactate levels. Now, bear with me on this. Imagine you're sprinting really hard across a field.

[00:04:15] Besides your heart feeling like it wants to explode, at some point, your legs will start to feel like they're on fire. This burning sensation is caused by the buildup of lactic acid, also known as lactate. When we perform high intensity exercises like sprints or high intensity interval training, even when lifting weights, we can experience lactic acid buildup. This buildup of lactic acid can irritate the muscles and lead to muscle soreness.

[00:04:42] So the theory is if you can remove some of this lactic acid or lactate through massage, then you might be able to reduce muscle soreness. But when researchers studied whether massage helped remove lactate from the body, they found in most cases, it simply didn't happen. There are a couple of studies that contradict this and found that getting a massage two to six hours after intense exercise might help relieve muscle soreness.

[00:05:07] So here's why I can't say conclusively what might be going on and why you might be feeling kind of sick after your massage. There are so many different types of massages and different ways to study them, it makes it challenging to make sense of it all. But what most can agree on is that if you believe massage therapy helps you feel better in general, it likely will. For me, I know when I get a massage, I get into that meditative state and feel so much more relaxed after.

[00:05:36] So the benefits of massage seem to be mostly psychological at this point. This means it is possible that the symptoms you felt after the massage were psychological as well or unrelated to the massage at all. But if you find you actually do enjoy massages and it helps you feel better most of the time, then by all means, enjoy them. There are studies out there that have shown that there are side effects to massage, but usually those are very minimal, not life threatening and not likely to actually make you sick.

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[00:08:20] Thank you again for the question caller. Now, if you want to send your questions in and get a copy of our Optimal Living Daily Workbook for doing so, you can email them to health at oldpodcast.com. That's health at oldpodcast.com. Or, if you want your voice played on the show, come by oldpodcast.com slash ask. Or, you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question.

[00:08:48] The number is 161-ILOVE-OHD. That's 1614-568-3643. Thank you so much for sending me your questions. Answering them is one of my favorite parts of this show. Alright, that's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend. And I'll see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.