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Almost all of us crave for a peaceful and soothing session of massage after a tiring and hectic week of work. Apart from relaxing the muscles and soothing the body temporarily, a good session of massage can actually benefit the body that can last from a few days to some weeks. 

The benefits of repeated massage therapy include alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, back pain, asthma, fatigue, and even HIV, claims a new study.

According to the study, the effects of a massage can differ depending on the frequency of sessions.

For the study, the researchers examined the biological effects of repeated Swedish Massage Therapy and light touch intervention. 

In a previous study, the researchers had found that when a healthy person undergoes a single session of Swedish massage, he/she experiences a significant change in the body's immune body's immune and endocrine responses. 

"We expanded the study to show the effects of repeated massage because we believed the frequency of massage, or the interval between massages, may have different biological and psychological effects than a single session," explains lead researcher Mark Hyman Rapaport, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. 

The study which was conducted over a period of five-weeks assessed neuroendocrine and immune parameters while the participants of the study were randomly divided into four intervention groups which received a concurrent five weeks of Swedish Massage once a week or twice a week, or a light touch control once a week or twice a week, the press release stated. 

"We believe that understanding of the mechanisms of action underlying the effects of massage and light touch in healthy individuals - including the effect of different frequency regimens on different biological systems - will help to guide the design of studies aimed at specific therapeutic effects for targeted populations."

Results of the study were reported on line in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.