Since many people seldom see a physician on a regular basis, a massage therapist may be the first health care professional to see a patient with problems that need to be referred for medical evaluation and care.

Massage doesn't just feel good.
Physically it reduces heart rate and blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion, reduces sympathetic and increased parasympathetic nervous activity, reduces pain and swelling, promotes improved respiration, enhances the health and nourishment of the skin, improves posture, and increases serotonin and endorphins enhancing medical treatments.

Since patients often develop a tolerance to some medications, massage is often used as an interim treatment while the patient is being switched from one medication to another.

Massage also helps with the mental well-being of the patient by relieving mental stress and anxiety, promoting a relaxed state of mental alertness, satisfies the need for caring and nurturing touch, and provides the patient with an awareness of their own body.

Studies funded by the National Institute of Health on therapeutic massage have reported:
- Cortisol levels and blood pressure dropped more quickly in post-abdominal surgery patients undergoing massage therapy when compared to a control group.
- Cancer patients who had massage therapy while undergoing bone marrow transplant were much less anxious and fatigued.
- HIV-exposed infants who underwent massage therapy fared better than those who did not, in terms of weight gain, neonatal performance and exhibition of stress behaviors
- Medical and nursing students who had massage therapy demonstrated an increased immune response (immunoglobulin and apoptosis) in the week before professional board exams, compared to those who did not have the treatment.

The Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine has 63 studies that have been published or are under way, looking at the effects of massage therapy in clinical situations ranging from post-traumatic stress to migraine headache.

Research done in conjunction with Duke University, measured the body's biochemical levels after massage therapy and found a dramatic decrease in the levels of cortisol, norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine.

Other research finding:
- Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were less stressed than those who weren't
- Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression, pain and itching in burn patients
- Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage
- Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared better than those who weren't
- Autistic children showed less erratic behavior after massage therapy

Cautions and contraindications to massage:
- Inflammations (local)
- Infectious diseases
- Certain forms of cancer
- Blood thinners
- Phlebitis
- Crones disease
- disturbed tissue integrity
- lesions
- joint replacement (local)
- edema (local)
- pain medications (issues with pressure)
- disassociative and emotional disorders