The physiological effects of massage are difficult to separate from the psychological effects. Massage has a sedative effect on the nervous system. As you relax, homeostatic mechanisms are enhanced; blood pressure drops, respiration slows and deepens and there is an increase in digestive juices, bathing your tissues and organs in vital substances. Anxiety and stress on the other hand increase the production of adrenal corticosteroids, which interfere with healing, compromise the immune system, encourage cardiovascular disease and increase muscular tension. Massage interrupts this negative spiral. A respite from stress allows our bodies to function optimally. Massage sets up a positive spiral of increased well-being and increased awareness of the body's subtle signals enabling us to respond to stress long before it's destructive effects take hold.