• FogaçaMonalisa de CássiaMde CUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil., Werther Brunow Carvalho, PeresClóvis de AraújoCde A, Mayra Ivanoff Lora, Lilian Fukusima Hayashi, and Ieda Therezinha do Nascimento Verreschi.
• Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil.
• Sao Paulo Med J. 2005 Sep 1; 123 (5): 215218215-8.

Context And ObjectiveThe evaluation of adrenocortical function with the use of therapeutic massage has been little studied in Brazil. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the salivary cortisol levels before and after Shantala massage therapy on healthy infants.Design And SettingProspective case series, in a public nursery, in São Paulo.MethodsSaliva was obtained from 11 infants at the times of 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 4:00-5:00 p.m. in a nursery and 9:00-10:00 p.m. at home. They received a 15-minute therapeutic massage on two consecutive days, and saliva was collected before and after the massage. The procedure was repeated after a one-week interval. Cortisol values (intra-assay < 5%; inter-assay < 10%) at different times of the day were compared by ANOVA.ResultsThe mean cortisol values (nmol/l +/- SD) on the first day were: morning (M) = 14.1 +/- 5.7, afternoon (A) = 8.3 +/- 2.7, night (N) = 3.3 +/- 1.1; after two consecutive days of therapeutic massage: M = 22.3 +/- 13.5, A = 13.4 +/- 6.0, N = 5.8 +/- 3.5; after a one-week interval: M = 15.8 +/- 7.7, A = 14.3 +/- 7.7, N = 3.4 +/- 2.0.ConclusionThere was a modification in the salivary cortisol values following massage, thus reflecting possible adaptation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

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