Following a month of 2 chair massages per week the adolescents became less aggressive.

Aggressive adolescents Adolescence less aggressive (-) Behavior Adolescents Touch Research Institute Miami School of Medicine abstract Positive Results Massage Professional Chair Massage Month Weekly Adolescents Adolescent Month=2x/wk=8 Visits frequency None Emotion Aggression

Touching peers during conversations in McDonalds Restaurants occurred more frequently in Paris than in Miami. In contrast, self-touching and aggressive behavior occurred more frequently among adolescent peers in Miami than in Paris.

Touch Aggression (+) adolescent peers French American adolescents Adolescence self-touching Touching peers Behavior Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract Positive Results Observation Touching Peers NonProfessional Non-Specific Non-Massage Adolescent None Emotion Aggression

Massage therapy reduced anxiety, depressed mood and salivary cortisol (stress hormone) levels and resulted in decreased body dissatisfaction associated with anorexia.

Anorexia (-) symptoms reduced Eating Disorders Behavior (-) Anorexia massage reduced anxiety (-) depressed mood (-) salivary cortisol (-) stress hormone (-) decreased body dissatisfaction (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract Positive Results Massage Professional Emotion Lab Psych/Soc Anxiety Depression Cortisol (Salivary) Body Image

Adults exposed to rosemary showed decreased frontal alpha and beta power, suggesting increased alertness. They also had lower anxiety levels and performed math computations faster. Adults exposed to lavender showed increased beta power, suggesting increased relaxation. They performed math computations not only faster but also with fewer errors and had less depressed mood

reduced anxiety (-) enhanced EEG (+) positive mood (+) alertness (+) International Journal of Neuroscience math computations (+) beta power (-) decreased depression (-) increased relaxation (+) lavender decreased anxiety (-) increased alertness (+) decreased frontal alpha (-) rosemary Technique Aromatherapy Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Rosemary Aromatherapy Other Lavender Non-Specific Non-Massage Adults None Emotion Neurological Task/Test Anxiety Depression Frontal Alpha & Beta Power Math Performance

Adults exposed to rosemary showed decreased frontal alpha and beta power, suggesting increased alertness. They also had lower anxiety levels and performed math computations faster. Adults exposed to lavender showed increased beta power, suggesting increased relaxation. They performed math computations not only faster but also with fewer errors and had less depressed mood

EEG asymmetry responses aromas International Journal of Neuroscience math computations (+) beta power (-) decreased depression increased relaxation (+) lavender decreased anxiety (-) increased alertness (+) decreased frontal alpha (-) rosemary Technique Aromatherapy Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Rosemary Aromatherapy Other Lavender Non-Specific Non-Massage Adults Infants None Emotion Neurological Task/Test Anxiety Depression Frontal Alpha & Beta Power Math Performance

Adults exposed to rosemary showed decreased frontal alpha and beta power, suggesting increased alertness. They also had lower anxiety levels and performed math computations faster. Adults exposed to lavender showed increased beta power, suggesting increased relaxation. They performed math computations not only faster but also with fewer errors and had less depressed mood

EEG lavender rosemary depressed & non-depressed mothers Infant Behavior and Development math computations (+) beta power (-) decreased depression (-) increased relaxation (+) decreased anxiety (-) increased alertness (+) decreased frontal alpha (-) Technique Aromatherapy Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Rosemary Aromatherapy Other Lavender Non-Specific Non-Massage Adults Infants Emotion Neurological Task/Test Anxiety Depression Frontal Alpha & Beta Power Math Performance

Studies children with mild to moderate juvenile rheumatoid arthritis who were massage by their parents 15 minutes a day for 30 days (and a control group engaged in relaxation therapy). The children's anxiety and stress hormone (cortisol) levels were immediately decreased by the massage, and over the 30-day period their pain decreased on self-reports, parent reports, and their physician's assessment of pain (both the incidence and severity) and pain-limiting activities.

mild moderate juvenile rheumatoid arthritis Journal of Pediatric Psychology anxiety (-) stress hormone (-) cortisol (-) pain-limiting activities (-) pain (-) incidence (-) severity (-) parent reports (-) self-reports (-) physician's reports (-) stess hormone (-) relaxation therapy Control Group Disease Arthritis Touch Research Institute abstract positive results University of Miami School of Medicine NonProfessional Parents Month Children Rheumatoid Arthritis 15min/dy=30dys=30 Visits frequency Emotion Sensory Lab ADL Anxiety Pain (Self Parent Physician ADL Reports) Cortisol Daily Living Activities

This study showed positive effects of parents massaging their asthmatic children including increased peak air flow, improved pulmonary functions, less anxiety and reduced stress hormone (cortisol) in the children. Parental anxiety also decreased.

asthma (-) improved pulmonary functions (+) Journal of Pediatrics reduced anxiety (-) parents cortisol (-) reduced stress hormone (-) cortisol (-) improved pulmonary functions (+) increased peak air flow (+) parental anxiety (-) parents massaging positive effects Disease Asthma Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Parents Asthma Children Non-Specific Emotion Lab Cardi/Pulm Parental Anxiety (Parents) Anxiety Cortisol Peak Air Flow Pulmonary Functions

Adolescents with ADHD displayed less anxiety, daydreaming behaviors, inappropriate emotions and hyperactivity and their conduct improved after participating in Tai Chi classes.

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (-) benifitsTai Chi Classes Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies decreased inappropriate emotions (-) decreased daydreaming behaviors (-) decreased anxiety (-) hyperactivity (-) conduct (+) adolescents Behavior ADHD (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Tai Chi Classes Other Adolescents Adolescent ADHD other non-specific Non-Massage emotion behavior Anxiety Inappropriate Emotions Daydreaming Behaviours Hyperactivity

Adolescents with ADHD rated themselves as happier and were observed to fidget less after massage sessions. Also, teachers rated children receiving massage as less hyperactive and as spending more time on-task.

Adolescents attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (-) self-reports (-) happyness (+) observation (-) fidgetting (-) teacher report (-) hyperactive (-) Ontask Behavior (+) Adolescence Behavior ADHD (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional adolescents adolescent ADHD non-specific emotion behavior Happyness (Self Rating) On-Task Behavior Hyperactivity (Teacher Rating) Ontask Behavior Hyperactivity (Teacher Rating) Fidgetting

Children with ADHD showed more on-task behavior in the classroom and were rated as less hyperactive by their teachers following one month of twice weekly massages.

ADHD (-) nopub Year-? children Ontask Behavior (+) hyperactive (-) teacher reports (-) classroom Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Month Weekly Children ADHD month=2x/wk=8 frequency behavior On-Task Behavior Ontask Behavior Hyperactivity (Teacher Rating)

Children with ADHD showed more on-task behavior in the classroom and were rated as less hyperactive by their teachers following one month of twice weekly massages.

mood (+) ADHD (-) children Ontask Behavior (+) hyperactive (-) teacher reports (-) classroom Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Month Weekly Children ADHD month=2x/wk=8 behavior frequency On-Task Behavior Ontask Behavior Hyperactivity (Teacher Rating)

Touch sensitivity, attention to sounds and off-task classroom behavior decreased and relatedness to teachers increased after massage therapy.

Autistic (-) children attentiveness (+) responsivity (+) touch therapy Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders Touch Sensitivity (-) Attention to Sounds (-) Offtask Behavior (-) off-task classroom behavior (-) Relatedness to Teachers (-) Behavior Autistic Children Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Autistic Children behavior Offtask Behavior Attention to Sounds Touch Sensitivity Relatedness to Teachers Off-Task Classroom Behavior Offtask Behavior Attention-to-Sounds Attention to Sounds Touch Sensitivity Relatedness-to-Teachers

Children in the massage group exhibited less stereotypic behavior and showed more on-task and social relatedness behavior during play observations at school, and they experienced fewer sleep problems at home.

Brief report behavior of children (+) autism (-) Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders massage group Stereotypic Behavior (-) on-task behavior (+ ) Ontask Behavior (+) Social Behavior (+) social relatedness behavior (+) play observations school Sleep Problems (-) home Behavior Autistic Children Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific children Autistic behavior ADL Ontask Behavior Stereotypic Behavior Social Behavior Sleep Problems On-Task Behavior (Durning Play Observations at School) Ontask Behavior Social Relatedness Behavior (Durning Play observations at school) Social Behavior Sleep Problems

Children in the massage group exhibited less stereotypic behavior and showed more on-task and social relatedness behavior during play observations at school, and they experienced fewer sleep problems at home.

Creative movement therapy children autism (-) Early Child and Development and Care massage group Stereotypic Behavior (-) on-task behavior (+ ) Ontask Behavior (+) Social Behavior (+) social relatedness behavior (+) play observations school Sleep Problems (-) home Behavior Autistic Children Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific children Autistic behavior ADL Ontask Behavior Stereotypic Behavior Social Behavior Sleep Problems On-Task Behavior (Durning Play Observations at School) Ontask Behavior Social Relatedness Behavior (Durning Play observations at school) Social Behavior Sleep Problems

Massage lessened lower back pain, depression and anxiety, and improved sleep. The massage therapy group also showed improved range of motion and their serotonin and dopamine levels were higher.

Low back pain (-) range of motion (+) International Journal of Neuroscienc depression (-) anxiety (-) sleep (+) serotonin (+) dopamine (+) Orthopedic Pain (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Lumbar Pathology Non-Specific Unknown emotion sensory lab ortho ADL Anxiety Depression Pain Lower Back Serotonin Dopamine ROM Range of Motion Sleep

Preschool children with behavior problems who received massage are showed more on-task behavior, less solitary play, and less aggression.

year-? Behavior problem preschool children (-) Early Child Development and Care behavior problems (-) on-task behavior (+) solitary play (-) aggression (-) Behavior (-) Problem Children (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Preschool Children Behavior Problems behavior Ontask Behavior (+) Solitary Play (-) Aggression (-)

Massage therapy reduced anxiety and depression and improved immune function including increased natural killer cell number.

immune (+) neuroendocrine (+) Journal of Psychosomatic Reseach immune function (+) Natural Killer Cell Number (+) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Adults Female Breast Cancer emotion lab Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Natural Killer Cells (+) Immune Function (+)

Bulimic adolescent girls received massage therapy 2 times a week for 5 weeks. Effects included an improved body image, decreased depression and anxiety symptoms, decreased cortisol levels and increased dopamine and serotonin levels.

Bulimic adolescents (-) Adolescence Bulimic adolescent girls (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional 2x/wk=5wks=10 Month Weekly Female Adolescent Girls Bulimic (-) Bulimia (-) Female frequency emotion lab psych/soc Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Cortisol (-) Serotonin (+) Dopamine (+) Body Image (+)

Massage therapy sessions given prior to debridement (skin brushing) decreased depression and anger, and the subjects appeared less anxious during behavior observations and reported less pain. Lower pulse and cortisol suggested lower stress levels.

Burn injuries (-) Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation debridement skin brushing behavior observations (-) Anxiety (Behavior Observations) (-) stress levels (-) Disease Burn in Adults Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Adults Burn Non-Specific Emotion Sensory Lab Cardi/Pulm Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Anger (-) Pain (-) Cortisol (-) Pulse (-)

Massage therapy given prior to dressing young children's (mean age = 2.5 years old) severe body burns decreased distress behaviors. Nurses also reported greater ease in completing the dressing change procedure for the children in the massage group. The massage was conducted to body parts that were not affected.

Childrens' distress (-) Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation Dressing Ease (Nurses Report) (+) 2 year olds severe body burns Dressing Change (Nurses Report) (+) Uninjured area massage Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional young children Burn non-specific behavior Distress Behaviors (-) Dressing Ease (+)

Massage therapy given to burn patients reportedly reduced itching, pain, and anxiety and improved mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions, and their ratings on these measures improved from the first day to the last day of the study.

Burn injuries Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation burn patients first and last therapy sessions (+) Disease Burn Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Unknown Burn emotion sensory Anxiety (-) Mood (-) Pain (-) Itching (-)

Massage therapy given to burn patients reportedly reduced itching, pain, and anxiety and improved mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions, and their ratings on these measures improved from the first day to the last day of the study.

Postburn itching (-) psychological symptoms (-) Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation burn patients first and last therapy sessions (+) Disease Burn Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Unknown Burn emotion sensory Anxiety (-) Mood (-) Pain (-) Itching (-)

A daily self-massage for stretching tendons alleviated pain following one month.

Carpal Tunnel symptons (-) Journal of Bodywork and Movement self-massage Orthopedic Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Non-Professional Self Massage Self Massage Stretching Tendons Daily=mo=30 Visits frequency Month monthly Unknown Daily Carpal Tunnel Syndrome sensory pain (-)

A daily self-massage for stretching tendons alleviated pain following one month.

year-? Hand self-massage Orthopedic Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Non-Professional Self Massage Self Massage Stretching Tendons Daily=mo=30 Visits frequency Month monthly Unknown Daily Carpal Tunnel Syndrome sensory pain (-)

Massage therapy helped children with CP reduce spasticity, gain more muscle flexibility, and motor function and have more positive social interaction.

year-? Journal of Early Intervention CP (-) Social Interaction (+) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Children Cerebral Palsy Non-Specific behavior Social Behavior (+)

Massage therapy helped children with CP reduce spasticity, gain more muscle flexibility, and motor function and have more positive social interaction.

year-? Early Child Development and Care CP (-) Social Interaction (+) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Children Cerebral Palsy Non-Specific behavior Social Behavior (+)

Immediately following massage therapy depressed mood, anxiety and stress hormone (cortisol) levels were reduced. Following 10 days of massage therapy, fatigue related symptoms, particularly anxiety and somatic symptoms, were reduced, as were depression, difficulty sleeping and pain. Stress hormone (cortisol) also decreased and dopamine increased.

immediate results (-) Depressed Mood (-) stress hormone (-) fatigue related symptoms (-) difficulty sleeping (-) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Chronic Fatigue Syndrome frequency 10 Days=10 Visits Day Daily professional adults emotion sensory lab ADL Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Somatic Symptoms (-) Pain (-) Cortisol (-) Dopamine (+) Sleeping Difficulty (-) Fatigue (-)

Massaged newborns had fewer postnatal complications and showed increased weight gain, and better performance on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (particularly on the motor scale), and less stress behaviors following 10 days of massage.

Cocaine exposed preterm neonates behavioral differences (-) hormonal differences Pediatrics Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (+) Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional 10 Days=10 Visits frequency Day Daily Newborns Drug Exposed behavior task/test risk Stress Behaviors (-) Brazelton Neonatal Behavior (+) Weight Gain (+) Postnatal Complications (-)

Massaged newborns had fewer postnatal complications and showed increased weight gain, and better performance on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (particularly on the motor scale), and less stress behaviors following 10 days of massage.

year-? Cocaine-exposed children right frontal EEG asymmetry (+) non-empatheric behavior (+) International Journal of Neuroscience Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (+) Infants Infants Infants Newborns Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional 10 Days=10 Visits frequency Day Daily Newborns Drug Exposed behavior task/test risk Stress Behaviors (-) Brazelton Neonatal Behavior (+) Weight Gain (+) Postnatal Complications (-)

Children receiving daily bedtime massages from their parents reported being less anxious, and their mood and peak air flow readings improved.

Cystic fibrosis symptoms (-) Journal of Pediatric Psychology disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Parents frequency Day=Daily (Parent Massage-Bedtime) daily bedtime massages Day Children Cystic Fibrosis emotion cardi/pulm Anxiety (-) Mood (-) Peak Air Flow (+)

Massage therapy improved range of motion, mood, and performance (including balance and posture) and decreased stress hormone (cortisol) after one month of twice weekly massage therapy.

university dance students ROM (+) relaxation Journal of Dance Medicine & Science balance (+) posture (+) stress hormone (-) Technique Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency 2x/wk=8 Visits Month Weekly Adults Dancers None emotion lab ortho Mood (+) Cortisol (-) Range of Motion (+) Performance (+)

Brief sessions of massage therapy and music therapy were noted to shift the EEG of depressed mothers from greater relative right frontal activation (a pattern associated with depression) to symmetry.

Right frontal EEG asymmetry (-) Adolescence EEG (relative right frontal activation=depression (-) relative right frontal activation (-) EEG symmetry (+) EEG depressed mothers (+) Emotion Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Music Therapy frequency Brief Sessions Adults Female Depression neurological EEG (+)

Brief sessions of massage therapy and music therapy were noted to shift the EEG of depressed mothers from greater relative right frontal activation (a pattern associated with depression) to symmetry.

Music effects on EEG (+) intrusive withdrawn depressive Psychiatry EEG (relative right frontal activation=depression (-) relative right frontal activation (-) EEG symmetry (+) EEG depressed mothers (+) Emotion Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Music Therapy frequency Brief Sessions Adults Female Depression neurological EEG (+)

Infants showed more eye contact when adults, who were smiling and cooing, also touched them as compared to infants who received smiling and cooing without touch.

Infant preference touch stimulation face-to-face interactions Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology touch Infants Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine positive results Smiling and Cooing while Touching Smiling and Cooing Infants Non-Specific behavior Eye Contact (+)

Depressed mothers increased their infant's positive affect and attentiveness by providing touch stimulation.

Depressed mothers' touching still-face interactions Child Development Emotion Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Touch Stimulation NonProfessional Infants Non-Specific Depression

Mothers with depressive symptoms who were more likely to touch their infants in a negative way were more likely to be classified as intrusive.

Touch by intrusive and withdrawn mothers depressive symptoms Early Development and Parenting Mothers Observed Behavior (Classification=Intrusive) Emotion Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Observation Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Adults Female Mothers Depression Depression behavior Parenting

Mothers with depressed symptoms were compared to mothers with non-depressed symptoms one day after delivery on how they touched their newborns following an initial feeding. Depressed mothers touched their newborns less frequently.

depressive symptoms newborns Early Development and Parenting depressed symptoms non-depressed symptoms post delivery touching behavior (+) Touch Frequency (Newborns) initial feeding Emotion Touch Research Institute abstract positive results Observation Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Adults Female Mothers Depression behavior Touch Frequency depressed mothers (-) Touch Frequency non-depressed mothers (+)

This study is assessing the effects of massage therapy on depressed pregnant women expecting to find decreased depression, stress hormones, and obstetric complications including lower prematurity rates.

Depressed pregnant women (-) Journal-? Year-? Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Adults Female Pregnant Depression Non-Specific emotion lab risk Depression (-) Stress Hormones (-) Obstetric Complications (-) Prematurity Rates (-)

Teenage mothers who received massage therapy versus those who received relaxation therapy were less depressed and less anxious both by their own report and based on behavior observations. In addition, their urinary cortisol levels were lower and their serotonin levels were higher, indicating they were less stressed and less depressed.

relaxation therapies adolescent mothers Adolescence compare massagexrelaxation Anxiety (Self Report & Behavior Observatios) (-) Depression (Self-Report & Behavior Observatios) (-) Teenage mothers stressed Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Other Adolescent Female Mothers Depression emotion lab Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Cortisol (Urinary) (-) Serotonin (+)

Children's affect and activity levels improved as did all measures of skin condition including less redness, lichenification, excoriation, and pruritis after massage therapy. Parents' anxiety levels also decreased.

Atopic Dermatitis (-) Redness (-) Lichenification (-) excoriation (-) pruritis (-) Parents' anxiety (-) Disease Dermatology Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Children Atopic Dermatitis Non-Specific emotion sensory behavior risk Affect (+) Parents Anxiety (-) Activity Levels (+) Skin Condition (-)

Following one month of parents massaging their children with diabetes, the children's glucose levels decreased to the normal range and their increased dietary compliance increased. Also the parents' and children's anxiety and depression levels decreased.

blood glucose Diabetes Spectrum Anxiety (Parents & Children) (-) Depression (Parents & Children) (-) blood glucose levels (-) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Parents frequency Month monthly Children Diabetes Mellitus emotion lab behavior Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Glucose (-) Dietary Compliance (+)

Infants with Down syndrome improved in muscle tone and in performance on motor tasks following massage therapy.

year-? motor function (+) Journal of Early Intervention Motor Tasks (Performance) (+) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Infants Down Syndrome Non-Specific task/test ortho Motor Tasks (+) Muscle Tone (+)

Research is reviewed on the critical nature of rubbing the rat pup and the preterm newborn for their growth and development.

Sensory deprivation stress supplemental stimulation rat pups preterm human neonate Child Development Review Growth & Development preterm newborn abstract Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine variables-? results-? Rubbing Other Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Rat Pup undefined

Elderly retired volunteers were assessed after giving infants massage for a month versus receiving massage for a month themselves. Results were: 1) they reported less anxiety and fewer depressive symptoms and an improved mood after giving infants massage; 2) their pulse decreased; 3) their cortisol levels decreased; and 4) they reported improved self esteem and a better lifestyle (e.g. fewer doctor visits and more social contacts) after the one month period. These effects were stronger for giving infants the massages than receiving massages themselves, suggesting that the massager can benefit from simply giving massages.

Elder retired volunteers Journal of Applied Gerontology compare Giving MassagexReceiving Massage doctor visits (-) social contacts (+) Self-Report Technique Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive resultsMassage Professional Volunteer Massage NonProfessional frequency Month Monthly Elderly Infants None emotion lab behavior psych/soc cardi/pulm Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Mood (+) Cortisol (-) Life Style (+) Self Esteem (+) Pulse (-)

Fathers gave their infants daily massages 15 minutes prior to bedtime for one month. The fathers in the massage group showed more optimal interaction behavior with their infants.

Father-infants interactions (+) Early Child Development and Care optimal Interaction Behavior (+) Technique compare Massage GroupxNon Massage Group Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Fathers frequency Month monthly Daily (Parent Massage-15 min prior Bedtime)=30 visits Infants behavior Infant Interaction (+)

Massage therapy (as compared to transcutaneous electrical stimulation) improved sleep patterns and decreased pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression and cortisol levels.

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology compare MassagexTranscutaneous Electrical Stimulation Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation Other Adults Non-Specific Fibromyalgia emotion sensory lab ADL Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Pain (-) Cortisol (-) Sleep Patterns (+) Fatigue (-)

Massage therapy (as compared to transcutaneous electrical stimulation) improved sleep patterns and decreased pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression and cortisol levels.

Movement Journal of Bodywork annd Movement Therapies compare MassagexTranscutaneous Electrical Stimulation Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation Other Adults Non-Specific Fibromyalgia emotion sensory lab ADL Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Pain (-) Cortisol (-) Sleep Patterns (+) Fatigue (-)

Fibromyalgia patients slept better (showed lower activity levels suggesting more deep sleep), and had lower substance P levels and less pain following a month of biweekly massages.

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology deep sleep biweekly Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency monthly Weekly Month=2x/wk=8 Visits Adults Fibromyalgiasensory lab ADL Pain (-) Substance P (-) Sleep (+) Nightime Activity Levels (-)

Increased weight gain and improved performance on the Brazelton Newborn Scale (motor and state scales) were experienced by the massaged newborns.

neneonates HIV positive mothers Journal of Pediatric Psychology Brazelton Newborn Scale (motor and state scales) (+) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Newborns HIV+ Mothers task/test risk Brazelton Neonatal Behavior (+) Weight Gain (+)

Natural killer cells, CD4 cells and CD4/CD8 ratio increased after one month of massage therapy.

HIV adolescents immune function International Journal of Neuroscience Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency Month Adolescent HIV+ lab Natural Killer Cells (+) CD4 (+) CD4/CD8 Ratio (+)

This study examined massage therapy effects on anxiety and depression levels and on immune function. The subjects received a 45-minute massage five times weekly for a 1-month period. The findings were that: 1) anxiety, stress and cortisol levels were significantly reduced; and 2) natural killer cells and natural killer cell activity increased, suggesting positive effects on the immune system.

immune system cytotoxic capacity International Journal of Neuroscience immune function Disease HIV Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency monthly Month=5x(45 min ses)/wk=20 Visits Unknown HIV+ emotion lab Anxiety (-) Stress (-) Cortisol (-) Natural Killer Cells (+) Natural Killer Cell Activity (+)

Hospital nursing and physician staff members were provided massage therapy, relaxation therapy and music therapy. These therapies significantly reduced anxiety, depression and fatigue as well as increased vigor.

Job stress Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine Hospital nursing physician staff Emotion Stress Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Relaxation Therapy Music Therapy Other Non-Specific Adults None emotion ADL Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Fatigue (-) Vigor (+)

Massage therapy decreased diastolic blood pressure, anxiety and cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

High blood pressure Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies stress hormone Cardiovascular Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Unknown Hypertension emotion lab risk Anxiety (-) Cortisol (-) Diastolic Blood Pressure (-)

Infants who received massage therapy versus those who were rocked experienced 1) greater daily weight gain; 2) more organized sleep/wake behaviors; 3) less fussiness; 4) improved sociability and soothability, 5) improved interaction behaviors; and 6) lower cortisol and norepinephrine and increased serotonin levels (suggesting less depression).

IInfant Behavior and Development compare MassagexRocking Organized Sleep/Wake Behaviors (+) Sociability (+) Interaction Behaviors (+) Depression (-) Infants Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Rocking Other Non-Specific Infants Depressed Mothers emotion lab behavior risk Cortisol (-) Serotonin (+) Norepinephrine (-) Sleep Wake Behaviors (+) Fussiness (-) Social Behavior (+) Soothability (+) Daily Weight Gain (+)

Infants of intrusive mothers with depresive symptoms showed more differential responding to the facial expressions than the infants of withdrawn mothers.

EEG Depression and Anxiety compare Differential Responding to Facial Expressions Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Observation Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Infants Intrusive Mothers Depresive Symptoms Withdrawn Mothers behavior Responding to Facial Expressions (+)

Early touch interventions and their effects on high-risk infants are reviewed.

premature infants Journal of Pediatrics Early touch interventions high-risk infants Review Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Touch Interventions Other Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity undefined

Massaged subjects showed 1) decreased frontal EEG alpha and beta waves and increased delta activity consistent with enhanced alertness; 2) math problems were completed in significantly less time with significantly fewer errors after the massage; and 3) anxiety, cortisol (stress hormone) and job stress levels were lower at the end of the 5 week period.

alertness (+) math computations (-) International Journal of Neuroscience Math Problems (Time to Completion & Error Rate) (-) stress hormone (-) 5 week Emotion Stress Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional 5 Weeks Week Monthly frequency Unknown None emotion sensory lab neurological task/test psych/soc Anxiety (-) Cortisol (-) Frontal EEG Alpha and Beta Waves & Delta Activity (-) Delta Activity (+) Math Problems (-) Job Stress Levels (-)

Positive effects of parents massaging their arthritic children included less pain (particularly at night) and less morning stiffness as assessed by the Parent, Child and Physician's Assessment as well as lower anxiety and cortisol levels.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis Journal of Pediatric Psychology arthritic children night pain (-) parents report Child and Physician's report Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Parents Children Non-Specific Rheumatoid Arthritis emotion sensory lab Anxiety (-) Pain (-) Morning Stiffness (-) Cortisol (-)

Massage therapy during labor decreased anxiety and pain. In addition, the massaged mothers had shorter labor, shorter hospital stay and less depressed mood.

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology Pregnancy Labor Pain (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Adults Female Mothers Pregnancy Non-Specific emotion sensory risk Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Pain (-) Length of Labor (-) Length of Hospitalization (-)

Massaging the lower limbs for a few minutes enhanced habituation (or simple learning) by infants.

Infant Behavior & Development lower limbs simple learning (+) Behavior Learning (+) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Brief Sessions Few Minutes frequency Infants None Task/test Habituation (+)

Preschoolers who received a 15-minute massage showed better performance on the block design and greater accuracy on the animal pegs subsets of the WPPSI.

Preschoolers' cognitive performance (+) Early Child Development & Care 15-minute massage WPPSI Behavior Learning (+) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency 15-Minutes Brief Sessions Children None task/test Block Design (+) Animal Pegs (+)

Twenty children with leukemia were provided with daily massages by their parents and were compared to a standard treatment control group. Following a month of massage therapy, depressed mood decreased in the children's parents, and the children's white blood cell and neutrophil counts increased.

immune changes Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapy compare MassagexNon Massage Twenty children daily massages parents depressed mood (-) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage NonProfessional Parents frequency Month Daily 30 Visits Children Adults Parents Leukemia emotion lab Depression (-) White Blood Cell Count (+) Neutrophil Count (+)

Massage therapy decreased the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms and increased serotonin levels.

Migraine headaches (-) International Journal of Neuroscience Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Unknown Migraine sensory lab ADL Headaches (-) Distress (-) Serotonin (+) Sleep Disturbances (-)

Massage therapy decreased anxiety and depressed mood, and improved self-esteem, body image and social functioning.

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies self-esteem (+) Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Adults Multiple Sclerosis emotion psych/soc Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Body Image (+) Self Esteem (+) Self Esteem (+)

Women who had extended and early contact with their newborns looked at, talked to, and touched their infants more, watched less television, and talked less on the telephone than mothers with minimal contact with their infants. These findings suggest that increased postpartum contact with infants leads not only to more interaction, but also to more touching as well as touching in more intimate places (face and head), thus highlighting the value of rooming-in arrangements for mothers and infants.

touching newborns rooming-in minimal contact Birth compare Extended/Early Infant ContactxMinimal Infant Contact Looking (+) Talking (+) Intimate Touch (face & head) (+) television (-) telephone (-) TV Viewing (-) Telephone Talking (-) Infants Infants Newborns Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Observation Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Adults Newborns Female Mothers None behavior Infant Interaction (+) Other Behaviors (-)

Alleviating Stress in Intensive-Care Neonates: Intensive care nursery environments and their effects as well as positive tactile stimulation effects are reviewed.

stress NICU neonates Journal of the American Osteopathic Association Intensive-Care Neonates Intensive care nursery Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract variables-? results-? Tactile Stimulation Other Newborns None undefined

Alleviating Stress in Newborns: Stressful effects of intensive care nursery environments are reviewed including the effects of high-intensity noise, bright lights, cold, invasive and painful procedures. Touch interventions were associated with 1) fewer startle responses, 2) decreased need for ventilation, and 3) fewer clenched fists. The stimulated infants averaged greater weight gain, were awake and active for a greater period of time and scored better on the Brazelton Scale.

stress intensive care unit Perinatology intensive care nursery high-intensity noise bright lights cold invasive painful awake (+) Infants Infants Newborns Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Touch Interventions Environmental Stressors Observation Other Newborns Non-Specific behavior tsk/test risk cardi/pulm Startle Responses (-) Clenched Fists (-) Alertness (+) Activity Levels (+) Brazelton Neonatal Behavior (+) Ventilation Needs (-) Weight Gain (+)

Infants showed fewer stress behaviors (e.g. grimacing and clenched fists) and lower cortisol levels (stress hormones) following massage with oil versus massage without oil.

Pre and Perinatal Psychology Journal compare Massage with OilxMassage without Oil Grimacing (-) Clenched fist (-) stress hormones (-) Technique Massage Oil Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Oil Massage Non-Oil Massage Professional Non-Specific Newborns None lab behavior Cortisol (-) Stress Behaviors (-)

Adults with Parkinson's Disease were assigned to receive massage therapy or progressive muscle relaxation twice a week for five weeks. The massaged group received higher physician scores on daily living activities and the participants rated themselves as improved in daily functioning, having more effective and less disturbed sleep.

Parkinson's disease Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies compare MassagexProgressive Muscle Relaxation twice a week five weeks Physician Scores (+) Self Rating (+) Daily Functioning (+) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Progressive Muscle Relaxation Other frequency Month=2x/Wk=5wks=10 Visits Week Weekly Parkinson ADL Daily Living Activities (+) Effective & Less Distrb Sleep (+)

Ten massage therapy sessions led to lower anxiety, anger, depression, pain and itching in adults with scars from burns.

psychological symptoms (-) Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation scars burns Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency Day Daily 10 Days=10 Visits Adults Burn emotion sensory Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Anger (-) Pain (-) Itching (-)

Ten massage therapy sessions led to lower anxiety, anger, depression, pain and itching in adults with scars from burns.

psychological symptoms (-) Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation scars burns Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency Day Daily 10 Days=10 Visits Adults Burn emotion sensory Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Anger (-) Pain (-) Itching (-)

Ten massage therapy sessions led to lower anxiety, anger, depression, pain and itching in adults with scars from burns.

Children distress (-) Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation scars burns Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency Day Daily 10 Days=10 Visits Children Burn emotion sensory Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Anger (-) Pain (-) Itching (-)

Massage therapy decreased the anxiety, depression and stress hormone levels (cortisol) of children who survived Hurricane Andrew. In addition, their drawings became less depressed.

postraumatic stress (-) Hurricane Andrew Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology stress hormone levels (-) drawings depressed (-) Emotion Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Postraumatic Stress Syndrome Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Children Post Traumatic Stress Disorder emotion lab Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Cortisol (-)

This study showed decreased anxiety and stress hormones (norepinephrine) during pregnancy and fewer obstetric and postnatal complications including lower prematurity rates following pregnancy massage.

Pregnant women Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology stress hormones (-) prematurity rates (-) Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-specific Adults Female Pregnant Pregnancy emotion lab risk Anxiety (-) Norepinephrine (-) Obstetric & Postnatal Comp (-)

Fetal activity during midgestation was studied in response to vibratory stimulation of the mother's abdomen (at the height of the fetal head), foot massage, hand massage, or control condition. The fetuses of mothers who received a 3-minute foot massage showed greater movement than the control fetuses.

Developmental Psychobiology compare Vibratory StimulationxFoot MassagexHand MassagexControl Condition Fetal activity (+) Midgestation Activity (+) fetuses 3-minute Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Vibratory Abdominal Stimulation Foot Massage Hand Massage Control Condition Professional frequency Brief Sessions Minute=3 Minutes Adults Fetus Female Pregnant Pregnancy behavior Fetal Activity (+)

Fetal activity during midgestation was studied in response to vibratory stimulation of the mother's abdomen (at the height of the fetal head), foot massage, hand massage, or control condition. The fetuses of mothers who received a 3-minute foot massage showed greater movement than the control fetuses.

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecolog compare Vibratory StimulationxFoot MassagexHand MassagexControl Condition Fetal activity (+) Midgestation Activity (+) fetuses 3-minute Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Vibratory Abdominal Stimulation Foot Massage Hand Massage Control Condition Professional frequency Brief Sessions Minute=3 Minutes Adults Fetus Female Pregnant Pregnancy Depression behavior Fetal Activity (+)

Fetal activity during midgestation was studied in response to vibratory stimulation of the mother's abdomen (at the height of the fetal head), foot massage, hand massage, or control condition. The fetuses of mothers who received a 3-minute foot massage showed greater movement than the control fetuses.

year-? nopub compare Vibratory StimulationxFoot MassagexHand MassagexControl Condition Fetal activity (+) Midgestation Activity (+) fetuses 3-minute Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Vibratory Abdominal Stimulation Foot Massage Hand Massage Control Condition Professional frequency Brief Sessions Minute=3 Minutes Adults Fetus Female Pregnant Pregnancy Anxiety behavior Fetal Activity (+)

Mood improved and anxiety, pain and water retention symptoms decreased after massage therapy.

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology Disease Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Adults Female Premenstrual Syndrome PMS emotion sensory Anxiety (-) Mood (-) Mood (-) Water Retention Symptoms (-)

Teachers touching children was rarely observed in infant, toddler and preschool nurseries. These data were then presented to the teachers along with examples of appropriate touch, and they were requested to provide more touching in the classroom. The amount of touching subsequently increased.

preschool nurseries Early Child Development and Care toddler preschool teachers appropriate touch touching (+) Amount of Touching (+) Teachers Touching Children (+) Behavior Touch Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Touching Instruction NonProfessional Other Non-Specific Adults Teachers None behavior Touch Frequency (+)

Preschoolers demonstrated less "task" related touch but more "communication" related touch in their classroom as compared to the infants and toddlers in their classrooms. Affectionate touch and aggressive touch was more prevalent among toddlers than other age children.

nursery school Early Child Development and Care compare Classroom Behavior PreschoolersxClassroom Behavior Infants Toddlers Preschoolers Communication Related Touch (+) classroom infants toddlers Behavior Touch Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Observation Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Children Infants None behavior Task Related Touch (-) Communication Touch (+) Affectionate Touch (+) Aggressive Touch (+)

Studies compared a high touch culture (France) and a low touch culture (U.S.) on preschool playgrounds and at McDonald's Restaurants in Paris and Miami. Data analyses suggest that preschool children in Paris are touched more by their mothers and touch each other more and are less aggressive toward their peers.

Preschoolers America France touched Early Child Development and Care High Touch CulturexLow Touch Culture Child to Child Aggressive Touch (+x-) preschool playgrounds McDonald's Restaurants Paris Miami preschool children Behavior Touch Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Observation Other Non-Specific Children None behavior Mothers Touching Child (+) Child to Child Touch (+) Aggressive Touch (-)

Preterm infants gained more weight following as few as 5 days of massage therapy.

weight (+) Journal of Pediatric Psychology Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency 5 Days=5 Visits Day Daily Preterm Neonate Prematurity Risk Weight Gain (+)

Routine heelstick procedures and tactile-kinesthetic massage were performed on stabilized preterm neonates to examine the differential effects on Transcutaneous Oxygen Tension (TcPO2). TcPO2 levels during the heelstick were significantly lower than during the massage stimulation. The findings indicate that social forms of touch such as massage do not appear to have a medically compromising effect on TcPO2.

Transcutaneous Oxygen Tension (+x-) Infant Behavior and Development MassagexHeelstick Procedures TcPO2 (+x-) tactile-kinesthetic massage stabilized preterm neonates social touch Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Heelstick Procedures Other Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity cardi/pulm Transcutaneous O2 Tension (-)

Preterm infants gained 47% more weight, became more socially responsive, and were discharged 6 days earlier at a hospital cost savings of $10,000 per infant (or 4.7 billion dollars if the 470,000 preemies born each year were massaged). The underlying biological mechanism for weight gain in the massaged preterm newborns may be an increase in vagal tone and, in turn, an increase in insulin (food absorption hormone).

Tactile/ kinesthetic stimulation Pediatrics Social Responsiveness hospital cost (-) preemies vagal tone (+) insulin (+) food absorption hormone (+) Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Preterm Neonate Non-Specific Prematurity behavior risk Social Behavior (+) Weight Gain (+) Discharge Date (-)

Although the underlying mechanism for this relationship between massage therapy and weight gain has not yet been established, possibilities that have been explored in studies with both humans and rats include (a) increased protein synthesis, (b) increased vagal activity that releases food-absorption hormones like insulin and enhances gastric motility and (c) decreased cortisol levels leading to increased oxytocin.

weight gain preterm infants Current Directions in Psychological Science Food Absorbption Hormones (+) Review Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Rubbing Other non-specific Preterm Neonate Rats Prematurity lab neurological gastro/intest Cortisol (-) Protein Synthesis (+) Insulin Levels (+) Oxytocin Levels (+) Vagal Activity (+)

Preterm infants who were massaged before sleep fell asleep more quickly and slept more soundly with better sleep patterns. They showed improved weight gain as compared to infants who were not massaged before sleep.

tactile/kinesthetic stimulation sleep/wake behavior Infant Behavior and Development compare MassagexNon Massage Sleep Patterns (+) massaged Sound Sleep (+) Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional non-specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity neurological risk ADL Sleep Depth (+) Weight Gain (+) Time to Fall Asleep (-)

Preterm Infants received tactile/kinesthetic stimulation over a 10-day period. The infants averaged 21% greater weight gain per day and spent more time awake and active during sleep/wake behavior observations.

growth replication Infant Behavior and Development tactile/kinesthetic stimulation Sleep/ Wake Behavior Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute abstract positive results Massage Professional Preterm Neonate frequency Prematurity behavior risk ADL Alertness (+) Activity Levels (+) Weight Gain (+) Sleep (-)

Preterm infants received three daily 15-minute massages for 10 days. The massage therapy infants gained significantly more weight per day than did the control infants. For the massage therapy group, the pattern of greater caloric intake and more days in Intermediate care before the study period along with more obstetric complications differentiated the high from the low weight gainers, suggesting that the infants who had experienced more complications before the study benefited more from the massage therapy.

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics compare MassagexNon Massage weight (+) control infants high weight gainers low weight gainers Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency 3x/day=15 min/Session=10 Day Daily Preterm Neonate Prematurity lab risk Caloric Intake (+) Weight Gain (+) Days In Intermediate Care (+) Obstetric Complications (+)

Preterm infants received three daily 15-minute massages for 10 days. The massage therapy infants gained significantly more weight per day than did the control infants. For the massage therapy group, the pattern of greater caloric intake and more days in Intermediate care before the study period along with more obstetric complications differentiated the high from the low weight gainers, suggesting that the infants who had experienced more complications before the study benefited more from the massage therapy.

-Seminars in Neonatology compare MassagexNon Massage weight (+) control infants high weight gainers low weight gainers Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency 3x/day=15 min/Session=10 Day Daily Preterm Neonate Prematurity lab risk Caloric Intake (+) Weight Gain (+) Days In Intermediate Care (+) Obstetric Complications (+)

Preterm infants who received massage therapy as newborns showed greater weight gain and more optimal cognitive and motor development eight months later.

growth and development preterm newborns Cognitive and Motor Development (+) Pediatric Nursing Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity psych/soc risk Cognitive Development (+) Motor Development (+) Weight Gain (+)

In a review of preterm infant massage studies, massage therapy was found to facilitate weight gain only when the intervention was started when the preterm infant weighed between 1100 and 1300 g.

Letter-to-the-Editor Evidence-Based Medicine Pediatrics Weight Gain (Timing Between 1100 &1300 g.) (+) Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity risk Weight Gain

In a review of preterm infant massage studies, massage therapy was found to facilitate weight gain only when the intervention was started when the preterm infant weighed between 1100 and 1300 g.

Current Directions in Psychological Science Weight Gain (Timing Between 1100 &1300 g.) (+) Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity risk Weight Gain

Following five 30-minute massages these children/ adolescents had better sleep patterns, lower depression and anxiety and lower stress hormone levels (cortisol and norepinephrine).

child and adolescent psychiatric patients Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry five 30-minute massages Emotion Psychiatric Patients Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional frequency Day=5=30 minute=5 Sessions Day Daily Children Adolescent Psychiatric Diagnosis emotion lab ADL Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Cortisol (-) Norepinephrine (-) Sleep Patterns (+)

Maternally deprived rat pups showed increased growth hormone following simulated rubbing.

tactile stimulation kinesthetic stimulation vestibular stimulation neuroendocrine ODC activity Life Science simulated rubbing Miscellaneous Rat Pups Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Rubbing Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Rat Pup Maternally Deprived lab Growth Hormone (+)

Massage Therapy for Infants and Children: The effects of massage therapy on infants and children with various medical conditions are reviewed. The conditions range from infants who are premature, cocaine-exposed, HIV-exposed and infants of depressed mothers. The childhood conditions include asthma, burns, cancer, dermatitis, diabetes, eating disorders (bulimia), juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychiatric disorders.

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics infants of depressed mothers asthma burns cancer dermatitis diabetes eating disorders (bulimia) juvenile rheumatoid arthritis posttraumatic stress disorder psychiatric disorders Review Massage Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract variables-? results-? Massage Professional non-specific Infants Children preterm Preterm Neonate Prematurity Drug Exposed HIV+ undefined

Massage Therapy Effects on Infants and Children: Infant and child massage therapy studies ranging across several conditions are reviewed along with recommendations to pediatricians and parents.

Contemporary Pediatrics Massage Therapy Effects massage therapy studies Review Massage Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract variables-? results-? Massage Professional Non-Specific Children Infants None Massage Professional Non-Specific Children Infants None

Massage Therapy Effects: Infant, child and adult massage therapy studies ranging across many conditions including attention disorders, depression, addictions, pain syndrome, immune and autoimmune disorders are reviewed along with potential underlying mechanisms.

Massage therapy effects American Psychologist attention disorders addictions Immune Disorders Autoimmune Disorders pain syndrome underlying mechanisms Review Massage Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine variables-? results-? Massage Professional non-specific Adults Children Infants ADHD Depression Pain undefined

Massage Therapy: Research on massage therapy and its effects on various conditions including depression, anorexia nervosa, smoking, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, immune disorders, and diabetes.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine anorexia nervosa smoking migraine headaches immune disorders diabetes Review Review Paper Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine variables-? results-? Massage Professional non-specific Unknown Depression Anorexia Fibromyalgia undefined

Massage therapy reduced aversion to touch and decreased anxiety, depression and cortisol levels, in women who had been sexually or physically abused.

Sexual abuse Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies sexually or physically abused Emotion Sexual Abuse Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional non-specific Adults Female Sexual Physical Abuse emotion lab psych/soc Anxiety (-) Depression (-) Cortisol (-) Aversion to Touch (-)

Preschool children who received massage fell asleep sooner, and slept longer during nap time, had decreased activity levels and better behavior ratings.

Preschool Children Sleep and Wake Behavior Early Child Development and Care Sleep (Time to Sleep and Duration during nap time) Behavior Sleep Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Children None behavior ADL Activity Levels (-) Behavior Ratings (+) Sleep (+)

Infants who received massage therapy before bedtime by a parent experienced less difficulty falling asleep and better sleep patterns.

Sleep problems Early Child Development and Care bedtime Behavior Sleep Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Infants None ADL Falling Asleep (+) Sleep Patterns (+)

Cravings, anxious behaviors and the number of cigarettes smoked were reduced by self-massage (rubbing ear lobes or hands whenever subjects experienced a craving).

Preventive Medicine Number of Cigarettes Smoked craving Behavior Smoking Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Self Massage NonProfessional Hand Massage Rubbing Ear Lobes Non-Specific Adults Addictions behavior Cravings (-) Anxious Behaviors (-) Cigarettes Smoked (-)

Massage therapy improved functional abilities, range of motion and muscle strength in spinal cord injury patients.

Spinal cord patients International Journal of Neuroscience Disease Spinal Cord Injuries spinal cord injury patients Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Unknown Spinal Cord Injury ortho Functional Abilities (+) Range of Motion (+) Muscle Strength (+)

Preterm infants who received tactile stimulation showed greater weight gain. A potential underlying mechanism for the massage/weight gain relationship is an increase in vagal tone, which in turn increases food absorption.

Stimulation preterm infants Pediatrics in Review massage/Weight Gain Mechanism=+Vagal Tone=+Food Absorption Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity risk Weight Gain (+)

Preterm infants who received tactile stimulation showed greater weight gain. A potential underlying mechanism for the massage/weight gain relationship is an increase in vagal tone, which in turn increases food absorption.

Stimulation preterm infants Pediatrics in Review massage/Weight Gain Mechanism=+Vagal Tone=+Food Absorption Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity risk Weight Gain (+)

Preterm infants who received tactile stimulation showed greater weight gain. A potential underlying mechanism for the massage/weight gain relationship is an increase in vagal tone, which in turn increases food absorption.

Stimulation preterm infants Social Policy Report massage/Weight Gain Mechanism=+Vagal Tone=+Food Absorption Infants Infants Premature Preterm Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Massage Professional Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity Massage Professional Non-Specific Preterm Neonate Prematurity risk Weight Gain (+)

This paper reports on a visit to TRI while participating on a 3-day workshop. A brief overview of the history of TRI and an interview with Dr. Tiffany Field is included.

interview with Dr. Tiffany Field Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery history of TRI workshop Miscellaneous Interview Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract variables-? results-? Non-Massage unknown Interview None undefined

Infants of depressed mothers took longer to habituate their mothers' face/voice and afterwards displayed no visual preference for mother or stranger, compared to infants of non-depressed mothers who showed a novelty preference for stranger.

Infant Mental Health Journal (In Press) compare Infants Depressed MothersxInfants Non-Depressed Mothers HabituatIon (mothers' face/voice) Visual Preference (Mother/Stranger) novelty preference Infants Face Discrimination Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract results-? Observation Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Newborns Depressed Mothers behavior HabituatIon (-) Visual Preference (-)

Infants of depressed mothers exposed to rosemary or lavender oil showed a shift in EEG toward greater relative left frontal asymmetry. This shift is associated with an approaching pattern of behavior and response to positive stimuli.

lavendar rosemary nopub year-? left frontal asymmetry (+) Infants Odor Perception Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Aromatherapy Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Infants Depressed Mothers neurological EEG (+)

Infants of depressed mothers exposed to rosemary or lavender oil showed a shift in EEG toward greater relative left frontal asymmetry. This shift is associated with an approaching pattern of behavior and response to positive stimuli.

lavendar rosemary International Journal of Neuroscience left frontal asymmetry (+) Infants Odor Perception Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine abstract positive results Aromatherapy Other Non-Specific Non-Massage Infants Depressed Mothers neurological EEG (+)

In Reply.—Advocates of TT postulate that an HEF exists. Can such an entity be measured or perceived? Do any welldesigned studies show a beneficial effect against any health problem? Our article addressed all of these points. If TT practitioners could sense an HEF, they should be able to sense whether they are near an experimenter’s hand. None of the tested practitionersdemonstratedsuch ability.Noneobjected to the study’s design before they were tested. Proponents still offer no alternative testable hypothesis or protocol. Nor have any stepped forward to attempt to demonstrate the existence of an HEF, even though a million-dollar reward is available.1 Dolores Krieger, PhD, RN, the founder of TT, has statedrepeatedly that its practitioners senseanenergy field. In 1987, she wrote, “In Therapeutic Touch, assessment involves the use of the hands in a sensitive search of the healee’s energy field, for indications of energy imbalance. Actually, the received impression is really an extension of the sense of touch as we usually think of it.”2 We leave it to JAMA readers to decide for themselves whether it is possible to manipulate an “energy field” with their hands if they cannot tell where it is. MsCollins asserts that 21 practitionersweretoofewto yield valid results. However, our power analysis showed that this numberwasmorethan adequate to test our simple hypothesis. Therapeutic Touch proponents never have objectively demonstrated that they can detect an HEF. Unless they do, it is reasonable to assume that none exists. Dr Schmidt suggests that our test subjects might not have been sufficiently skilled. That would be impossible to determine because TT has no accepted standards of training or practice. We approached every practitioner we could identify in our (Colorado) community. Nearly all agreed to be tested, and none was reliably able to detect the location of Emily’s hand.3 We see no reason to believe that they were less competent than practitioners elsewhere. Dr. Palmer is correct that the probability of getting 8 ormore correct is slightly higher than the probability of getting exactly 8 correct. However, this point does not affect the interpretation of the test data. Her discussion of the “true probability of a successful prediction” being 0.67 is disposed of by our power analysis, which she does not contradict. Moreover, TT postulates that an HEF can be sensed and manipulated for therapeutic benefit. All of our subjects claimed to do this routinely. For this to be true, the detection rate would have to be 100%. Our study centered on the performance of 28 subjects, not 280 independent trials. Since a normal distribution was expected under the null hypothesis,webelieve the t-distribution was the appropriate analytic tool. Our final conclusion was not based solely on the hypothesis that practitioners would detect the experimenter’s “energy field.” It also took into account—based on our literature analysis—that TT has never been shown to “work well in properly designed trials.” All 15 original participants were invited to be retested. Seven said they were unable to attend on the specific day. Only 1 said she didn’t feel she could perform“oncamera.”Nocomplaintsweremadeaboutthe presence of TV cameras before or during testing. DrBlankarguesthatTTmighthavemeritbecauseit is physically harmless, might exert a useful placebo effect, and offers “the full and unhurried attention of a caregiver.” We believe it is inherently harmful to misrepresent placebos as effective treatment. Moreover, there are much better ways for nurses and clinicians to provide beneficial attention to patients. DrIreland expresses concern about discarding an intervention that many patients say works. Anecdotal evidence is not sufficient to determine whether something works. Our extensive literature search found no evidence that TT provides any health benefit. Therapeutic Touch proponents still have not stated any grounds on which their claims may be considered valid, nor have they presented any reasonable justification for TT’s continued professional use. Linda Rosa, BSN, RN Larry Sarner National Therapeutic Touch Study Group Loveland, Colo Stephen Barrett, MD Allentown, Pa

Therapeutic Touch Dolores Krieger HEF Human Energy Field energy imbalance power analysis detect an HEF placebo effect Anecdotal evidence Letter to the Editor Jama Medline PubMed NLM National Therapeutic Touch Study Group Loveland, Colo abstract positive results Therapeutic Touch Other Non-Specific unknown none undefined Human, Letter, Therapeutic, Therapeutic Touch, Touch

Touch (TT) is a widely used nursing practice rooted in mysticism but alleged to have a scientific basis. Practitioners of TT claim to treat many medical conditions by using their hands to manipulate a "human energy field" perceptible above the patient's skin. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether TT practitioners can actually perceive a "human energy field." DESIGN: Twenty-one practitioners with TT experience for from 1 to 27 years were tested under blinded conditions to determine whether they could correctly identify which of their hands was closest to the investigator's hand. Placement of the investigator's hand was determined by flipping a coin. Fourteen practitioners were tested 10 times each, and 7 practitioners were tested 20 times each. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Practitioners of TT were asked to state whether the investigator's unseen hand hovered above their right hand or their left hand. To show the validity of TT theory, the practitioners should have been able to locate the investigator's hand 100% of the time. A score of 50% would be expected through chance alone. RESULTS: Practitioners of TT identified the correct hand in only 123 (44%) of 280 trials, which is close to what would be expected for random chance. There was no significant correlation between the practitioner's score and length of experience (r=0.23). The statistical power of this experiment was sufficient to conclude that if TT practitioners could reliably detect a human energy field, the study would have demonstrated this. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-one experienced TT practitioners were unable to detect the investigator's "energy field." Their failure to substantiate TT's most fundamental claim is unrefuted evidence that the claims of TT are groundless and that further professional use is unjustified.

TT human energy field experienced practitioners TT blinded conditions hand. Placement flipping a coin multiple trials energy field detection outcome (-) Technique Therapeutic Touch Jama Medline PubMed NLM National Council Against Health Fraud Inc abstract negative results Therapeutic Touch Professional frequency Brief Sessions Children Female Occupation Unknown Investigator's Hand Recognition (-) Human Research Design Statistics Therapeutic Touch

Oil massage is a time-tested method of infant care practiced all over the world and is known to have beneficial effects. "Traditional systems of medicine in India advocate oil massage as an integral part of infant care," Dr. K. N. Agarwal writes in a recent issueof the Indian Journal of Medical Research. Agarwal and his team from the University College of Medical Sciences in Delhi studied the effectof oil massage on 125 healthy infants. The infants were approximately 6 weeks of age and were divided into five groups. Four groups received oil massage with herbal oil, sesame oil, mustard oil, and a mix of mineral oil with vitamin E, respectively. The fifth group served as "control group"and did not receive any massage. The mothers were taught to massage the legs, back, arms, chest, abdomen, face and head inthat order. Oil massage was advised for a total of 10 minutes daily and was continued for 4 weeks. On completion of the study, the researchers observed that weight, body length, head circumference, girth of arm and leg was increased in the four groups that received oil massage. The most significant increase was seen in the group that received massage with sesame oil. The length, arm and leg girth in this group were 1 centimeter (cm), 0.9 cm and 0.7 cm more than that of the control group, respectively. A significant increase in the blood flow through the femoral artery, the main artery supplying the leg, was also seen in this group. The investigators also observed that the infants slept better soon after the massage. The beneficial effects on growth and sleep are probably due to increased blood flow and increasein levels of growth promoting hormones like growth hormone and insulin, the authors explained. Vegetable oils such as sesame oil are best suited for massage as they have a beneficial effect on growth and blood flow, and are better absorbed as compared to mineral oil, Agarwal and colleagues concluded.

Infant Massage (Use of Oil) sleep (+) India Indian Journal of Medical Research Technique Infants Newborns Oil massage infant care Traditional Indian medicine healthy infants age=6 weeks five groups Four treatment groups one control group herbal oil sesame oil mustard oil mineral oil vitamin E mix sequential massage legs back arms chest abdomen face head 10 minutes daily 4 weeks most significant increase sesame oil group Bron: Reuters Health AMTA Foundation University College of Medical Sciences Delhi India abstract positive cardi/pulm measurments Blood Flow (+) Weight (+) Body Length (+) Head Circumference Girth of Arm and Leg (+) cardi/pulm measurments Blood Flow (+) Weight (+) Body Length (+) Head Circumference Girth of Arm and Leg (+) Age, Arteries, Article, Blood, Blood Circulation, Blood Flow, Blood-flow, Communities, Community, Control Group, Department, effect, effects, Female, Growth, Healthy, Hospital, Human, ii, Increase, Infant, Infant,Newborn, Infants, Length, Lubrication, Male, Massage, Measurement, Medical, Medical Sciences, Methods, Oil, Oils, Protein, Proteins, Science, Serum, Sleep, Use

Objective: To assess the effects of massage therapy alone, or massage therapy combined with either exercise training or stress management counseling, on immune function and quality of life in HIV-infected persons. Methods: 42 HIV-infected persons were randomized to 1 of 4 groups: a) once weekly massage therapy; b) once weekly massage therapy and twice weekly aerobic exercise training; c) once weekly massage therapy and once weekly stress management counseling; d) no therapy (control group). Massage therapy and exercise training sessions lasted 45 minutes; stress management counseling sessions were 1 hour in length. CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes (number and percent), and NK cells (number and percent) were measured by flow cytometry at the beginning and end of the 12 week study. Quality of life measures were assessed by survey at the beginning and end of the study. All prescribed medications were continued throughout the study. Results: Mean CD4+ count at study entry was 355 cellsmicroliter (range = 60-1042 cellsmicroliter). The mean entry CD4+ count of the 31 persons completing the study was 437 cellsmicroliter compared to 169 cellsmicroliter for the 11 persons not completing the study p is less than 0.005). The percentage of participants completing the study was the same across all groups. No significant differences were found among thegroups on any measure comparing pre-study and post-study values. Conclusions: Short-term massage therapy alone or combined with either exercise training or stress management counseling did not have any significant effect on immune function or quality of life measures. These alternative therapies, while not harmful, should not be used as substitutes for more conventional therapies for HIV-infected persons.

HIV massage Massage Lack of Effect on Immune Function quality of life Int Conf AIDS Jul 7-12 Disease exercise training stress management counseling HIV infected persons randomized groups control group CD4 CD8 lymphocytes number and percent -NK cells number and percentQuality of life measures Survey flow cytometry Quality of life survey prescribed medications Mean CD4+ count cellsmicroliter Short-term massage therapy AIDSLINE Medline PubMed NLM abstract negative Wayne State University Massage Professional Aerobic Exercise Stress Management Counseling Month=1x/Wk=12 wks (Massage (45min) Stress Manag frequency Monthly Adults Male lab psych/soc CD4 (=) CD8 (=) Lymphocytes (=) Natural Killer Cells (=) Quality of life measures (=) HIV+ AEGIS, Massage, CD4 Lymphocyte Count, HIV Infections, Exercise, Exercise Therapy, Life, Quality of Life, HIV Wasting Syndrome, HIV Seropositivity, Killer Cells, Natural, rehabilitation, ICA11

The biochemical and clinical response to massage in preterm infants was assessed. Eleven stable infants, of 29 weeks' median gestational age, median birth weight 980 g, and median postnatal age 20 days, were studied. Blood samples were obtained for the determination of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol 45 minutes before the start of massage and approximately one hour after completion of massage. Cortisol, but not catecholamine, concentrations decreased consistently after massage (median difference -35.8 nmol/l; 95% confidence interval - 0.5 to -94.0, Wilcoxon matched pairs). There was a slight decrease in skin temperature (median difference -0.36 degrees C, 95% confidence interval -0.09 to -0.65) but there was no change in oxygenation or oxygen requirement. This study has shown that it is possible to detect an objective hormonal change following a supposedly 'non-therapeutic' intervention in preterm infants. The development of such methods of assessment are likely to be of particular relevance in the extremely immature or ill neonate in whom behavioural evaluation cannot play more than a limited part.

plasma cortisol catecholamine preterm infants Archives of Disease in Childhood Infants Premature Preterm biochemical clinical response median gestational age median birth weight median postnatal age Blood samples catecholamine (0) Wilcoxon matched pairs oxygen requirement objective hormonal change non-therapeutic immature neonate ill neonate behavioural evaluation AMTA Foundation Royal Postgraduate Medical School abstract positive evaluation Massage Professional frequency Brief Sessions Preterm Neonate Prematurity lab Cortisol (-) Adrenaline (0)Skin Temperature (-) Noradrenaline (0) Oxygenation (0) Adrenaline, Age, Article, Biochemical, Birth, Birth Weight,Birth-weight, Blood, Catecholamines, Catecholamines/bl [Blood], Clinical, Concentration, Cortisol, Department, Evaluation, Gestational Age, Human, Hydrocortisone, Hydrocortisone/bl [Blood], Infant, Infant,Newborn, Infant,Premature/bl [Blood], Infants, Intervention, London, Male, Massage, Medical, Medicine, Methods, Noradrenaline, Oxygen, Oxygen/tu [Therapeutic Use], Plasma, Postnatal, Preterm infants, Quality of Life, Relevance, Skin, Skin Temperature, Temperature

HIV+ individuals may present with complaints of painful peripheral neuropathy whichmay not adequately respond to pharmacologic therapy. PROJECT: HIV+ individuals with painful peripheralneuropathy of the feet who had partial or no improvement in pain after pharmacologic therapy (i.e. narcoticanalgesics, tricyclic antidepressants and/or serotonin reuptake inhibitors) were referred to occupationaltherapy (OT) for pain management and treatment from 09/11/95 to 10/24/96. OT treatment consisted of 8sessions of massage therapy and instruction on a self performed home massage program. No changes inmedications were made during the duration of the project. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) was used tomeasure quality and intensity of pain (scale: 1-10 points) prior to initiating OT massage therapy and after 8treatment sessions. RESULTS:Seven HIV+ individuals (4 males; 3 females) with an age range of 28 to 49years (mean 39.1) received 8 OT massage therapy treatments over an average of 58 days (range 25 to 126days). Five patients reported improvement with a mean decrease in pain of 3.2 (range: 1 to 7). The meanCD4 count in the responder group was 183 (range 17-336). One female reported no response to therapy(CD4 = 114) and one male reported worsening pain (CD4 = 247). Both non-responders were diabetic. Noneof the responders had diabetes. LESSONS LEARNED: OT massage therapy decreased the intensity ofpainful peripheral neuropathy of the feet in 5 of 5 non-diabetic, HIV+ individuals who had previously had littleor no response to pharmacologic therapy. Two diabetic HIV+ individuals did not report improvement. OTmassage therapy may be beneficial in the treatment of painful peripheral neuropathy in some HIV+ individuals.

painful Peripheral Neuropathy HIV Int Conf AIDS Disease HIV+ pharmacologic therapy narcoticanalgesics tricyclic antidepressants serotonin reuptake inhibitors occupational therapy OT pain management Brief Pain Inventory BPI OT massage therapy responder group diabetic diabetes AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract positive New York Hospital Massage Professional Ocupational Therapist Self Massage frequency Monthly month Adults HIV+ Peripheral Neuropathy lab Psych/Soc CD4 Brief Pain Inventory (-) Adult, Age, Analgesics, Diabetes, Diabetic Neuropathies/th [Therapy], Female, HIV Infections/co [Complications], HIV Infections/th [Therapy], Home, Hospital, Human, Male, Management, Massage, Massage Therapy, Medical, MEDLINE, Middle Age, Neuropathy, New York, Occupational Therapy, Pain, pain management, Patient, Patients, Peripheral, Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/et [Etiology], Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/th [Therapy], Point, Program, Quality, Range, Serotonin, Therapies, Therapy, Treatment, Treatment Outcome, Tricyclic antidepressants

In this paper the author reviews six years of running an on-going baby massage group in a health clinic and makes observations, based on experience, on the importance of offering these classes in health centres where they are accessible to all parents with young babies. As baby massage classes are becoming increasingly popular, private individuals are offering classes and, in some cases, there is doubt as to the qualifications of the instructors, their understanding, and their ability to give sufficient support to young mothers at a vulnerable stage in their lives. The quality of training given by the International Association of Infant Massage Instructors based in the USA is appraised and some thoughts are given as to the way ahead in making more baby massage classes available to all parents within the Primary Preventive Health setting.

Infant Massage (Review of Program) Teaching baby massage new parents Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery Infants Baby Massage baby massage group International Association of Infant Massage Instructors Primary Preventive Health AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract variables-? results-? Camden and Islington Community Health Services NHS Trust Barnsbury Family Health Clinic Non-Specific Mothers Teaching Massage Teaching Massage Observation Adult, Article, Association, Communities, Community, Experience, Families, Family, Family Health, Female, Health, Holistic Nursing/mt [Methods], Human, Infant, infant massage, Infant,Newborn, London, Male, Massage, Massage/mt [Methods], Mothers, Neonatal Nursing/mt [Methods], Parenting, Parents, patient education, Primary, Quality, Review, Running, Support, Teaching, Training, Young

OBJECTIVE: To review available evidence about the effectiveness of alternative therapies for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE and 13 additional US and international data bases were searched in 1996-1997 for papers that described use of alternative medicine in the treatment of pregnancy and pregnancy complications, specifically those addressing nausea, vomiting, and hyperemesis. Bibliographies of retrieved papers were reviewed to identify additional sources. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: All relevant English language clinical research papers were reviewed. Randomized clinical trials addressing specifically the use of nonpharmaceutical and nondietary interventions were chosen for detailed review. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Ten randomized trials studying the effects of acupressure, ginger, and pyridoxine on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy were reviewed. Evidence of beneficial effects was found for these three interventions, although the data on acupressure are equivocal. Insufficient evidence was found for the benefits of hypnosis. Other interventions have not been studied. CONCLUSION: There is a dearth of research to support or to refute the efficacy of a number of common remedies for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. The best-studied alternative remedy is acupressure, which may afford relief to many women; ginger and vitamin B6 also may be beneficial.

Pregnancy Nausea Alternative therapies nausea vomiting Obstetrics & Gynecology Review international data bases hyperemesis Randomized clinical trials nonpharmaceutical nondietary acupressure ginger pyridoxine vitamin B6 randomized trials abstract negative AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Non-Specific Massage Acupressure Professional Ginger Vitamin B6 Hypnosis Adults Female Pregnancy undefined Acupressure, Alternative Medicine, Alternative Medicine/mt [Methods], Alternative Therapies, Clinical, clinical research, Clinical Trial, Clinical Trials, Complementary, Complication, Complications, Data, Data Base, Department, effect, effectiveness, effects, Efficacy, Female, Gynecology, Health, Healthstar, Human, Hypnosis, Intervention, Language, Medicine, MEDLINE, Methods, Nausea, Nausea and Vomiting, Nausea/th [Therapy], New York, Obstetrics, Physician, Physicians, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Pyridoxine/tu [Therapeutic Use], Randomized trial, Remedies, Research, Review, Support, Support,U.S.Gov't,P.H.S., Therapies, Therapy, Treatment, Trial, Trials, Use, Vomiting, Vomiting/th [Therapy], Women, Women's Health, Zingiberales/tu [Therapeutic Use]

The idea of deep reflex muscular massage rests on the existence of a strong relationship between structural and functional changes in the skeletal muscles and visceral condition. The massage can be used for management of acute states in combination with herbs, food additives, reduced drug dosages, exercises, thermotherapy.

Orthopedic Deep Reflex Muscular Massage Voprosy Kurortologii, FizioterapiiI Lechebnoi Technique Clinical Orthopedic foreign Russian skeletal muscles visceral condition acute states herbs food additives reduced drug dosages exercises thermotherapy AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract variables-? results-? Massage Deep Tissue Professional Non-Specific Unknown undefined Acute, Article, Combination, Drug Dosages, English Abstract, Exercise, Exercises, Food, Healthstar, Herbs, Human, Management, Massage, Massage/mt [Methods], muscle, Muscle,Skeletal/ph [Physiology], Muscles, Muscular, New Method, Reflex, Reflexes, Reflexotherapy/mt [Methods], Rest, Skeletal, Skeletal-muscle

Compared to conventional treatment, the proposed method of deep reflex muscular massage for treatment of ulcer patients with associated diseases in combination with exercises for muscle strain, produce stronger positive changes in adaptive-compensatory systems. This may result in prolongation of the remission and in a decreased number of recurrences of ulcer and associated gastrointestinal diseases.

Orthopedic Deep Reflex Muscular Massage reflex muscle massage regulatory processes peptic ulcer patients Voprosy Kurortologii, Fizioterapii I Lechebnoi Fizicheskoi Kultury Technique Clinical Orthopedic foreign Russian exercises adaptive-compensatory systems AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract variables-? results-? Massage Deep Tissue Professional Exercise Non-Specific Unknown Ulcer Gastrointestinal Diseases undefined Adaptation,Physiological, Agent, Anti-Ulcer Agents/tu [Therapeutic Use], Article, Chronic Disease, Combination, Combined Modality Therapy, Comparative Study, Conventional treatment, Disease, effect, Electrocardiography/sn [Statistics & Numerical Data], Exercise, Exercise Therapy, Exercises, Gastrointestinal Diseases/pp [Physiopathology], Gastrointestinal Diseases/rh [Rehabilitation], Human, Massage, Massage/mt [Methods], muscle, Muscular, Patient, Patients, Peptic Ulcer, Peptic Ulcer/pp [Physiopathology], Peptic Ulcer/rh [Rehabilitation], Recurrence, Reflex, Reflexes, System, Treatment, Ulcer

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture and acupressure have previously been reported to possess antiemetic effect. We wanted to investigate the "true" and placebo effect of acupressure in prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty women undergoing outpatient minor gynaecological surgery were entered into a double-blind and randomised study. One group received acupressure with bilateral stimulation of P6 (A), a second group received bilateral placebo stimulation (P) and a third group received no acupressure wrist band and served as a reference group (R). PONV was evaluated as number of patients with complete response (no PONV), nausea only or vomiting. In addition, the need for rescue antiemetic medication and nausea after 24 h was registered. RESULTS: Complete response was obtained in 11, 11 and 9 patients in groups, A, P and R, respectively. Nine, 7 and 6 patients had nausea before discharge home, and 1, 1 and 8 patients were nauseated (8 vs 1 patient: P < 0.05) 24 h after operation in A, P and R groups, respectively. When compared to placebo acupressure (2 patients vomited and 5 needed rescue), significantly (P < 0.05) fewer needed rescue antiemetic medication after acupressure at P6 (no vomiting or rescue medication). When compared to the observation group (5 vomited and 4 needed rescue antiemetics), significantly fewer vomited after acupressure (P < 0.05) CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing brief gynaecological surgery, placebo effect of acupressure decreased nausea after 24 h but vomiting and need of rescue antiemetics was reduced only by acupressure with the correct P6 point stimulation.

Acupressure P6 Nausea Vomiting outpatient gynaecological surgery Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Technique foreign Swedish Acupressure Acupuncture antiemetic effect true effect placebo effect postoperative nausea postoperative vomiting PONV minor gynaecological surgery double-blind randomised bilateral stimulation P6 bilateral placebo stimulation no acupressure wrist band reference group rescue antiemetic medication abstract positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM University Hospital in Linkoping, Sweden Massage Acupressure Professional non-specific Adults Female Nausea/Vomiting Gynaecological Diseases behavior Postoperative Nausea (-) Postoperative Vomiting (-) Antiemetic Medication (-) Acupressure, Acupuncture, Adolescence, Adult, Ambulatory Surgical Procedures, Antiemetics, Article, Care, Clinical, Clinical Trial, Controlled trial, Department, Double-blind, Double-Blind Method, effect, Female, Gynecologic Surgical Procedures, Home, Hospital, Human, Inpatient, Intensive Care, Methods, Middle Age, Nausea, Nausea and Vomiting, Need, Patient, Patients, placebo, Placebo Effect, Point, Postoperative, Postoperative nausea, Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting, Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting/dt [Drug Therapy], Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting/th [Therapy], Prevention, Randomized controlled trial, Stimulation, Surgery, Sweden, Trial, Vomiting, Women, Wrist

We studied the effect of P6 acupressure on 46 women undergoing laparotomy for major gynaecological surgery who received patient-controlled analgesia. Half the patients received acupressure at the P6 site, the remainder received acupressure at a "sham" site. There was a reduction in the requests for anti-emetic therapy in the group receiving P6 acupressure but there was no difference in the incidence of nausea and vomiting. There was no difference in total morphine consumption between the two groups.

Post Surgical Massage (Gynaecological) P6 acupressure nausea vomiting gynaecological surgery Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Disease Post Surgical women patient-controlled analgesia sham" site morphine consumption AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract positive Department of Anaesthesia, Northampton General Hospital, England Massage Acupressure Professional Non-Specific Adults Female Nausea/Vomiting Endometriosis Laparotomy lab behavior Morphine Consumption (0) Antiemetic Medication (-) Postoperative Nausea (0) Postoperative Vomiting (0) Acupressure, Acupuncture Points, Acupuncture Therapy, Adolescence, Adult, Aged, Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Analgesia,Patient-Controlled, Department, effect, effects, England, Female, Genitalia,Female/su [Surgery], Healthstar, Hospital, Human, Incidence, Laparotomy, Laparotomy/ae [Adverse Effects], Middle Age, Morphine, Morphine/ad [Administration & Dosage], Nausea, Nausea and Vomiting, Nausea/pc [Prevention & Control], P6 acupressure, Patient, Patients, Postoperative Complications/pc [Prevention & Control], Pressure, Prochlorperazine/ad [Administration & Dosage], Prochlorperazine/tu [Therapeutic Use], Surgery, Therapies, Therapy, Vomiting, Vomiting/pc [Prevention & Control], Women, Wrist

OBJECTIVE: To provide a randomized placebo-controlled trial to determine the efficacy of an auricular acupressure device. DESIGN: Subjects were randomly assigned to either treatment or placebo. The treatment group received the acupressure device and were instructed to use the device in their dominant ear. The placebo group received an acupressure device for their wrist. Participants were followed for 12 weeks. SETTING: Outpatient core of the New York Obesity Research Center. SUBJECTS: 96 obese adult volunteers, 80 females and 16 males, between 19 and 70 years of age. MEASUREMENTS: Weight, body fat, and blood pressure measured every two weeks. RESULTS: All subjects combined lost, on average, 0.96 kg. There was no significant difference between the two groups on weight loss (mean wt loss = 1.28 [s.d. = 2.74] kg for treatment and 0.63 [s.d. = 3.26] kg for placebo) regardless of whether all subjects were examined or only the most compliant subjects were examined. Similarly, there were no significant differences between the two groups regarding fat loss or blood pressure reduction. CONCLUSION: The acupressure device appears to be a safe device (did not cause any harmful side effects). However, it did not promote significantly greater weight or fat loss, or declines in blood pressure than placebo.

Weight Loss auricular Acupressure Device randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders Behavior Weight Loss dominant ear wrist placebo group wrist acupressure device Outpatient fat loss AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract negative Nullreject Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York Self Massage Acupressure Device Auricular frequency Adults Obese both Volunteers lab Weight (0) Body Fat (0) Blood Pressure (0) Acupressure, Acupressure/ae [Adverse Effects], Acupressure/is [Instrumentation], Adipose Tissue/ph [Physiology], Adult, Age, Aged, Article, Blood, Blood Pressure, Blood Pressure/ph [Physiology], Blood-pressure, Body Mass Index, Clinical, Clinical Trial, Controlled trial, Device, Ear, Ear,External, effect, effects, Efficacy, Female, Hospital, Human, Male, Measurement, Middle Age, New York, Obesity, Obesity/pp [Physiopathology], Obesity/th [Therapy], Physician, Physicians, placebo, Placebo-controlled trial, Pressure, Randomized controlled trial, Research, Support,Non-U.S.Gov't, Support,U.S.Gov't,P.H.S., Treatment, Trial, Use, Weight Loss, Weight Loss/ph [Physiology], Wrist

OBJECTIVE: To identify the nature and prevalence of alternative therapies used by children with asthma attending a children's hospital. METHODOLOGY: Subjects consisted of a consecutive series of 51 children with asthma aged 1-6 years who were attending the Women's and Children's Hospital, South Australia. Parents of the children completed a questionnaire describing the use of alternative therapies by the children. RESULTS: Approximately 55% of children used alternative therapies for asthma management. Therapies used most commonly were massage, relaxation exercises, diet therapy and vitamins. There was no significant difference in the age, asthma severity, length of time since diagnosis or presence of another illness amongst children who did or did not use alternative therapies. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of children with asthma who attend paediatric clinics use alternative therapies. Paediatricians should be aware of this and be prepared to discuss alternative therapies with parents. This may facilitate more open doctor-patient relationships and better management of children's asthma.

Asthma Children alternative therapies Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health Disease asthma management massage relaxation exercises diet therapy vitamins age asthma severity diagnosis paediatric clinics Paediatricians doctor-patient relationships children's asthma AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract variables-? results-? Faculty of Medicine, University of Adelaide, South Australia Questionnaire Non-Specific Children Asthma undefined Age, Aged, Alternative Medicine/ut [Utilization], Alternative Therapies, Article, Asthma, Asthma/th [Therapy], Australia, Child, Child,Preschool, Children, Diagnosis, Diet, Diet Therapy/ut [Utilization], Exercise, Exercises, Female, Healthstar, Hospital, Human, Infant, Male, Management, Massage, Medicine, Mental Healing, Naturopathy/ut [Utilization], Parents, Physical Therapy/ut [Utilization], Presence, prevalence, Questionnaire, relaxation, South Australia, Therapies, Therapy, Use, Women

In the last decade, the growing interest and use of alternative healing methods among practitioners and patients has been documented in many empirical studies. The present inquiry of n = 140 undergraduate medical students at the University of Dusseldorf reveals a continually increasing knowledge of methods, self-experience as patients or lay persons, and an interest in learning one or more techniques. The highest interest in acquiring a working knowledge of a method is for acupuncture (55.7%), homoeopathy (42.1%), autogenous training (24.9%), and reflex-zonetherapies (11.4%). On a five-point-rating scale (3 = no effect) for estimated effectiveness, acupuncture, music therapy, autogenous training, massage, chiropractics (each 1.7) and homoeopathy (1.9) ranked high, whereas esoteric methods like laying-on-of-hands (3.3), hypnosis (2.5) and ozone and oxygen therapies (2.9) were low. The average score of 2.1 for all alternative methods indicates that they are generally considered more effective than not. A shift from a bio-medical "paradigm" towards psychosomatic and biopsychosocial thinking can be hypothesized, since (body-) psychotherapies (2.0) and body therapies (1.7) are rated highly effective.

Medical students Alternative Medicine survey Gesundheitswesen Miscellaneous Alternative Complementary Medicine Thpy foreign German alternative healing methods empirical studies undergraduate medical students acupuncture homoeopathy autogenous training reflex-zonetherapies music therapy massage chiropractics laying-on-of-hands hypnosis ozone therapies oxygen therapies bio-medical paradigm psychosomatic biopsychosocial body psychotherapies body therapies AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract variables-? results-? Institut fur Medizinische Psychologie, Universitat Dusseldorf Questionnaire Non-Specific Adults undefined Acupuncture, Adult, Alternative Medicine, Alternative Medicine/ed [Education], Article, Attitude of Health Personnel, Chiropractic, Curriculum, Education,Medical, effect, effectiveness, effects, English Abstract, Female, German, Germany, Healing, Healthstar, Homoeopathy, Human, Hypnosis, Knowledge, Knowledge,Attitudes,Practice, Learning, Male, Massage, Medical, Medical Students, Methods, Music, Music Therapy, Oxygen, Patient, Patients, Practitioner, Practitioners, Psychotherapy, Score, Students, Students,Medical/px [Psychology], Therapies, Therapy, Thinking, Training, Use, Working

Nursing research suggests that pain in critically ill patients is inadequately controlled and has deleterious effects. The critical care nurse must depend on the patient's perception of pain and its expression in physiological and behavioural responses. Ventilatory support, fluctuating levels of consciousness, hemodynamic instability and severity of illness are often barriers to the expression and interpretation of pain. This article includes a review of the nursing literature pertaining to pain management in the critically ill patient. Existing practices are examined and alternative approaches explored. Therapeutic touch (TT), one innovative approach, is proposed as an adjunct to pharmacological intervention TT is a non-invasive, holistic practice that promotes comfort, relaxation, stress reduction and heating. Clinical studies suggest that TT prolongs the interval between analgesies. The authors highlight the 10-year clinical experience of a critical care nurse practising TT in a 30-bed critical care and trauma centre.

pain management critical care CACCN Review Therapeutic Touch Nursing research pain critical care nurse pain perception consciousness hemodynamic instability illness severity pain assessment nursing literature pain management critically ill pharmacological intervention non-invasive holistic comfort relaxation stress reduction heating Clinical studies analgesies trauma centre AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract variables-? results-? Critical Care Trauma Centre London Health Sciences Centre Ontario Non-Specific Critically Ill undefined Article, Care, Clinical, Comfort, Consciousness, Critical Care, Critical Care/mt [Methods], Critically Ill Patients, effect, effects, Experience, Expression, Health, Hemodynamic, Holistic Nursing/mt [Methods], Human, Illness, Intervention, Literature, London, Management, Nursing, Nursing Research, Ontario, Pain, pain management, Pain/nu [Nursing], Patient, Patients, Perception, Practice, relaxation, Research, Responses, Review, Science, stress, Stress reduction, Support, Therapeutic, Therapeutic Touch, Therapeutic Touch/mt [Methods], Therapeutic Touch/nu [Nursing], Touch, Trauma

The advantages of the method of endonasal vibromassage with air pressure oscillations (at 10-12 Hz and 24-30 mm Hg) are: lack of injuries, lack of pain, and simultaneous effect on all nasal and nasopharyngeal structures. The application of endonasal vibropneumomassage in patients with vasomotor rhinitis proved effective in the case of the nervous form of the disease lasting for no longer than a year.

Intranasal Vibromassage Technique Massage foreign Russian endonasal air pressure oscillations injuries pain nasal nasopharyngeal endonasal vibropneumomassage vasomotor rhinitis nervous abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Air Pressure Other Non-Specific Unknown Rhinitis Non-Massage undefined Air, Article, Comparative Study, Disease, effect, effects, English Abstract, Healthstar, Human, In-patient, Injuries, Injury, Massage, Methods, Nose, Pain, Patient, Patients, Pressure, Rhinitis,Vasomotor/th [Therapy], Time Factors, vibration, Vibromassage

Besides the scientific-rational medicine alternative medicine keeps spreading in our days. The authors give a review of the possibilities of the alternative therapy of locomotor diseases. Patients suffering from locomotor diseases ask increasingly often for these therapeutical procedures. Literary review is given on acupuncture, manual therapy, homeopathy and certain physiotherapeutical techniques as well as on other less often applied alternative therapeutical procedures. It is stressed that alternative treatment may also involve potential danger. It is stated finally that as shown by the review of the literature well controllable clinical examinations required indispensably for the estimation of the efficacy of a therapeutical procedure are only in limited number at disposal.

Rheumatic diseases Orvosi Hetilap Review Rheumatology foreign hungarian locomotor diseases scientific-rational medicine alternative medicine alternative therapy alternative therapeutical procedures alternative treatment abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Orszagos Reumatologiai es Fizioterapias Intezet Budapes Acupuncture Manual Therapy Homeopathy Physiotherapeutical Non-Specific review unknown Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatic Diseases undefined Acupuncture, Acupuncture Therapy, Alternative Medicine, Alternative Therapies, Arthritis,Rheumatoid/th [Therapy], Clinical, Danger, Disease, Efficacy, English Abstract, Healthstar, Holistic Health, Homeopathy, Human, Hungary, Literature, Locomotor, Manual, manual therapy, Medicine, Patient, Patients, Physical Therapy, Review, Rheumatic, Rheumatic Diseases/th [Therapy], Scientific, Therapies, Therapy, Treatment

Sixty-nine patients with severe angina pectoris were treated with acupuncture, Shiatsu and lifestyle adjustments, and were followed for 2 years. Forty-nine patients were candidates for coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG), whereas bypass grafting was rejected in the remaining 20 patients. We compared our endpoint findings with those of a large prospective, randomized trial comparing CABG with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The incidence of death and myocardial infarction was 21% among the patients undergoing CABG, 15% among the patients undergoing PTCA and 7% among our patients. No significant difference was found concerning pain relief between the three groups. Invasive treatment was postponed in 61% of our patients due to clinical improvement, and the annual number of in-hospital days was reduced by 90%, bringing about an estimated economic saving of 12,000 US $ for each of our patients. Despite the fact that the men in the present study, had ! significantly less positive expectations towards the outcome of the treatment, when compared to the women, there was no significant difference concerning the effect. The study suggests that the combined treatment with acupuncture, Shiatsu and lifestyle adjustment may be highly cost effective for patients with advanced angina prectoris.

Cost-benefit Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research Cardiovascular severe angina pectoris oronary-artery bypass grafting CABG large prospective randomized trial percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty PTCA death myocardial infarction death myocardial infarction Invasive treatment economic saving men women combined treatment abstract positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Acupuncture Center, Klampenborg, Denmark Massage Shiatsu Professional Acupuncture Life Style Adjustment Adults Angina Pectoris sensory adl Pain (0) Hospitalization (-) Acupressure/ec [Economics], Acupuncture, Acupuncture/ec [Economics], Adjustment, Adult, Angina pectoris, Angina Pectoris/th [Therapy], Article, Bypass, Clinical, Coronary Artery Bypass, Cost, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Death, Denmark, effect, Female, Human, Incidence, Life Style, Lifestyle, Male, Men, Middle Age, Myocardial Infarction, Myocardialinfarction, Pain, Pain relief, Patient, Patients, Product, Randomized trial, shiatsu, Support,Non-U.S.Gov't, Treatment, Trial, Use, Women

More than hundred medical treatments for lymphedema have been described. This very high number shows the evidence of difficulties: lymphatics are very small vessels, under low pressure and velocity respondent to spontaneous quiet lymphatic contractions. The treatments can be listed in 3 groups: 1) physiotherapeutic methods, increasing lymphatic flow: cold, field stimulation, manual lymph drainage, intermittent compression, heat; 2) drugs: venous agents (flavone, benzo-pyrone), and intraarterial lymphocytes injection, promoting lymphatic flow or increasing normal proteolysis by macrophages in order to remove trapped proteins from interstitial fluid; 3) surgical procedures subdivided in 2 groups: excisional techniques and bridging drainage techniques; radical or partial excision removes involved subcutaneous tissue, recently by the way of liposuction; Efforts to drain lymphedema by subcutaneous implants, pedical flaps, myocutaneous flaps, omental transposition and intestinal flaps are historical. Microsurgical lymphatic anastomosis to vein (nodo-venous then lymphovenous), and to lymphatic themselves are now performed: lymphatic collectors or venous autografts are interpositioned to by-pass lymphatic blockade with end-to end anastomosis. The free transplantation of a lymphatic flap with its own vascularisation from healthy inguinal nodes to axillary blockade is the last described procedure. Lymphatic anastomosis are not needed. Actually, physiotherapy is always first indicated. Benzo-pyrones are additive drugs. Excisional procedures concern monstruous lymphedema. Microsurgical bridging procedures can be attempted only for secondary lymphedemas. They could be of benefit if physiotherapy and elastic bandages, stockings or sleeves, could then be avoided. Studies assessing independently the efficiency of each procedure are needed.

Lymphedema Revue de MedecineInterne Review Lymphatic foreign French lymphatics small vessels lymphatic contractions lymphatic flow cold field stimulation intermittent compression heat venous agents flavone benzo-pyrone intraarterial lymphocytes injection lymphatic flow proteolysis macrophages trapped proteins interstitial fluid excisional bridging drainage radical excision partial excision subcutaneous implants pedical flaps myocutaneous flaps omental transposition intestinal flaps Microsurgical anastomosis vein nodo-venous lymphovenous lymphatic collectors venous autografts end-to end anastomosis transplantation lymphatic flap vascularisation inguinal nodes axillary blockade Benzo-pyrones monstruous lymphedema Microsurgical abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Angeiologie Laboratoire d'Explorations fonctionnelles CHRU Cote de Nacre Caen Manual Lymph Drainage Physiotherapeutic Methods Drugs Surgical Procedures Professional Lymphedema Non-Specific undefined Agent, Anastomosis,Surgical/mt [Methods], Article, Bandage, Bandages, Bypass, cold, Compression, Contractions, Drainage, English Abstract, Fluid, Healthy, heat, historical, Human, Lymph, Lymphatics, lymphedema, Lymphedema/rh [Rehabilitation], Lymphedema/su [Surgery], Lymphedema/th [Therapy], Lymphocytes, Manual, manual lymph drainage, Medical, MEDLINE, Methods, Normal, Physical Therapy, physiotherapy, Protein, Proteins, Review, Stimulation, Subcutaneous tissue, Tissue, Transplantation, Treatment, Venous, Vessels

1) Goals of the Research. We have treated 15 cases of night enuresis (4-13 year) 9 of which had already been treated with other therapies without success, in order to compare the two methods. 2) Methods employed. A) Acupuncture in 10 cases at the following loci, alternatively every other day, with an average number of treatments of 10 per patient: treatment a) C7-E36-RP6-VC3; treatment b) V23-V28-V32. B) Micromassage on the points "Nicturia" in the creases between the first and the second and the third phalanx of the 5th finger (P. Chang) in 5 cases; the first treatment at the presence of parents who have then repeated treatments at home every night for ten minutes, for an average of 20 days. 3) Results and summary. With acupuncture: 7:10 complete recovery, 2 partial recoveries, 1 negative result. With micromassage: 2:5, complete recovery, 1 partial recovery, 2 negative results. Both groups were followed-up up to 4 months after the last treatment. Acupuncture produces better results in percentage, however the second method is, for its simplicity, a valid alternative mostly in little children who reject acupuncture and it should be further investigated.

idiopathic nocturnal enuresis Acupuncture micromassage Minerva Medica Disease Enuresis foreign Italian night enuresis loci Nicturia phalanx P. Chang home abstract positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Massage Acupressure Professional Parents NonProfessional Acupuncture frequency Day Weekly Children adl Enuresis Bed-Wetting (-) Acupuncture, Adolescence, Article, Child, Child,Preschool, Children, English Abstract, Enuresis, Enuresis/th [Therapy], Finger, Goals, Healthstar, Home, Human, Massage/mt [Methods], Methods, Parents, Patient, Point, Presence, Recovery, Research, Success, Therapies, Therapy, Treatment

An introduction to the therapeutic applications, history, and theory of acupuncture and several related treatment modalities is presented. The practices of acupuncture, moxibustion, acupressure, and shiatsu are described. The underlying concept of treatment of imbalances of ch'i, or life energy, is presented along with the flow of ch'i in meridians (pathways), and the theories of yin and yang, Five Elements, and Eight Principle Patterns.

Acupuncture treatment modalities Theoretical Journal of Nurse-Midwifery Technique Acupuncture & Related Treatment therapeutic applications history theory energy imbalances ch'I chi life energy meridians pathways yin yang Five Elements Eight Principle Patterns abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM ale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT Acupuncture Non-Specific Unknown Massage Acupressure Massage Shiatsu Acupuncture Moxibustion undefined Acupressure, Acupuncture, Acupuncture Therapy/mt [Methods], Acupuncture/mt [Methods], Acupuncture/st [Standards], Acupuncture/td [Trends], Ch'i, Concept, Ct, Electroacupuncture/mt [Methods], Elements, Energy, Healthstar, History, Meridians, Moxibustion, Nursing, Pathways, Patterns, Practice, shiatsu, Theories, Theory, Therapeutic, Treatment, Yin-Yang

The application of acupuncture, moxibustion, acupressure, and shiatsu to antepartal and intrapartal care are discussed. Information on therapeutic interventions as described in textbooks is presented and compared with specific treatments evaluated in research studies. Specific clinical indications addressed include nausea during pregnancy, repositioning of the fetus in breech position, stimulation of contractions and true labor, and pain relief in labor. Qualifications for practitioners and recommendations for certified nurse-midwives caring for clients seeking referral for these services are discussed.

Acupuncture treatment modalities antepartal care intrapartal care Journal of Nurse-Midwifery Technique Acupuncture & Related Treatment nausea pregnancy fetal repositioning breech position contractions true labor pain relief practitioner qualifications certified nurse-midwives abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM ale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT Acupuncture Non-Specific Unknown Massage Acupressure Massage Shiatsu Acupuncture Moxibustion Pregnancy Labor Pain undefined Acupressure, Acupuncture, Acupuncture Therapy/mt [Methods], Acupuncture Therapy/st [Standards], Care, Caring, Clients, Clinical, Contractions, Ct, Female, Fetus, Healthstar, Human, ii, Indications, Information, Intervention, Labor, Labor/ph [Physiology], Moxibustion, Nausea, Nurse Midwives, Nursing, Pain, Pain relief, Practitioner, Practitioners, Pregnancy, Prenatal Care/mt [Methods], Research, shiatsu, Stimulation, Therapeutic, Treatment

Numerous studies have documented that health care consumers all over the world are spending money out of pocket for alternative therapies and that billions of dollars are spent in the United States alone. In this article, the use of complementary and alternative therapies by women health care consumers is discussed, particularly as this phenomenon relates to women's reproductive health in the United States. Women use conventional health care services more frequently than men; thus, it is not surprising that women account for approximately two thirds of health care appointments for complementary and alternative therapies. The traditional conceptual frameworks of herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, and acupressure are presented, and common clinical applications to women's reproductive care are discussed. PIP: Complementary and alternative therapies are gaining acceptance in the US and other countries, both among health providers and consumers. The potential for integration of complementary and alternative therapies into traditional patient care and contemporary models of science is a topic of increasing discussion. Women account for two-thirds of appointments with US practitioners of alternative medicine. Reproductive health problems, including menstruation disorders, infertility, menopause, and dysfunctions of pregnancy and delivery, offer opportunities for clinical applications of alternative approaches. Many midwives and nurses are interested in these approaches and have sought out special training. This article reviews three alternative approaches available in the US--herbal medicine, homeopathy, and acupuncture and acupressure--and discusses their potential applications to women's reproductive health care.

Reproductive Health Care Alternative Therapies Women's complementary alternative reproductive health care Journal of Nurse-Midwifery Review Reproductive Health Care health care consumers out of pocket money women's reproductive health United States conventional health care services health care appointments traditional conceptual frameworks clinical applications women's reproductive care PIP traditional patient care midwives nurses abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM ale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT Massage Acupressure Acupuncture Homeopathy Herbal Medicine Non-Specific unknown Pregnancy Premenstrual Syndrome Infertility Menopause PMS undefined Acupressure, Acupuncture, Alternative Medicine, Alternative Therapies, Article, Care, Clinical, Clinical-application, Complementary, Ct, Female, Health, Health Care, Health-care, Herbal medicine, Homeopathy, Human, Medicine, Medicine,Herbal, Men, Nursing, Pregnancy, Reproduction, Review, Therapies, Therapy, United States, United-states, Use, Women, Women's Health

An introduction to the therapeutic applications, history, and theory of acupuncture and acupressure is presented. The traditional concepts that underlie treatment of imbalances of ch'i, or vital energy, are presented, along with the theories of yin and yang, meridians, vital substances, pathogenic factors, five phases, and the eight principle patterns. Contemporary Western research findings on the biochemical mediaries and effects of acupuncture are reviewed. Clinical applications to women's reproductive care that are presented include treatment for dysmenorrhea, infertility, and childbearing. Data on clinical trials are reviewed, and licensure and educational preparation for practice of these modalities are discussed.

Alternative Therapies women's reproductive health care therapeutic applications history theory Review imbalances ch'I chi vital energy theories yin yang meridians Clinical applications women's reproductive care dysmenorrhea childbearing clinical trials licensure educational preparation abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM ale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT Massage Acupressure Acupuncture Non-Specific unknown Pregnancy Premenstrual Syndrome Infertility undefined Acupressure, Acupuncture, Article, Biochemical, Care, Ch'i, Clinical, Clinical Trial, Clinical Trials, Clinical-application, Concept, Ct, Data, effect, effects, Energy, Female, Health, Health Care, Health-care, History, Human, Licensure, Meridians, Midwifery, Moxibustion, Nursing, Patterns, Practice, Pregnancy, Reproductive Medicine, Research, Review, Theories, Theory, Therapeutic, Treatment, Trial, Trials, Women, Women's Health, Yin-Yang

Intracranial haemorrhage is usually a very rare occurrence in the fetus before the onset of labour but we have identified major, mostly subdural, prenatal intracranial haemorrhages in 47 infants of immigrant Pacific Islander parentage. Forty-four infants have been stillborn and the numbers from 1983 to 1986 were sufficient to account for the stillbirth rate for Pacific Islanders in Auckland being approximately 60% higher than rates for Europeans or Maoris. Two of three liveborn infants survived with neurological sequelae. Similar haemorrhages may be the cause of a congenital hydrocephalus in Pacific Islanders. A bleeding disorder can be excluded in most cases, as can trauma from accidents or assaults. Trauma during attempts at cephalic version of breech presentations by traditional methods could explain why 53% of deliveries were breech and other pathological and clinical features. Advice at antenatal clinics about possible dangers of traditional massage has coincided with a reduction in the incidence of haemorrhages since 1986.

Intracranial Haemorrhages Pacific Islander infants traditional massage New Zealand Medical Journal Disease foreign New Zealand fetus labour subdural prenatal immigrant Pacific Islanders Auckland Europeans Maoris liveborn infants neurological sequelae congenital hydrocephalus bleeding cephalic breech pathological clinical antenatal clinics abstract negative AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Princess Mary Hospital for Children, Auckland Massage NonProfessional Non-Specific Pregnancy Cranial Hemorrhages Fetus Stillborn risk Cranial Hemorrhages (+) Stillborn (+) Accidents, Adult, Article, Case Report, Cerebral Hemorrhage/et [Etiology], Children, Clinical, Danger, Delivery, Female, Fetal Death/et [Etiology], Fetal Diseases/et [Etiology], Fetus, Hospital, Human, Incidence, Infant, Infant,Newborn, Infants, Massage, Massage/ae [Adverse Effects], Medicine,Traditional, Methods, New Zealand, Pacific Islands/eh [Ethnology], Pregnancy, Trauma

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of acupressure in reducing nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. METHODS: Symptomatic pregnant women were randomized to one of two acupressure groups: one treatment group using an acupressure point (PC-6) and one sham control group using a placebo point. Subjects were blind to the group assignment. Each evening for 10 consecutive days, the subjects completed an assessment scale describing the severity and frequency of symptoms that occurred. Data from the first 3 days were used as pre-treatment scores. Beginning on the morning of the fourth day, each subject used acupressure at her assigned point for 10 minutes four times a day. Data from day 4 were discarded to allow 24 hours for the treatment to take effect. Data from days 5-7 were used to measure treatment effect. RESULTS: Sixty women completed the study. There were no differences between groups in attrition, parity, fetal number, maternal age, gestational age at entry, or pre-treatment nausea and emesis scores. Analysis of variance indicated that both groups improved significantly over time, but that nausea improved significantly more in the treatment group than in the sham control group (F1,58 = 10.4, P = .0021). There were no differences in the severity or frequency of emesis between the groups. There was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.261, P = .044) between maternal age and severity of nausea. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that acupressure at the PC-6 anatomical site is effective in reducing symptoms of nausea but not frequency of vomiting in pregnant women.

Nausea Vomiting Acupressure pregnancy randomized blinded study Obstetrics & Gynecology PC-6 sham control group placebo point blind pre-treatment scores attrition parity fetal number maternal age gestational age pre-treatment nausea emesis scores Analysis of variance ANOVA treatment group control group sham control group severity positive correlation maternal age anatomical site abstract positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco Day=10 Minutes=4x=10 days weeks Massage Acupressure NonProfessional Self Massage frequency Adults Female Pregnant count Pregnancy Nausea/Vomiting task/test ADL Assessment Scale Nausea/Vomiting (-) Vomiting Frequency (0) Acupressure, Acupuncture Points, Acupuncture Therapy/mt [Methods], Adult, Age, Analysis of Variance, Article, Blind, California, Clinical, Clinical Trial, Control Group, Controlled trial, Data, Department, Double-Blind Method, effect, effectiveness, Emesis, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Gestational Age, Gynecology, Human, Incidence, Massage/mt [Methods], Maternal Age, Medical, Methods, Nausea, Nausea and Vomiting, Nausea/ep [Epidemiology], Nausea/th [Therapy], Obstetrics, Parity, placebo, Point, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications/ep [Epidemiology], Pregnancy Complications/th [Therapy], Pressure, Randomized controlled trial, Reproducibility of Results, San Francisco, Score, Severity of Illness Index, Support,Non-U.S.Gov't, Symptom, Symptoms, Treatment, Treatment Outcome, Trial, Vomiting, Vomiting/ep [Epidemiology], Vomiting/th [Therapy], Women, Wrist

We performed a series of experiments to examine the possibility that a theoretically proposed and indirectly empirically confirmed form of electromagnetic field emission from living beings appears to modify physical characteristics of water. We pursued three types of experiments. In the first one, we tried to examine whether and in what way water exposed to growing and dying spruce seedlings through a quartz test tube (therefore with no chemical contact), influences the germination of seeds and the growth of seedlings of the same species. The second type focused on the issue of whether and in what way distilled water, equally exposed to growing and dying spruce seedlings as well as to different ontogenetic phases of mealworm beetle, can be modified and this modification later on reproduced through a specially developed method of electrophotography. The third type of experiments presented here attempts to find out whether an emission from human hands can non-chemically modify the physical characteristics of distilled water. Their statistical analysis revealed the existence of two different groups of people: those capable of imprinting some form of highly reproducible radiation into water and those at most capable of imprinting only some sort of highly variable radiation. In the future this line of research could provide a scientifically based testing of the actual capabilities of the so-called biotherapists to perform this kind of unconventional healing. The present experiments also represent further indirect evidence for a form of electromagnetic emission from living beings and that such emission alters water in an as yet unknown way

Healing Touch biotherapy physical Physiologic Basis high voltage electrophotography Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research Miscellaneous theoretically empirically electromagnetic field emission living beings water growing dying spruce seedlings quartz test tube chemical seed germination seedlings distilled water ontogenetic phases mealworm beetle emission human hands non-chemically distilled water imprinting radiation biotherapists unconventional healing electromagnetic emission abstract results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Therapeutic Touch Biotherapy Non-Specific unknown None measurements Seed Germination (?) Seedlings Growth(?) Electrophotography Analysis (?) Distilled Water Characteristics (?) Article, Biophysics, Electrophysiology, Growth, Hand, Hand/ph [Physiology], Healing, healing touch, Human, Modification, People, Photography/mt [Methods], Physical, Radiation, Research, Seeds, Testing, Therapeutic Touch/st [Standards], Time Factors, Touch, Water, Water/ph [Physiology], Wound Healing/ph [Physiology], Wound Healing/re [Radiation Effects]

To the Editor: In their response to a letter by Dr Schmidt received in response to their article, Ms Rosa and coauthors state that "Dr Schmidt suggests that our test subjects might not have been sufficiently skilled. That would be impossible to determine because [Therapeutic Touch (TT)] has no accepted standards of training or practice." This statement is incorrect. Nurse Healers–Professional Associates International, Inc (NH-PAI), the official organization for TT, has had Standards of Care, Scope of Practice, and Therapeutic Touch Policy and Procedure for Health Professionals in place for a number of years. The organization was founded in 1977 and has had criteria for practice and teaching, including levels of advancement for practitioners, in place for more than 8 years.

Therapeutic Touch JAMA Miscellaneous Letter to the Editor standards training practice Nurse Healers–Professional Associates International NH-PAI Care criteria teaching levels advancement practitioners abstract variables-? results-? Jama Medline PubMed NLM Therapeutic Touch Other Non-Specific unknown none undefined

In Reply: The existence of the documents to which Ms Good refers does not negate what we said about lack of accepted practice standards. NHPAI's 1998 membership was 1100,1 which we estimate to be less than 3% of TT practitioners. Meaningful standards require demonstrable ability to perform a procedure. What NH-PAI refers to as standards requires no such demonstration.To perform TT, a practitioner must detect and manipulate a "human energy field." None of the 21 practitioners we tested was able to do so. The American Holistic Nurses Association requires no such ability for "certification" in Healing Touch (a TT variant), nor do workshops offered by NH-PAI, Healing Touch International, or the Theosophical Society of America involve any objective determination of ability to practice TT after the workshop has been completed. An NH-PAI Web site even stated that "Whereas . . . energy flow can not be currently measured" . . . NH-PAI opposes certification/credentialing of TT practitioners. 2 States that accept continuing education credits for such TT nursing courses as those offered by the American Nurses' Association or published in the American Journal of Nursing also show no concern for a TT student's actual ability to deliver therapeutic benefit. One author advises: "After reading about therapeutic touch, you may want to experiment with this modality on friends and colleagues before trying it with your patients."3 Can you imagine credentialing physicians in this way?

Standards TherapeuticTouch JAMA Miscellaneous Letter to the Editor NHPAI's membership NH-PAI detect manipulate human energy field American Holistic Nurses Association certification Healing Touch Healing Touch International Theosophical Society America energy flow American Nurses' Association American Journal of Nursing experiment credentialing physicians bstract variables-? results-? Jama Medline PubMed NLM Therapeutic Touch Other Non-Specific unknown none undefined

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are widely used in the general population. This paper reviews randomized controlled trials of CAM therapies for obstetrical and gynecologic conditions and presents therapies that are likely to be used by women of reproductive age and by pregnant women. DATA SOURCES: Sources included English-language papers in MEDLINE 1966-2002 and AMED (1985-2000) and the authors' extensive holdings. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled clinical trials of CAM therapies for obstetric and gynecologic conditions. DATA EXTRACTION: Clinical information was extracted from the articles and summarized in tabular form or in the text.DATA SYNTHESIS: Ninety-three trials were identified, 45 of which were for pregnancy-related conditions, 33 of which were for premenstrual syndrome, and 13 of which were for dysmenorrhea. Data support the use of acupressure for nausea of pregnancy and calcium for PMS. Preliminary studies indicate a role for further research on Vitamin B6 or ginger for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy; calcium, magnesium, Vitamin B6, or chaste-tree berry extract for PMS; and a low-fat diet, exercise, or fish oil supplementation for dysmenorrhea. CONCLUSIONS: Limited evidence supports the efficacy of some CAM therapies. Exposure of women of reproductive age to these therapies can be expected.

Acupressure nausea Pregnancy Complementary alternative medicine CAM reproductive-age women review randomized controlled trials Acupressure gynecologic pregnant English-language papers premenstrual syndrome pms dysmenorrhea nausea calcium Vitamin B6 chaste-tree berry extract low-fat diet exercise fish oil supplementation abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Massage Acupressure Professional Alternate Systemic Therapies Adults Female Occupation Unknown Gynaecological Diseases Obstetrical Diseases undefined

We review the published literature examining the efficacy of acupressure and acustimulation wrist bands for the relief of nausea, with special emphasis on the alleviation of nausea associated with pregnancy. We also present preliminary data from an open-label study on the efficacy of acustimulation bands for control of chemotherapy nausea. The literature supports the conclusion that Neiguan-point stimulation by acupressure and acustimulation wrist bands for nausea relief is efficacious for many patients.

acustimulation bands nausea Am J Obstet Gynecol (Suppl Understanding) Neiguan-point stimulation Review acupressure wrist bands open-label study acustimulation bands abstract variables-? positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed University of Rochester Cancer Center NY New York Non-Specific unknown Massage Acupressure Professional Acustimulation Wrist Bands Neiguan-Point Stimulation other Pregnancy Nausea/Vomiting Cancer Chemotherapy Nausea undefined Acupressure, Acupuncture Therapy, Female, Human, Nausea/th [Therapy], Pregnancy, Support,Non-U.S.Gov't, Support,U.S.Gov't,Non-P.H.S., Vomiting/th [Therapy]

Although stimulation of certain acupressure points for long has been claimed to alleviate nausea, previous research has left contradictory results. The aim of our study was to find out if acupressure can alleviate nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 97 women with mean gestational length between 8 and 12 weeks were randomized to use either active acupressure or placebo acupressure bands. Symptoms were recorded before they entered the study, during the use of the wristbands, and after the end of the study, according to the intensity, duration and nature of complaints. RESULTS: 71% of the women in the intervention group reported both less intensive morning sickness and shorter duration of symptoms. The same tendency was seen in the placebo group, with 59% reporting less intensity and 63% shorter duration of symptoms, However, significance levels of 5% were reached regarding duration of symptoms, which was reduced by 2.74 hours in the intervention group compared to 0.85 hours in the placebo group (p = 0.0018). INTERPRETATION: Acupressure wristband might be an alternative for morning sickness in early pregnancy, especially before pharmaceutical treatment is considered

Acupressure Morning Sickness Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen Technique Acupressure foreign Norwegian acupressure points early pregnancy women mean gestational length randomized active acupressure bands placebo acupressure bands wristbands intensity duration and nature complaints morning sicknessplacebo group compare treatment No Treatment evaluation abstract positive Medline PubMed NLM Farmasibygget Universitetet i Tromso Acustimulation Wrist Bands Other Non-Specific Adults Female Pregnancy Nausea/Vomiting ADL Nausea

Nausea and vomiting are uncomfortable and some times debilitating symptoms encoutered in early pregnancy. Many of the more conventional remedies offer only partial to negligible relief. Some pregnant women also express scepticism regarding the safety of the more traditionally prescribed pharmacological agents used to combat morning sickness. Vitabin B6, ginger root and acupressure are three complementary modalities that may help aleviate these self-limiting discomforts.

Acupressure for Nausea (Early Pregnancy) Complementary therapies vomiting Family Practice Review conventional remedies safety prescribed pharmacological agents morning sickness ginger root complementary modalities self-limiting discomforts abstract positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM State University of New York Massage Acupressure Professional Vitamin B6 Ginger Other Non-Specific Adults Female Nausea/Vomiting adl Nausea

The experience of massage in an oncology ward was the focus of this study. Eight female cancer patients were given massage for 10 consecutive days and then interviewed using phenomenology as a theoretical framework. The essential meaning of getting massage as part of the daily care for female cancer patients was described as getting a meaningful relief from suffering. The findings identified five themes: the relief is meaningful because it offers the patient an experience of being "special." The massage contributes to the development of a positive relationship with the personnel, to feeling strong, and to a balance between autonomy and dependence. The massage also brings about a meaningful relief from suffering because it just "feels good." The findings of this study can be of use to health care professionals as it shows that the relatively short period of massage can result in physical and emotional benefits for cancer patients.

suffering massage cancer care Cancer Nursing Disease foreign Swedish oncology ward phenomenology theoretical framework daily care suffering autonomy dependence meaningful relief abstract variables-? positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed School of Health Sciences, Boras University College, Sweden Massage Professional frequency Day=10 days=1xday Cancer daily adults female undefined Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged,80 and over, Article, Attitude to Health, Balance, Cancer, Cancer patients, Care, Experience, Female, Health, Health Care, Health-care, Human, Massage, Massage/px [Psychology], Massage/st [Standards], Middle Age, Neoplasms/co [Complications], Nursing Methodology Research, Pain Measurement, Pain/et [Etiology], Pain/pc [Prevention & Control], Pain/px [Psychology], Patient, Patients, Phenomenology, Physical, Quality of Life, Questionnaires, Science, Sweden, Treatment Outcome, Use

OBJECTIVES: Determine effects of massage therapy alone and in combination with exercise or stress management-biofeedback treatment on enumerative immune measures, and quality of life in moderately immunocompromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) subjects. DESIGN: Randomized prospective controlled trial with 42 subjects randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups or a control group receiving standard care and intervention over a 12-week period. SETTING: Academic medical center. SUBJECTS: Forty-two (42) subjects with HIV infection (40 males; 2 females; aged 27-50 years) met eligibility requirements of CD4+ lymphocyte cell count greater than 200 cells per microliter; no present or recent signs or symptoms of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and were not hospitalized. INTERVENTIONS: A 45-minute overall body massage once per week; similar massage and supervised aerobic exercise 2 other days per week; similar massage and biofeedback stress management once per week; control receiving standard treatment. OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in peripheral blood levels of CD4+ lymphocytes, CD8+ lymphocytes, CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte ratio and natural killer cells; six dimension quality-of-life assessment. RESULTS: No significant changes (p > 0.05) were found in any enumerative immune measure. Significant (p < 0.05) differences for quality-of-life assessment were in health care utilization and health perceptions, favoring massage and stress management compared to massage only and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Massage administered once per week to HIV-infected persons does not enhance immune measures. Massage combined with stress management favorably alters health perceptions and leads to less utilization of health care resources. This suggests that HIV-infected persons receiving massage and stress management would tend to not overutilize health care services, thus possibly reducing health care costs.

immune system measures and quality of life in human immunodeficiency virus J Altern Complement Med Disease HIV Compare Control Massage Massage Exercise Massage Stress Management enumerative immune measures quality of life moderately immunocompromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Randomized prospective controlled trial randomly assigned control group Academic medical center HIV infection males females lymphocyte cell count acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) hospitalized lymphocyte ratio six dimension quality-of-life assessment health care utilization health perceptions health care resources infected persons health care costs abstract negative AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM College of Pharmacy and Allied Health, Wayne State University Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit week=1x/wk=12 weeks= massage week=2x/wk=12weeks=exercise week=1x/wk=12 week=Biofeedback frequency Adults Both HIV+ lab psych/soc CD4 CD4/CD8 Ratio Natural Killer Cells Quality of life measures

Unsatisfactory results of ulcer drug medication necessitate introduction of new approaches to treatment of this disease. We tried massage and therapeutic exercise as alternative methods of ulcer treatment as they provide biologically validated ways to mobilization of the body defenses. The results of our studies showed that deep reflex muscular massage and exercises for extension of the skeletal muscles are not inferior in effectiveness in ulcer than routine drug therapy. Therefore, the massage and the exercises are advisable adjuvant modalities in sparing drug medication improving immune status and treatment outcomes in patients with ulcer in exacerbation.

Orthopedic Deep Massage Peptic Ulcer immune status peptic ulcer deep massage Vopr Kurortol Fizioter Lech Fiz Kult Technique Massage Deep Orthopedic foreign Russian ulcer drug medication therapeutic exercise alternative methods ulcer treatment biologically validated body defenses deep reflex muscular massage exercises ulcer exacerbation abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Massage Deep Tissue Professional Exercise Non-Specific Unknown Ulcer undefined

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of massage on anterior chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) with respect to symptoms, intracompartmental pressures, and work output of the anterior compartment in dorsiflexion. DESIGN: One group-repeated measures design. SETTING: A private sports medicine clinic in Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Seven athletes (six men and one woman), aged between 21 and 29 years, were selected on the basis of clinical suspicion for anterior CECS. Historical questionnaire and examination were followed by intracompartmental pressure testing of the anterior compartment. Study exclusion criteria were history of a bleeding diathesis and previous treatment consisting of compartment fasciotomy or massage. All athletes completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: A 5-week course of massage consisting of two sessions in the first week and one session per week thereafter, for a total of six treatments. Between each session, a twice-daily standard stretching program involving both anterior and posterior compartments was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postexercise anterior compartment pressures (mm Hg) before and after treatment, work output (J) in dorsiflexion to pain onset before and after treatment, self-reported symptoms before and after treatment. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the 3-minute postexercise compartment pressures after the treatment. There was a significant (p = 0.016) increase, however, in work performed in dorsiflexion to pain onset following the massage course. CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent massage combined with specific stretching should be considered in the treatment of anterior CECS.

Exertional Anterior Compartment Syndrome massage Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine Orthopedic Anterior Compartment Syndrome anterior chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) symptoms intracompartmental pressures work output dorsiflexion One group-repeated measures design private sports medicine clinic athletes clinical suspicion Historical questionnaire examination intracompartmental pressure testing Study exclusion criteria bleeding diathesis compartment fasciotomy abstract positive AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre, Melbourne, Australia Massage Professional Stretching frequency week=2x/wk=1week week=1x/wk=4week Adults Athletes Anterior Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome lab Psych/soc Postexercise Anterior Compartment Pressures Work Output (J) Self-Reported Symptoms Adult, After-treatment, Aged, Anterior, Anterior Compartment Syndrome/th [Therapy], Article, Athletes, Australia, Chronic, Chronic Disease, Clinical, Criteria, effect, Exertion, Female, historical, History, Human, Increase, Intervention, Male, Massage, Medicine, Men, Outcome measures, Pain, Pilot Projects, Pilot Studies, Pressure, Program, Questionnaire, Sport, Sports, Sports Medicine, Standard, Stretching, Symptom, Symptoms, Syndrome, Testing, Treatment, Treatment Outcome, Work

To the Editor.—The conclusion of Ms Rosa and colleagues that “further professional use [of TT] is unjustified” should be more subtle. Despite the current vogue for evidence-based medicine, clinicians use many modalities that have not been validated in double-blind studies.Sometimes higher standards are demanded of innocuous alternative therapies than potentially dangerous but accepted conventional ones. Should treatments that have no pernicious effects (eg, TT) be expected to meet the standards demanded of potentially harmful biochemical or surgical interventions? At the very least, TT offers the patient the full and unhurried attention of a caregiver. Such attention is rare in our health care system and may be of value even if it only works through an enhancing placebo effect. As with any unproven therapy, it is neither unreasonable nor unethical to recommend or offer TT to a patient who is informed of its limitations. Nevertheless, I agree that the study by Rosa et al makes a powerful argument against third-party reimbursement for TT and suggest that practitioners should inform the patient that its efficacy has not been established by modern scientific methods.

Letter to the Editor Therapeutic Touch JAMA Miscellaneous Therapeutic Touch evidence-based medicine double-blind studies alternative therapies TT surgical interventions biochemical interventions caregiver enhancing placebo effect third-party reimbursement modern scientific methods letter abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM Queens–Long Island Medical Group Astoria, NY Therapeutic Touch Professional Non-Specific Non-Massage letter unknown undefined Human, Letter, Therapeutic, Therapeutic Touch, Touch

To the Editor.—Ms Rosa and colleagues1 claim that “the definitive test ofTTis not a clinical trial of its alleged therapeutic effects, but a test of whether practitioners can perceiveHEFs [human energy fields].” The definitive test of a healing practice is whether healing takes place, not whether the practitioners have a flawless grasp of the natural forces at work. If TT practitioners predicted their success in a study like this one, then the test shows only that the TT practitioners do not have an accurate grasp on the healing processes at work, if any. Perhaps intention of the patient matters quite a lot, even though this is discounted by the practitioners themselves. Perhaps a TT practitioner must intend to heal as opposed to intend to choose a left or right hand. The authors’ sweeping pronouncement that “the claims of TT are groundless and that further professional use is unjustified is not appropriate.” Such is evidence of a personal and not entirely objective agenda, no doubt consistent with that of Quackwatch Inc, the Questionable Nurse Practices Task Force, the National Council Against Health Fraud, Inc, and the National Therapeutic Touch Study Group. One would expect medical professionals to be more concerned with whether real healing occurs. Jesse Lee, JD DionySystems, Inc Alexandria, Va

To the Editor.—Members of the greater Kansas City chapter of Nurse Healers–Professional Associates are disappointed in the authors’ use of a child’s fourth-grade science project to support an anti-TT crusade.1 To describe this child’s homework as “research” is without foundation since it clearly fails to meet the criteria of randomization, control, and valid intervention. The “researcher’s” qualifications to conduct research and those of her mother are nonexistent. Flagrant violations againstTTinclude the fact that “sensing” an energy field is not TT but rather a nonessential element in the 5-step process; inclusion of many misrepresentations of cited sources; use of inflammatory language that indicates significant author bias;and bias introduced by the child conducting the project being involved in the actual trials. As health care professionals, we welcome healthy skepticism, as long as it is born of honestyandintegrity. In fact,many TT practitioners start as skeptics but are compelled to continue TT after observing many individuals who benefit. Some patients acknowledge pain relief. Others experience relaxation, accelerated wound healing, and emotional reintegration. Through rigorous research, which does not include elementary- school science projects,wemayone day gain a more thorough understanding of TT. It is unfortunate that JAMA would publish articles that deliberately fragment the TT process to achieve erroneous results to further the authors’ own biases. Therapeutic Touch practitioners, health care professionals, and the public deserve better. Jacque Carpenter, MSN, ARNP Julia Hagemaster, PhD, ARNP Barbara Joiner, MA, BSCNKansas City Chapter of Nurse Healers–Professional Associates Inc Kansas City, Mo

To the Editor.—Bias occurs when researchers take a holistic process, such as TT,1 extract 1 aspect of the process, and measureit in a separate situation. When the experiment fails to prove what the researchers hypothesized, they then declare thewholeprocess worthless.Thefact that this declarationwas derived from a sample size of 21 further validates bias on the part of the researchers and the editors. Furthermore, to dismiss large volumes of research, including double-blind studies, as incompetent research means the authors never thoroughlyevaluated or considered the merit of the articles listed as references. Moreover, I care very little whether a practitioner can feel energetic exchange successfully in a contrived situation such as the experiment set up when I see outcomes that the TT process as a whole works. Much about the mechanisms of energetic transfer and healing is not understood. o take 1 reductionistic experiment and make sweeping statementsis an irresponsible research process. Encouraging further reasonable research intosomeof thesemechanismswould be a positive outcome to this negative experience. Finally, the authors’ statement, “The American Holistic Nursing Association offers certification in ‘healing touch,’ aTT variant” is incorrect. The certifying body is Healing Touch International, Inc, with headquarters in Lakewood, Colo. Healing Touch is a continuing education certificate program endorsed by American Holistic Nurses’ Association.Susan B. Collins, RN, MEd, MSN, CFNP, HNCAmerican Holistic Nurses’ Association Flagstaff, Ariz

To the Editor.—As a clinician, I am surprised that THE JOURNAL elected to address the important and controversial issue of Therapeutic Touch (TT) with such a simpleminded, methodologically flawed, and irrelevant study. The experimentsdescribed are an artificial demonstration thatsomenumber of self-described mystics were unable to “sense the field” of the primary investigator’s 9-year-old daughter.1 This hardlydemonstrates or debunks the efficacy of TT. The vaguely described recruitment method does not ensure or even suggest that the subjects being tested were actually skilled practitioners.More important, the experiments described are not relevant to the clinical issue supposedly being researched. Therapeutic Touch is not a parlor trick and should not be investigated as such. Rather, it is a therapeutic technique that may be discoveredto require activeinvolvementbyagenuinely ill patient, as the authors themselves convolutedly acknowledge in theircitation of Krieger’s work. Thus, to demonstrate a child’s participation in a magic trick hardly represents an investigation of a clinical phenomenon. It is not yet clear if TT will be proven to be effective and for which, if any, indications. A serious and appropriately designed clinical study is needed to determine its efficacy, not an elementary-school science project. Andrew Freinkel, MD

To the Editor.—The hypothesis tested by Ms Rosa and colleagues1 was not directly related to the authors’ conclusions, and the methods of analysis and their interpretations were not always appropriate. First, the hypothesis tested whether the TT practitioners could detect which of their hands was being hovered over by the investigator. Because practitioners were not instructed to performTTon the investigator, the hypothesis cannot test the effectiveness of TT. If TT works well in properly designed blinded clinical trials, then whether practitioners can detectanHEFunder conditions of this study does not seem relevant. Second, the study was designed using the binomial distribution. However, it was analyzed using the t distribution, although the data do not appear to be approximately normally distributed and are not continuous. Even so, Table 2 shows that for the initial test the alternative hypothesis that µ = 6.67 was barely rejected at the .05 level of significance. The authors state that “the odds of getting 8 of 10 trials correct by chance alone is 45 of 1024 (P= .04).” This is the probability of getting exactly 8 of 10 trials correct. The probability of getting 8 or more correct answers of 10 is 56 of 1024 (5.5%). More important, if the true probability of a successful prediction were 0.67 (considered by this article to be a positive trial), then the probability of 0 to 4 successes in 10 trials would be 0.07, and the probability of 0 to 5 successes in 10 trials would be 0.21. Neither are less than 0.05. Therefore, this study is not definitive proof that the true probability of success of the practitioners is no better than 0.67. Figure 2 in the article includes a frequency distribution of 28TT practitioners’ scores, although only 21 unique practitioners were tested. More than half the original 15 practitioners did not participate in the follow-up test, but no reason was given for their absence. The mean of the initial test was 4.67; that of the follow-uptestwassmaller, 4.08.Theauthorsstatethatalthough several practitioners complained about the presence of the television crew during the follow-up test, this was irrelevant. Further research, preferably properly designed blinded clinical trials, is required to prove or disprove the effectiveness of TT.J. Lynn Palmer, PhD M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Houston, Tex

To the Editor.—No study, including the one on TT,1 can prove the nonexistence of a phenomenon. The null hypothesis is a useful methodologic convention fabricated for the purpose of avoiding experimental error. Proper use of hypothesis testing contradicts this article’s “unrefuted evidence that the claims of TT are groundless and that further professional use is unjustified.” The only conclusion is that, under the conditions ofthe experiment, a possible truth had not been discovered (a type I or a error—rejecting a hypothesis that actually is true). Second, the experimental conditions did not approximate the technique of TTas it is practiced. Touch therapists repeatedly move their hands over the patient with special attention given to perceived problem regions. In this study, a static condition was evaluated, eliminating the movement componentthatmaybe critical. Similarly, a type I hypothesis testing error would result when evaluating modern security sensors. Under static conditions, these sensors would detect human presence 0% of the time. The 100% success rate expected in this study was far too stringent. There are few, if any, conventional medical tests, evaluations, or therapeutics this successful. Unconventional therapies should be scrutinized by thesamehigh but not untenable standards used for evaluating conventional modalities.Anunreasonably strict experimental outcome practically ensures a type I error. The research recommendations should include further study, and the practice recommendations should await a preponderance of accumulated evidence. Robert W. Jarski, PhD Oakland University Rochester, Mich

To the Editor.—I critiqued the study on TT1 and was amazed that a research study with so many flaws could be published. First, the authors list 129 references of which approximately only 50 are primary research studies. Of these studies, the majority are master’s theses or dissertations from the 1980s, and only 9 references are reports of quantitative studies from the 1990s.Acloser look at the methods is even more alarming.Possible confounders include the wide range of experience of the 21 practitioners, demographic characteristics of the participants, and lack of evidence of the depth of their training in TT. Although the subject was able to “center,” the researcher, a young girl who simply held her hand over the upturned palm of the practitioner, violated the entire premise of TT. The procedure was conducted in different settings with no controlof environmental conditions. Even though the trials were repeated, the subjects did not change, thus claims ofpowerbased on possible repetitions of error are inappropriate. The true numbers in groups are 15 and 13, thus making a type II error highly probable with a study power of less than 30%. Another concerniswhetherparticipants signedinformedconsent documents or at least were truly informed as to the nature of this study and that publication of its results would be sought beyond a report to the fourth-grade teacher. Susan M. Schmidt, PhD, RN, COHN-S, CNS Xavier University Cincinnati, Ohio

To the Editor.—Research design flaws in the study by Ms Rosa and colleagues1 are disturbing given the serious nature of study results and the suggestion that TT should no longer be offered to patients. First, the authors are not neutral and unbiased, nor is the senior author representative of nurse scientists with advanced degrees currently conducting research. Second, it is questionable whether the sampling methods provideda representative sample. “Searching advertisements” to obtain a sample is purposive and limits generalizability. In addition, the authors did not specify what is meant by “following other leads” in recruiting participants. Apparent failure of theparticipants to question explication of testproceduresfrom a 9-year-old child suggests lack of sophistication. Third, no rationale is provided for conducting 2 series of tests, and thecriteria that guided this design are not mentioned. Moreover, during the first testing period, there was a lack of equivalency in both the time frames used to assess practitioners and the settings in which data were collected. The impact of videotaping during the second testing period, a complaint registeredby several participants, is not addressed. Fourth, the subtle demand characteristic of the procedure for testing the hypothesis that practitioners should be able to perceive the HEF of the experimenter 100% of the time was not representative of the patient-practitioner interaction and glosses over the fact that practitioners generally use bothhandsto assess theHEF. In the interest of scientific exploration of the efficacy of TT and its mechanism of action and the advancement of quality patient care,whichis nevermentionedin the article,weshould be cautious in following the recommendations of the authors to discard an intervention that many patients throughout several decades tell us “works.”2 Mary Ireland, RN, PhD Rutgers College of Nursing Newark, NJ

To the Editor.—As a physician, I remain skeptical about TT as an effective technique.Asa scientist, I appreciate the effortsby Ms Rosa and colleagues1 to ascertain the validity of some fundamental claims ofTTpractitioners. But as a medical historian, I think it is essential to remember thatmanyinterventionsnow universally regarded as useful were originally proposed at a time when their fundamental basis was not only unknown, but in some cases unknowable. To consider only a single example, when Ignaz Semmelweis proposed handwashing as an interventionto combat disease transmission in the mid-1800s, there was no consistent theory of disease causation by microorganisms, and there did not exist the technological processes necessary to demonstrate the existence of those microorganisms now considered a major cause of human disease. Nonetheless, handwashing was perceived to have an effect on human disease. Similarly, when we wish to definitively assess the efficacy of a therapeutic intervention today, we mustawaitstudies of its effectiveness (or lack thereof) intreatment, whether or not we can demonstrate a theoretical basis for its effect. Joel D. Howell, MD, PhD University of Michigan Ann Arbor

To the Editor.—In describing the theoretical background of TT, Ms Rosa and colleagues1 note the similarity to the “animal magnetism” healing techniques of the controversial 18th-century physician Franz Anton Mesmer. Indeed, Mesmer’s mysterious and magical cures gained such notoriety in Paris that in 1784, King Louis XVI appointed a blue-ribbon panel from the prestigious French Academy of Sciences to formally evaluatethis “magnetism.” The panel, which included such wellknown scientists as Lavoisier, Guillotin, and Benjamin Franklin, verified that some patients indeed had benefited, but they dismissed this as having something to do with the “imagination,” and concluded that “magnetism” was not a real phenomenon. 2 Unfortunately, this prestigious panel missed the opportunity to gain further understanding of the potential of the patient-physician relationship, the power of suggestion, and recognition of the closely related power of the placebo effect. 3 Ms Rosa and colleagues have elegantly refuted the original theoretical basis forTT(with its “human energy field”), but as in Mesmer’s case, this does not mean TT cannot be helpful to patients. TherapeuticTouchprovides a structure thatmanyill patients enjoy: a caring individual with positive intentions devotes exclusive attention to the patient in need. Based on the current popularity of alternative medicine therapies,4 TT is likely to resonate with the belief systems of many patients. Particularly if TT is practiced only on willing patients by volunteers who charge no fees, there should be no adverse effects. If we acknowledge that the interaction between individuals can be a powerful force, then TT can offer an appropriate structure to harness its positive potential to provide some psychological comfort to ill patients Jon Streltzer, MD John A. Burns School of Medicine Honolulu, Hawaii

JAMA Miscellaneous Therapeutic Touch animal magnetism Franz Anton Mesmer magical cures King Louis XVI French Academy of Sciences Lavoisier Guillotin Benjamin Franklin imagination patient-physician relationship placebo effect caring individual positive intentions volunteers no fees adverse effects interaction between individuals human energy field belief systems psychological comfort positive intentions alternative medicine TT letter abstract variables-? results-? AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM John A. Burns School of Medicine Therapeutic Touch Professional unknown undefined Human, Letter, Therapeutic, Therapeutic Touch, Touch

Therapeutic touch is a nursing intervention pioneered more than 20 years ago. A substantial body of literature encompassing theory, clinical practice, and research exists on this energetic healing modality. This article examines the scientific basis for healing through the human energy field, including the basic assumptions from which therapeutic touch was developed and a summary of related research. It also discusses integration of therapeutic touch into clinical practice and identifies resources for further exploration.

Therapeutic touch healing modality J Cardiovasc Nurs Review energetic healing modality healing human energy field AMTA Foundation Medline PubMed NLM abstract variables-? results-? Therapeutic Touch Professional Unknown undefined Anxiety/px [Psychology], Anxiety/th [Therapy], Article, Care, Clinical, Energy, Healing, Hospital, Human, Intensive Care, Intervention, Literature, Newborn, Nursing, Pain/px [Psychology], Pain/th [Therapy], Practice, Relaxation Techniques, Research, Review, Scientific, Self Care, Stress,Psychological/px [Psychology], Stress,Psychological/th [Therapy], Theories, Theory, Therapeutic, Therapeutic Touch, Therapeutic Touch/mt [Methods], Therapeutic Touch/px [Psychology], Touch, Women

CONTEXT: A prior national survey documented the high prevalence and costs of alternative medicine use in the United States in 1990. OBJECTIVE: To document trends in alternative medicine use in the United States between 1990 and 1997. DESIGN: Nationally representative random household telephone surveys using comparable key questions were conducted in 1991 and 1997 measuring utilization in 1990 and 1997, respectively. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1539 adults in 1991 and 2055 in 1997. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Prevalence, estimated costs, and disclosure of alternative therapies to physicians. RESULTS: Use of at least 1 of 16 alternative therapies during the previous year increased from 33.8% in 1990 to 42.1% in 1997 (P < or = .001). The therapies increasing the most included herbal medicine, massage, megavitamins, self-help groups, folk remedies, energy healing, and homeopathy. The probability of users visiting an alternative medicine practitioner increased from 36.3% to 46.3% (P = .002). In both surveys alternative therapies were used most frequently for chronic conditions, including back problems, anxiety, depression, and headaches. There was no significant change in disclosure rates between the 2 survey years; 39.8% of alternative therapies were disclosed to physicians in 1990 vs 38.5% in 1997. The percentage of users paying entirely out-of-pocket for services provided by alternative medicine practitioners did not change significantly between 1990 (64.0%) and 1997 (58.3%) (P=.36). Extrapolations to the US population suggest a 47.3% increase in total visits to alternative medicine practitioners, from 427 million in 1990 to 629 million in 1997, thereby exceeding total visits to all US primary care physicians. An estimated 15 million adults in 1997 took prescription medications concurrently with herbal remedies and/or high-dose vitamins (18.4% of all prescription users). Estimated expenditures for alternative medicine professional services increased 45.2% between 1990 and 1997 and were conservatively estimated at $21.2 billion in 1997, with at least $12.2 billion paid out-of-pocket. This exceeds the 1997 out-of-pocket expenditures for all US hospitalizations. Total 1997 out-of-pocket expenditures relating to alternative therapies were conservatively estimated at $27.0 billion, which is comparable with the projected 1997 out-of-pocket expenditures for all US physician services. CONCLUSIONS: Alternative medicine use and expenditures increased substantially between 1990 and 1997, attributable primarily to an increase in the proportion of the population seeking alternative therapies, rather than increased visits per patient.

BACKGROUND. Many people use unconventional therapies for health problems, but the extent of this use and the costs are not known. We conducted a national survey to determine the prevalence, costs, and patterns of use of unconventional therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic. METHODS. We limited the therapies studied to 16 commonly used interventions neither taught widely in U.S. medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals. We completed telephone interviews with 1539 adults (response rate, 67 percent) in a national sample of adults 18 years of age or older in 1990. We asked respondents to report any serious or bothersome medical conditions and details of their use of conventional medical services; we then inquired about their use of unconventional therapy. RESULTS. One in three respondents (34 percent) reported using at least one unconventional therapy in the past year, and a third of these saw providers for unconventional therapy. The latter group had made an average of 19 visits to such providers during the preceding year, with an average charge per visit of $27.60. The frequency of use of unconventional therapy varied somewhat among socio-demographic groups, with the highest use reported by nonblack persons from 25 to 49 years of age who had relatively more education and higher incomes. The majority used unconventional therapy for chronic, as opposed to life-threatening, medical conditions. Among those who used unconventional therapy for serious medical conditions, the vast majority (83 percent) also sought treatment for the same condition from a medical doctor; however, 72 percent of the respondents who used unconventional therapy did not inform their medical doctor that they had done so. Extrapolation to the U.S. population suggests that in 1990 Americans made an estimated 425 million visits to providers of unconventional therapy. This number exceeds the number of visits to all U.S. primary care physicians (388 million). Expenditures associated with use of unconventional therapy in 1990 amounted to approximately $13.7 billion, three quarters of which ($10.3 billion) was paid out of pocket. This figure is comparable to the $12.8 billion spent out of pocket annually for all hospitalizations in the United States. CONCLUSIONS. The frequency of use of unconventional therapy in the United States is far higher than previously reported. Medical doctors should ask about their patients' use of unconventional therapy whenever they obtain a medical history.

Purpose/Objectives: To test the effects of foot reflexology on anxiety and pain in patients with breast and lung cancer. Design: Quasi-experimental, pre/post, crossover. Setting: A medical/oncology unit in a 314-bed hospital in the southeastern United States.Sample: Twenty-three inpatients with breast or lung cancer. The majority of the sample were female, Caucasian, and 65 years orolder; had 12 or fewer years of education and an annual income of $20,000 or more; and were receiving regularly scheduled opioidsand adjuvant medications on the control and intervention day. Methods: Procedures included an intervention condition (footreflexology to both feet for 30 minutes total by a certified reflexologist) and a control condition for each patient (with at least atwo-day break). No changes were made in patients' regular schedule or medications. Main Research Variables: Anxiety and pain. Findings: Following the foot reflexology intervention, patients with breast and lung cancer experienced a significant decrease inanxiety. One of three pain measures showed that patients with breast cancer experienced a significant decrease in pain. Conclusions: The significant decrease in anxiety observed in this sample of patients with breast and lung cancer following foot reflexology suggests that this may be a self-care approach to decrease anxiety in this patient population. Implications for Nursing Practice: Professionals and lay people can be taught reflexology. Foot reflexology is an avenue for human touch, can be performed anywhere, requires no special equipment, is noninvasive, and does not interfere with patients' privacy.

A study of the literature describing research on alternative medicine showed that, in general, the research was of poor quality. Any clinical effect of kinesiology had not been documented. Only few studies on reflexology had been controlled. Several controlled studies on healing showed significant effect, mainly in patients with psychosomatic disorders, or when the patient had great faith in the healer. Acupuncture seems to be effective against nausea, in patients with chronic pain and in patients who have had stroke. The data do not support the claim that acupuncture is effective for asthma or addiction. In the case of homeopathy the evidence from clinical trials is positive but not sufficient to draw a definite conclusion, for example, is it better than placebo? The majority of studies seems to disregard the principle of homeopathy, i.e. that the treatment should be individualised. Even if the documented effect of alternative medicine is not convincing, the effect is favourable empirically and may in itself be sufficient to give practitioners of alternative medicine an authorization. The term "alternative medicine" should be replaced by "complementary medicine".

Public interest in complementary therapies continues to grow and many nurses and midwives are incorporating complementary therapies such as reflexology, aromatherapy and massage into their clinical practice. However, there are concerns regarding the use of such therapies when their effectiveness has not been clearly demonstrated. This article is a review of the literature relating to the effectiveness of reflexology. Anecdotal evidence is described and concerns relating to the literature's reliance on personal beliefs and experiences are presented. The need for research evidence to demonstrate effectiveness is highlighted. A critical review of published research studies is presented which focuses in particular on methodological issues such as the use of the randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of complementary therapies such as reflexology.

The recent growth in interest in the use of complementary medicine by the general public has been well reported. Health professionals, particularly nurses and midwives, are incorporating the use of complementary therapies into their practice. The medical profession is involved in the political processes affecting legislation governing complementary medicine and it is therefore important to determine the views of doctors when considering the use of complementary therapies by nurses within the health-care system. A critical review of published research studies which consider the knowledge, use and attitudes of doctors to complementary medicine is presented. These studies suggest doctors' interest in complementary medicine but they also raise a number of concerns including lack of evidence to demonstrate effectiveness, possible harmful effects, inadequate knowledge of doctors and lack of statutory regulation for most therapies. Recommendations of recent reports are outlined which attempt to address these and other issues.

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The efficacy of currently available antiemetics remains poor. Concern with their side effects and the high cost of the newer drugs has led to renewed interest in non-pharmacological methods of treatment. We have studied the efficacy of acupressure at the P6 point in the prevention of nausea and vomiting after laparoscopy, in a double-blind, randomized, controlled study of acupressure vs placebo. We studied 104 patients undergoing laparoscopy and dye investigation. The anaesthetic technique and postoperative analgesia were standardized. Failure of treatment was defined as the occurrence of nausea and/or vomiting within the first 24 h after anaesthesia. The use of acupressure reduced the incidence of nausea or vomiting from 42% to 19% compared with placebo, with an adjusted risk ratio of 0.24 (95% CI 0.08-0.62; P = 0.005). Other variables were similar between groups.

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Whilst a tiny snapshot, it is clear that lay interpretations of complementary medicine vary considerably. You may wish to try this exercise to explore peoples' perceptions of this form of medicine and we would welcome responses to these questions. When practising CM it is easy to assume others share our health care perceptions and this may not always be the case.

This paper describes the rationale for the development of a Diploma in Complementary Medicine, validated by the University of London and offered by The Centre for Complementary Medicine North West, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Stockport College of Higher and Further Education. The Diploma in Complementary Medicine is in part a considered response to the recent BMA (1993) report evaluating the current status of complementary medicine in the UK and recommendations for training proposed by the RCN (RCN CTINSIG 1993, 1994). The course team perceived and identified a need for a common theoretical framework, validated at University level, to set precedent for the development of educational standards in the field of complementary therapies. It is suggested that in order to facilitate the development of competent clinical practitioners it is necessary to establish a common educational foundation from which to develop practice skills.

This paper reports the findings of an informal survey to assess nurses' use of complementary therapies within the health care setting. Increasing interest amongst the general public and health care professionals appears to have resulted in an assumption that there is currently widespread use of therapies such as massage, homoeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology and acupuncture within the health care setting. However, to date there have been no national research studies undertaken to substantiate this assumption. This study attempted to identify the range of practices and magnitude of use by nurses who are members of the Royal College of Nursing Complementary Therapy Forum (RCNCTF) UK. A convenience sample was used and a semi-structured questionnaire was inserted into the group's bi-annual newsletter and sent to all members of the RCNCTF (n = 1662). A total of 178 subjects completed and returned the questionnaire, representing a 9.3% response rate. Given the informal nature of this survey, and the fact that it was an insert in a newsletter, a relatively low response was anticipated. Contrary to expectation, findings indicated that the majority of respondents were aged between 41 and 50 years. The six principal therapies practised were (in order of use) massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, relaxation, visualization and acupuncture. The three most common areas of practice, both in the NHS and private sector, were in the community, palliative care and oncology. Findings also indicated that complementary therapies were more commonly practised in the private sector as part of formal working practice. This was in contrast to nurses working in the NHS, where complementary therapies appeared to form less than 20% of their formal nursing care and respondents indicated that, when used, it was often in addition to daily nursing care. Results indicate that nurses are practising complementary therapies less than has been assumed. Those therapies commonly practised form a broader mantle than therapies commonly presented as the primary therapies in complementary medicine, namely homoeopathy, acupuncture, herbalism, chiropractic and osteopathy. This survey represents a single snapshot of nurses' use of complementary therapies. The convenience sample focused upon a self-selected group of people who were members of the RCNCTF and this has to be borne in mind when considering the results. The intention is to report the findings and no attempt is made to generalize upon the results. However, there is clearly a need to identify national utilization of complementary therapies within the health care sector.

This paper addresses the potential for complementary therapies in the Accident and Emergency (A & E) department. It is suggested that whilst there are a number of therapies which may be efficacious in emergency settings, nurses need to consider the broader implications of their use in the A & E department. The organisational context of the A & E department and the nature of such acute work means that complementary therapies will probably be used as therapeutic techniques rather than discrete therapeutic entities. It is suggested that this approach is not dissimilar to the use of complementary therapies in other nursing specialities. The use of complementary therapies as techniques enhancing therapeutic care may, in the short term, be beneficial, however nurses need to reflect and reappraise what it is they are actually doing and the extent to which they can reconcile two apparently opposite paradigms of health care. The use of complementary therapy techniques have considerable potential in the care of clients attending A & E departments and examples of therapies and conditions for which it could be used are given

In a world of expensive treatments and high technology, human touch is a valuable therapeutic intervention with dramatic implications. In 1972, Dr. Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz, both RNs, began developing therapeutic touch as a healing modality specifically designed for health professionals. Since that time, interest has grown so much that therapeutic touch is now taught in more than 80 colleges and universities in the United States and in more than 70 foreign countries, especially in schools of nursing.

Aromatherapy and massage could provide a useful addition to psychological therapeutic interventions with clients suffering from dementia. The effects of aromatherapy and massage on disturbed behaviour in four individuals with severe dementia were evaluated using a single-case research design. Each participant received 10 treatment sessions of aromatherapy, aromatherapy and massage combined, and massage alone. The effects on each individual's behaviour in the hour following treatment were assessed against 10 'no treatment' control sessions. Reliable individualized disturbed behaviour scales were designed. The effects of the treatments were mixed. The opinion of the staff providing treatment was that all participants benefited. On close scrutiny, only one of the participants benefited from the aromatherapy and massage to a degree that reached statistical significance. In two of the cases aromatherapy and massage led to an increase in agitated behaviour. The importance of the single case study approach with this client group is discussed.

Although the clinical features of lymphedema are often distinctive, it is essential to confirm the diagnosis with an objective test. Isotope lymphography is simple and 95% accurate for defining deficient lymph clearance. It is particularly useful for separating venous from lymphatic edema. Definition of the precise abnormality--peripheral lymphatic obliteration, proximal lymph node obstruction, or valvular incompetence--can only be made with lymphangiography. The mainstay of treatment is the reduction of edema by regular elevation and massage and external compression with elastic stockings. Pneumatic leggings are also helpful. Gross edema caused by peripheral obliteration may be reduced surgically by simple excision (Homans' operation) or complete excision and skin grafting (Charles' operation). Reflux through incompetent vessels may be prevented by vessel ligation. Obstruction by the iliac lymph nodes may be bypassed with an enteromesenteric pedicle.

The effectiveness of the "Sea Band" acupressure band compared with placebo and hyoscine (0.6 mg), also known as scopolamine, to increase tolerance to a laboratory nauseogenic cross-coupled motion challenge was assessed using 18 subjects. The results showed that the subjects had a significant increase in tolerance with hyoscine but had no increase in tolerance with the "Sea Band" or placebo. Possible reasons for the failure to show any significant protection from the use of these acupressure bands are insufficient movement of the wrist to provide continuous stimulation, and/or the likelihood that only a minority of the population would show non-negligible benefit as experience with medical acupressure would suggest. The application of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation may be worthy of study.

Therapeutic touch is an alternative healing modality that is gaining acceptance. Home healthcare nurses have a unique opportunity to use this nursing intervention in their practice while working in the comfort of the patient's environment. A nurse who not only uses this healing modality in her home care practice, but who now also has her own therapeutic touch private practice, describes how it has affected her patients' and her own well-being.

Kellgren injected 0.1-0.3 ml of 6% hypertonic saline solution into muscle tissue and found that pain was referred distally from the original injection site. Kellgren injected the fascial epimysium of the gluteus medius muscle with 0.1 ml of 6% saline solution which referred pain several centimeters distally. The tendon of the tibiallis anterior, similarly injected, referred pain to the medial aspect of the ankle and instep.

Kellgren also found that pressure to sensitive areas of the muscle tissue in patients with "fibrositis" (Myofacial Trigger Points) reproduced the patients reported pain symptoms. After Kellgren identified the pain patterns created by these injections he identified in reverse these problem areas based solely on patient complaints. The spot tenderness was often remote from the patients reported pain and the area around that point was not painful to the patient. When that spot was injected with procaine, the patients reported pain was relieved.

Kellgren injected hypertonic saline into the periosteum producing painful referred symptoms.

Popelianskii, et al. measured the rate at which radioactive NaI was eliminated from tissue in the clinically affected area. They reported a distinct prolongation of the resorption rate of the isotope, which they interpreted as due to impaired local circulation.

Trigger points (TPs) in muscles of the lower torso associated with the spine are an important cause of low back pain. The quadratus lumborum is the muscle most commonly involved, but TPs located there are often overlooked because of inadequate physical examination techniques. TPs in the lower rectus abdominis refer pain horizontally across the low back, and those in the iliopsoas refer pain in a vertical pattern, parallel to the lumbosacral spine. The pain pattern of TPs in the serratus posterior inferior is noted in the region of the muscle itself.

Gluteal, pelvic, and lower extremity muscles are common sites of origin of myofascial low back pain. Trigger points (TPs) in the gluteus maximus and medius muscles refer pain locally to the gluteal and sacral regions, while those in the gluteus minimus are likely to refer pain down the lower extremity as far as the ankle on the same side. TPs in intrapelvic muscles refer pain chiefly to the pelvic region. Besides producing referred myofascial pain, TPs in the piriformis muscle can cause symptoms of entrapment of the peroneal portion or all of the sciatic nerve. TPs in the soleus muscle may refer pain to the sacroiliac joint.

Myofascial trigger points (TPs) are frequently overlooked sources of acute and chronic low back pain. An active myofascial TP is suspected by its focal tenderness to palpation and by restricted stretch range of motion. The restricted lengthening of the muscle is due to the tense band of muscle fibers in which the TP is located. The presence of a TP is confirmed by a local twitch response and by reproduction of its known pattern of referred pain, which matches the distribution of the patient's pain. Only an active TP causes a clinical pain complaint; a latent TP does not. The pain can be relieved by the stretch-and-spray procedure, ischemic compression, or precise injection of the TP with procaine solution. Relief is usually long lasting only if mechanical and systemic perpetuating factors are corrected.

Myofascial trigger points (TPs) in a muscle are usually activated by acute or chronic overload of the muscle. They are identified by objective and subjective findings. Objective signs include a palpably firm, tense band in the muscle, production of a local twitch response, restricted stretch range-of-motion, weakness without atrophy, and no neurologic deficit. Subjectively, the patient reports stiffness and easy fatigability, spontaneous pain in a distribution predictable for that TP, an exquisite deep tenderness specifically at the TP. Sustained pressure on the TP induces referred pain in the predicted pattern. Some muscles are likely to produce additional objective and subjective autonomic concomitants. Laboratory and radiographic findings are negative. The affected muscle is treated by passive stretch while a jet stream of vapocoolant spray is applied over it, or by injection of the TP with a local anesthetic. A case report describes in detail the treatment of a patient who, for 13 years, had suffered from a medically enigmatic, intense right facial pain with severe dysfunction and who is now pain-free, with a full schedule of unrestricted activities 23 years later.

Many asthma patients seek alternative or adjunctive therapies. One such modality is reflexology, whereby finger pressure is applied to certain parts of the body. The aim of the study was to examine the popular claim that reflexology treatment benefits bronchial asthma. Ten weeks of active or simulated (placebo) reflexology given by an experienced reflexologist, were compared in an otherwise blind, controlled trial of 20+20 outpatients with asthma. Objective lung function tests (peak flow morning and evening, and weekly spirometry at the clinic) did not change. Subjective scores (describing symptoms, beta2-inhalations and quality of life) and also bronchial sensitivity to histamine improved on both regimens, but no differences were found between groups receiving active or placebo reflexology. However, a trend in favour of reflexology became significant when a supplementary analysis of symptom diaries was carried out. It was accompanied by a significant pattern compatible with subconscious unblinding, in that patients tended to guess which treatment they had been receiving. No evidence was found that reflexology has a specific effect on asthma beyond placebo influence.

Background and purpose: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is thought by some authors the main cause of headache and neck pain. MPS is characterized by Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs). However, there are not many controlled studies that have analyzed the effects of the manual therapies in their treatment. The aim of this systematic review is to establish whether manual therapies have specific efficacy in the management of MPS, based on published studies. Methods: Data sources: PubMed (from 1975), Ovid MEDLINE (from 1975), Ovid EMBASE (from 1975), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, AMED (Alternative Medicine), Science Direct and PEDRO (Physiotherapy Evidence Database), databases were used to the searches. Study selection: Clinical or Controlled trials in which some form of manual therapy treatment was used to treat MTrPs. Data extraction: Two blinded reviewers independently extracted data concerning trial methods, quality and outcomes. Quality assessment: Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDRO) quality score method was used in this review. Results: Data synthesis. 7 studies were included in this review. One manual therapy treatment was investigated in 4 studies (one of them included a group treated with manual therapy combined with other physical medicine modalities); a combination of various manual therapies was investigated in 2 studies, and manual therapy combined with other physical medicine modality was investigated in 2 trials. Quality of the included studies: Two papers obtained 6 points, another two scored 5 points, one scored 3 points, one scored 2 point and the remaining one scored 1 point. Discussion: Results did not produce any rigorous evidence that some manual therapies have an effect beyond placebo in treatment of MPS. Some of the studies reviewed confirmed that MTrP treatment is effective in reducing the pressure pain threshold, and scores on visual analogue scales. Pressure pain threshold and visual analogue scale were the outcome measures most used in the analyzed studies. MPS is characterized by restricted range of motion (ROM), which suggests the need to include ROM measurements in future studies. Conclusions: The principal conclusion of this review is that there have been very few randomized controlled trials that analyse treatment of MPS using manual therapy. The second conclusion is that the hypothesis that manual therapies have specific efficacy, beyond placebo, in the management of MPS is neither supported nor refuted by research to date. Controlled trials are needed to investigate whether manual therapy has an effect beyond placebo on MTrP management. Author Keywords: Myofascial pain; Myofascial trigger points; Pressure pain threshold; Systematic review

The translation of existing healthcare measurement scales is considered a feasible, efficient and popular approach to produce internationally comparable measures. The short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire is one of the most widely used and translated instruments to measure the pain experience. The Greek version of the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (GR-SFMPQ) has recently been developed and demonstrated satisfactory levels of internal consistency.The objective of the present study was to assess the instrument's reliability and sensitivity.Eighty patients with spinal or knee pain were included. The test-retest reliability of the instrument was estimated for measurements within the same day and after 15 days. The sensitivity of the measure was examined before and after the application of a physiotherapy therapeutic regime.The correlation coefficients (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient and Spearman's) ranged from 0.87-0.98 for within-day measurements and from 0.70-0.92 for administrations between days. All indexes of the GR-SFMPQ (total score, sensory and affective scores, total count of used words, visual analogue score, present pain index) managed consistently to detect the changes in pain experienced (p<0.05), after a therapeutic intervention, when assessing for the sensitivity of the questionnaire. An explorative discriminant analysis of the GR-SFMPQ indexes managed to correctly classify up to 85% of the patients; a classification rate comparable to the full version MPQ rating capacity.It can be argued from the results of this study that the Greek version of the SFMPQ fulfils the criteria of reliability and sensitivity to fluctuations of pain and can be utilized with confidence in cross-cultural comparative research trials. Copyright 2001 European Federation of Chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain Copyright 2001 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

A short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) has been developed. The main component of the SF-MPQ consists of 15 descriptors (11 sensory; 4 affective) which are rated on an intensity scale as 0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate or 3 = severe. Three pain scores are derived from the sum of the intensity rank values of the words chosen for sensory, affective and total descriptors. The SF-MPQ also includes the Present Pain Intensity (PPI) index of the standard MPQ and a visual analogue scale (VAS). The SF-MPQ scores obtained from patients in post-surgical and obstetrical wards and physiotherapy and dental departments were compared to the scores obtained with the standard MPQ. The correlations were consistently high and significant. The SF-MPQ was also shown to be sufficiently sensitive to demonstrate differences due to treatment at statistical levels comparable to those obtained with the standard form. The SF-MPQ shows promise as a useful tool in situations in which the standard MPQ takes too long to administer, yet qualitative information is desired and the PPI and VAS are inadequate.

The neuromatrix theory of pain proposes that pain is a multidimensional experience produced by characteristic "neurosignature" patterns of nerve impulses generated by a widely distributed neural network-the "body-self neuromatrix"-in the brain. These neurosignature patterns may be triggered by sensory inputs, but they may also be generated independently of them. Acute pains evoked by brief noxious inputs have been meticulously investigated by neuroscientists, and their sensory transmission mechanisms are generally well understood. In contrast, chronic pain syndromes, which are often characterized by severe pain associated with little or no discernible injury or pathology, remain a mystery. Furthermore, chronic psychological or physical stress is often associated with chronic pain, but the relationship is poorly understood. The neuromatrix theory of pain provides a new conceptual framework to examine these problems. It proposes that the output patterns of the body-self neuromatrix activate perceptual, homeostatic, and behavioral programs after injury, pathology, or chronic stress. Pain, then, is produced by the output of a widely distributed neural network in the brain rather than directly by sensory input evoked by injury, inflammation, or other pathology. The neuromatrix, which is genetically determined and modified by sensory experience, is the primary mechanism that generates the neural pattern that produces pain. Its output pattern is determined by multiple influences, of which the somatic sensory input is only a part, that converge on the neuromatrix.

We have studied ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) from living organisms. We report here some features of the UPE from human hand by means of photon counting techniques. The intensity of the UPE depended on the position of human hand; nail>finger>palm. As the temperature declined, the intensity of the UPE from the palm decreased. Further, as oxygen concentration around the palm was lowered, the intensity of the UPE from the palm decreased. These results show the UPE from the palm partly contains emissions based on oxidation reaction on skin surface as a potential. When we used mineral oil between the photomultiplier tube and the palm, the intensity of the UPE increased twice as much, which indicates the UPE from the inside of the skin certainly exists. The fact may be explained by refractive index matching. As mentioned above, we considered the generation mechanism of photons emitted from the human hand.

BACKGROUND: Research on human ultra-weak photon emission (UPE, biophoton emission) has raised the question whether a typical human emission anatomic percentage distribution pattern exists in addition to individual subject overall anatomic summation intensity differences. The lowest UPE intensities were observed in two subjects who regularly meditate. Spectral analysis of human UPE has suggested that ultra-weak emission is probably, at least in part, a reflection of free radical reactions in a living system. It has been documented that various physiologic and biochemical shifts follow the long-term practice of meditation and it is inferred that meditation may impact free radical activity. OBJECTIVE: To systematically quantify, in subjects with long-term transcendental meditation (TM) experience and subjects without this experience, the UPE emission of the anterior torso, head and neck plus the hands in an attempt to document the differences by the two groups. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 20 men reported to be healthy and nonsmokers. Each of the subjects in the meditation group had practiced TM twice daily for at least the past 10 years. METHODS: UPE in 20 subjects was recorded in a dark room using a highly sensitive, cooled photomultiplier system designed for manipulation in three directions. The protocol for multisite registration of spontaneous emission includes recording of 12 anatomic locations of anterior torso, head, and hands. RESULTS: Data demonstrate emission intensities that are lower in TM practitioners as compared to control subjects. The percent contribution of emission from most anatomic locations was not significantly different for TM practitioners and control subjects. Exceptions are the contributions of throat and palm. CONCLUSION: In subjects with long-term TM experience, the UPE emission is different from control subjects. Data support the hypothesis that free radical reactions can be influenced by TM.

BACKGROUND: Various physiologic and biochemical shifts can follow meditation. Meditation has been implicated in impacting free radical activity. Ultraweak photon emission (UPE, biophoton emission) is a constituent of the metabolic processes in a living system. Spectral analysis showed the characteristics of radical reactions. OBJECTIVES: Recording and analysing photon emission in 5 subjects before, during and after meditation. METHODS: UPE in 5 subjects who meditated in sitting or supine positions was recorded in a darkroom utilising a photomultiplier designed for manipulation in three directions. RESULTS: Data indicated that UPE changes after meditation. In 1 subject with high pre-meditation values, UPE decreased during meditation and remained low in the postmeditation phase. In the other subjects, only a slight decrease in photon emission was found, but commonly a decrease was observed in the kurtosis and skewness values of the photon count distribution. A second set of data on photon emission from the hands before and after meditation was collected from 2 subjects. These data were characterised by the Fano factor, F(T), i.e. variance over mean of the number of photoelectrons observed within observation time T. All data were compared to surrogate data sets which were constructed by random shuffling of the data sets. In the pre-meditation period, F(T) increased with observation time, significantly at time windows >6 s. No such effect was found after meditation, when F(T) was in the range of the surrogate data set. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the hypothesis that human photon emission can be influenced by meditation. Data from time series recordings suggest that this non-invasive tool for monitoring radical reactions during meditation is useful to characterise the effect of meditation. Fano factor analysis demonstrated that the time series before meditation do not represent a simple Poisson process. Instead, UPE has characteristics of a fractal process, showing long-range correlations. The effect of meditation waives out this coherence phenomenon, suggesting a weaker and less ordered structure of UPE. In general, meditation seems to influence the complex interactions of oxidative and anti-oxidative reactions which regulate photon emission. The reason for the statistical changes between pre- and post-meditation measurements remains unclear and demands further examination.

BACKGROUND: In the past years, research on ultraweak photon emission (UPE) from human body has increased for isolated cells and tissues. However, there are only limited data on UPE from the whole body, in particular from the hands. OBJECTIVE: To describe a protocol for the management of subjects that (1) avoids interference with light-induced longterm delayed luminescence, and (2) includes the time slots for recording photon emission. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The protocol was utilised for multi-site recording of 4 subjects at different times of the day and different seasons, and for one subject to complete spectral analysis of emission from different body locations. An especially selected low-noise end-window photomultiplier was utilised for the detection of ultraviolet / visible light (200-650 nm) photon emission. For multi-site recording it was manipulated in three directions in a darkroom with a very low count rate. A series of cut-off filters was used for spectral analysis of UPE. 29 body sites were selected such that the distribution in UPE could be studied as right-left symmetry, dorsal-ventral symmetry, and the ratio between the central body part and extremities. Results: Generally, the fluctuation in photon counts over the body was lower in the morning than in the afternoon. The thorax-abdomen region emitted lowest and most constantly. The upper extremities and the head region emitted most and increasingly over the day. Spectral analysis of low, intermediate and high emission from the superior frontal part of the right leg, the forehead and the palms in the sensitivity range of the photomultiplier showed the major spontaneous emission at 470-570 nm. The central palm area of hand emission showed a larger contribution of the 420-470 nm range in the spectrum of spontaneous emission from the hand in autumn/winter. The spectrum of delayed luminescence from the hand showed major emission in the same range as spontaneous emission. CONCLUSION: Examples of multi-site UPE recordings and spectral analysis revealed individual patterns and dynamics of spontaneous UPE over the body, and spectral differences over the body. The spectral data suggest that measurements might well provide quantitative data on the individual pattern of peroxidative and anti-oxidative processes in vivo. We expect that the measurements provide physiological information that can be useful in clinical examination.

BACKGROUND: Biophoton emission is the spontaneous emission of ultraweak light emanating from all living systems, including man. The emission is linked to the endogenous production of excited states within the living system. The detection and characterisation of human biophoton emission has led to suggestions that it has potential future applications in medicine. OBJECTIVES: An overview is presented of studies on ultraweak photon emission (UPE, biophotons) from the human whole body. METHODS: Electronic searches of Medline, PsychLit, PubMed and references lists of relevant review articles and books were used to establish the literature database. Articles were then analysed for their main experimental setup and results. RESULTS: The, mostly, single case studies have resulted in a collection of observations. The collection presents information on the following fields of research: (1) influence of biological rhythms, age, and gender on emission, (2) the intensity of emission and its left-right symmetry in health and disease, (3) emission from the perspective of Traditional Chinese and Korean Medicine, (4) emission in different consciousness studies, (5) procedures for analysis of the photon signal from hands, (6) detection of peroxidative processes in the skin. Of each article the main findings are presented in a qualitative manner, quantitative data are presented where useful, and the technological or methodological limitations are discussed. CONCLUSION: Photon emission recording techniques have reached a stage that allows resolution of the signal in time and space. The published material is presented and includes aspects like spatial resolution of intensity, its relation to health and disease, the aspect of colour, and methods for analysis of the photon signal. The limited number of studies only allows first conclusions about the implications and significance of biophotons in relation to health and disease, or to mental states, or acupuncture. However, with the present data we consider that further research in the field is justified.

Still one of the most astonishing biological electromagnetic phenomena is the ultraweak photon emission (UPE) from living systems. Organisms and tissues spontaneously emit measurable intensities of light, i.e. photons in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum (380-780 nm), in the range from 1 to 1,000 photons x s-1 x cm-2, depending on their condition and vitality. It is important not to confuse UPE from living systems with other biogenic light emitting processes such as bioluminescence or chemiluminescence. This article examines with basic considerations from physics on the quantum nature of photons the empirical phenomenon of UPE. This leads to the description of the non-thermal origin of this radiation. This is in good correspondence with the modern understanding of life phenomena as dissipative processes far from thermodynamic equilibrium. UPE also supports the understanding of life sustaining processes as basically driven by electromagnetic fields. The basic features of UPE, like intensity and spectral distribution, are known in principle for many experimental situations. The UPE of human leukocytes contributes to an endogenous light field of about 1011 photons x s-1 which can be influenced by certain factors. Further research is needed to reveal the statistical properties of UPE and in consequence to answer questions about the underlying mechanics of the biological system. In principle, statistical properties of UPE allow to reconstruct phase-space dynamics of the light emitting structures. Many open questions remain until a proper understanding of the electromagnetic interaction of the human organism can be achieved: which structures act as receptors and emitters for electromagnetic radiation? How is electromagnetic information received and processed within cells?

Living systems spontaneously emit ultraweak light (ultraweak photon emission, UPE) during the process of metabolic reactions associated with the normal physiological state. Stress factors and pathological states change parameters of that emission, such as intensity, yield, temporal, statistical and spectral characteristics. Thus, properties of UPE are inherently associated with and derived from biochemical and biophysical excitation processes. UPE can be considered as a holistic expression of the perturbation of the physiological state of the bio-system and may carry information on the bioenergetics, kinetics and character of biochemical and physiological processes, functioning of the regulatory feedback systems and the degree of perturbation by internal and external factors. This article presents an overview of the fundamentals of UPE and its relation to physiological processes.

Living cells spontaneously emit ultraweak light during the process of metabolic reactions associated with the physiological state. The first demonstration of two-dimensional in vivo imaging of ultraweak photon emission from a rat's brain, using a highly sensitive photon counting apparatus, is reported in this paper. It was found that the emission intensity correlates with the electroencephalographic activity that was measured on the cortical surface and this intensity is associated with the cerebral blood flow and hyperoxia. To clarify the mechanism of photon emission, intensity changes from whole brain slices were examined under various conditions. The removal of glucose from the incubation medium suppressed the photon emission, and adding 50 mM potassium ions led to temporal enhancement of emission and subsequent depression. Rotenone (20 microM), an inhibitor of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, increased photon emission, indicating electron leakage from the respiratory chain. These results suggest that the photon emission from the brain slices originates from the energy metabolism of the inner mitochondrial respiratory chain through the production of reactive oxygen. Imaging of ultraweak photon emission from a brain constitutes a novel method, with the potential to extract pathophysiological information associated with neural metabolism and oxidative dysfunction of the neural cells.

Ultraweak luminescence (UWL) accompanying oxidative transformations of catecholamines (CA) into melanins, particularly adrenaline and noradrenaline in the model system CA + Fe(CN)6(3-) + OH(-) + H2O2 in vitro was investigated by spectroscopic methods. Separate steps of the oxidative transformations from CA to melanins were analyzed with respect to their energetic/spectroscopic properties in order to evaluate the possibility of chemiexcitation and light emission. Results of experiments with pure adrenochrome + H2O2 + OH- provided evidence pointing to the key role of the interaction between aminochromes and active oxygen species.

The catechol oxidase-catalysed and autoxidative transformation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) to eumelanin have been studied by oxygen consumption, energy transfer, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Formation of transient dopachrome (lambda max = 480 nm) and dopalutin (lambda ex = 423 nm, lambda em = 491 nm) have been found in the enzymatic and autoxidative reaction. In the enzymatic reaction, neither a photon emission with quantum yield phi greater than 10(-13) nor energy transfer to triplet and singlet energy acceptors (sensitizers such as anthracene derivatives, xanthene dyes and chlorophyll-a) in water and micellar solutions have been found. The autoxidative reaction is chemiluminescent (phi = 10(-9)), the emission occurring in the 400-600 nm range. The excitation energy is not transferred to sensitizers. The effect of various enzymes and traps of active oxygen species as well as the spectral distribution of chemiluminescence indicate that there is no emission from oxygen dimoles. Carbonates and active species of oxygen are shown to participate in the chemiexcitation reaction.

For the first time systematic measurements of the "ultraweak" photon emission of the human body (biophotons) have been performed by means of a photon detector device set up in darkness. About 200 persons have been investigated. In a particular case one person has been examined daily over several months. It turned out that this biophoton emission reflects, (i) the left-right symmetry of the human body; (ii) biological rhythms such as 14 days, 1 month, 3 months and 9 months; (iii) disease in terms of broken symmetry between left and right side; and (iv) light channels in the body, which regulate energy and information transfer between different parts. The results show that besides a deeper understanding of health, disease and body field, this method provides a new powerful tool of non-invasive medical diagnosis in terms of basic regulatory functions of the body.

The word "biophotons" is used to denote a permanent spontaneous photon emission from all living systems. It displays a few up to some hundred photons/(s x cm2) within the spectral range from at least 260 to 800 nm. It is closely linked to delayed luminescence (DL) of biological tissues which describes the long term and ultra weak reemission of photons after exposure to light illumination. During relaxation DL turns continuously into the steady state biophoton emission, where both, DL and biophoton emission exhibit mode coupling over the entire spectrum and a Poissonian photo count distribution. DL is representing excited states of the biophoton field. The physical properties indicate that biophotons originate from fully coherent and sometimes even squeezed states. The physical analysis provides thermodynamic and quantum optical interpretation, in order to understand the biological impacts of biophotons. Biological phenomena like intracellular and intercellular communication, cell growth and differentiation, interactions among biological systems (like "Gestaltbildung" or swarming), and microbial infections can be understood in terms of biophotons. "Biophotonics", the corresponding field of applications, provide a new powerful tool for assessing the quality of food (like freshness and shelf life), microbial infections, environmental influences and for substantiating medical diagnosis and therapy.

By comparing the theoretically expected results of photon emission from a chaotic (thermal) field and those of an ordered (fully coherent) field with the actual experimental data, one finds ample indications for the hypothesis that 'biophotons' originate from a coherent field occurring within living tissues. A direct proof may be seen in the hyperbolic relaxation dynamics of spectral delayed luminescence under ergodic conditions. A possible mechanism has to be founded on Einstein's balance equation and, under stationary conditions, on energy conservation including a photochemical potential. It is shown that the considered equations deliver, besides the thermal equilibrium, a conditionally stable region far away from equilibrium, which can help to describe both 'biophoton emission' and biological regulation.

The phenomenon of ultraweak photon emission from living systems was further investigated in order to elucidate the physical properties of this radiation and its possible source. We obtained evidence that the light has a high degree of coherence because of (1) its photon count statistics, (2) its spectral distribution, (3) its decay behavior after exposure to light illumination, and (4) its transparency through optically thick materials. Moreover, DNA is apparently at least an important source, since conformational changes induced with ethidium bromide in vivo are clearly reflected by changes of the photon emission of cells. The physical properties of the radiation are described, taking DNA as an exciplex laser system, where a stable state can be reached far from thermal equilibrium at threshold.

Ultra-weak photon emission of a living system has received scienti?c attention because of its potential for monitoring oxidative metabolism and oxidative damage to tissues. Heretofore, most studies have focused only on the emission from hands. The data regarding emission from other anatomic locations are limited. A previous multi-anatomic site recording of four subjects quantitatively demonstrated that the emission from several corresponding anatomic locations could di?er by as much as a factor of 4. The data also suggested a ‘‘common’’ anatomic emission percentage distribution pattern. This information raised the question whether such a typical anatomic percentage emission exists. The objective of the present paper is to systematically replicate the emission from identical anatomic locations to document whether the anatomic percentage distribution pattern is generic. Part 1 includes the recording of ultra-weak photon emission from one sample subject over the torso, head and upper extremities with a highly sensitive charge-coupled device (CCD). Part 2 includes the analysis of that data to select a series of anatomic locations that were subsequently studied with a group of 20 subjects utilizing a highly sensitive, cooled and moveable (in three directions) photomultiplier system. Total sum emission of all recorded anatomic locations per subject ?uctuates in this study almost 5-fold between subjects. However, the contribution of each anatomic location to the total emission from each subject was approximately the same percentage for each subject and similar to the sample CCD subject. The deviation of the anatomic percentage contribution for each subject was also established. The study presents evidence that there is a ‘‘common’’ anatomic percentage distribution pattern of ultra-weak photon emission for corresponding locations from each subject.