Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2005; 10: 14
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of healing touch (HT) on emotional distress in women undergoing radiation treatment for newly diagnosed gynaecologic or breast cancer.
A two-arm single-blind RCT was conducted with 78 subjects randomly allocated to either an HT group or a mock treatment (MT) group. Beginning in the first third of their radiation treatment, subjects received six HT or MT sessions without either seeing or talking to their HT or MT providers. Subjects had more than one treatment provider over the course of their six sessions. Emotional distress was measured using the Profile of Mood State (POMS) and the mental health subscales of the SF-36.
Differences in baseline sociodemographic background, medical characteristics, attitudes about HT and emotional distress were not found between the two groups. The HT group made significantly greater within-group improvement on the POMS than the MT group, particularly on the anxiety, anger and confusion subscales. Greater within-group improvements were also found in the HT group on the mental health and emotional role functioning subscales of the SF-36 compared to the MT group.
The significant effect of HT in the emotional distress lends support to its inclusion in treatment protocols for women receiving radiation therapy for breast or gynaecologic cancer.
This study was financially supported by Healing Touch of St. Louis and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation.
