Standardized massage interventions as protocols for the induction of psychophysiological relaxation in the laboratory: a block randomized, controlled trial

Touch medicine: bridging the gap between recent insights from touch research and clinical medicine and its special significance for the treatment of affective disorders

Interpersonal touch represents the primal sensory experience between humans, fostering social bonding from the cradle to the death bed. In recent decades "affective touch" has been intensely studied, stimulated by the discovery of a population of mechanosensitive unmyelinated C-tactile afferents in mammalian skin. A lack of touch in childhood is associated with negative consequences for psychosocial and physical health and the benefits of professional touch techniques in the prevention and treatment of various diseases have been shown over and over again in clinical studies. However, its application in mainstream clinical applications remains limited. To bridge the gap between recent discoveries in touch research and clinical medicine, we propose the establishment of a new discipline: 'Touch Medicine'. Here, we unfold the potential of Touch Medicine by focusing on the treatment of depression, which in our view is primarily a disorder of the lived body. Controlled studies and systematic reviews have demonstrated the antidepressant, anxiolytic and analgesic effects of specific massage techniques. Underlying mechanisms of action are currently under investigation, ranging from interoceptive, endocrinological, to stress-related or psychological underpinnings. Touch Medicine represents a novel interdisciplinary field connected to various medical specialities such as neonatology, pediatrics, pain medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and geriatrics - but also clinical psychology and psychosomatic medicine might benefit from the integration of these findings into their daily practice.

Positive psychological effects of seated acupressure massage are associated with a rise in plasma oxytocin without affecting CGRP levels or circulating IL-6

Work-related stress is a major public health issue. Given the relationship between acute stress responses and health, finding strategies to deal with the unpleasant symptoms brought on by stress is essential. Massage therapy is a popular stress-reduction technique, but its effectiveness has yet to be shown. In that matter, this study investigates the effects of a 17-minute session of seated Amma massage on young healthy people. Subjective stress perception, anxiety and self-confidence were assessed before and after the massage using the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (STAI-Y, Spielberger et al., 1983) and the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (EEAC, Cury et al., 1999), together with cardiovascular parameters. Cortisol, CGRP, IL-6, and oxytocin plasma levels were measured before and after the massage to investigate its possible mode of action. This study enrolled 59 people: 33 receiving the massage, and 26 controls only seated on the massage chair. Interaction Time x Group demonstrates significant differences for all psychological measurements (STAI, EEAC) before and after the Amma massage, showing a beneficial effect of this treatment, in particular on perceived anxiety and self-confidence. No evidence was found of any correlation between cortisol plasma levels and psychological outcomes. No relationship was shown between the decrease of perceived stress and measured CGRP or IL-6 release, but the data demonstrated that heart frequency could be slightly decreased. The oxytocin plasma levels were significantly increased by the massage and could be responsible for the recovery of psychological outcomes. We conclude that seated acupressure Amma massage could be a useful tool to ameliorate quality of life at work.

Brief Myofascial Intervention Modulates Visual Event-Related Potential Response to Emotional Photographic Contents: A Pilot Study

The use of touch for the treatment of psychiatric disorders is increasingly investigated, as it is shown that cognitive symptoms can be improved by various forms of massage. To investigate if the effect of massage is measurable using classical visual event-related potential components (P1, P2, late positive potential (LPP)), we performed a preliminary study on six participants using myofascial induction massage. Participants were shown emotionally valenced or neutral images before and after a 20 min myofascial massage. We found general increases in P2 amplitude following the intervention across all conditions (both neutral and affective), indicating increased attention or salience to visual stimuli. The magnitude of change was visibly larger for unpleasant stimuli, suggesting that visual perception and attention were modulated specifically in response to unpleasant visual images. The LPP showed reductions in amplitude after myofascial massage, suggesting increased emotional modulation following intervention, as a result of possible DMN alterations, consistent with region and function. We conclude that brief myofascial intervention supports other research in the field, finding that physical touch and massage techniques can alter cognition and perception. We posit further research to investigate its future use as an intervention for both physical and cognitive modulation. Importantly, we provide preliminary evidence that the neural processes that resonate with this type of massage involve complex feedforward and backward cortical pathways, of which a significant portion participate in modulating the visual perception of external stimuli.

The objective and subjective impact of a daily self-massage on visible signs of stress on the skin and emotional well-being

INTRODUCTION

Currently, levels of stress, worry and sadness are increasing worldwide. Considered a part of healthcare, massage is associated with morphological, biological and psychological benefits. Little is known about using daily facial self-massage to improve skin quality and well-being.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of a daily self-massage on the visible signs of stress on facial skin and well-being in women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This open, prospective, clinical study was conducted in Paris, France. The visible signs of facial ageing were assessed with an objective 10-point scale and a subjective skin and well-being assessment with an online self-questionnaire. Each day for 2 weeks, participants performed a prescribed, 3-min self-massage routine at-home using a lubricant made of botanical oils. The prescribed massage included 14 gestures including stretching, flicking, deep typing, friction and smoothing on the face.

RESULTS

Overall, 50 women, with Fitzpatrick skin type II or III, aged between 40 and 60 years were enrolled. Several statistically significant improvements on skin ageing signs were observed ptosis (p < 0.005, Student's t-test, -4.9%), fine lines (p < 0.0001 Student's t-test, -23.8%), plumpness (p < 0.005, Student's t-test, +4.4%) and radiance (p < 0.0001 Student's t-test, +16.7%). Subjective benefits were also declared. Most participants (>85%) agreed that their skin looks smoother, more bouncy and fine lines were reduced. Also, 100% of women declare that the massage boosts their feeling of well-being.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that facial self-massage provided significant, visible clinical, and self-observed skin benefits, and feelings of well-being.

Multimodal non-invasive non-pharmacological therapies for chronic pain: mechanisms and progress

BACKGROUND

Chronic pain conditions impose significant burdens worldwide. Pharmacological treatments like opioids have limitations. Non-invasive non-pharmacological therapies (NINPT) encompass diverse interventions including physical, psychological, complementary and alternative approaches, and other innovative techniques that provide analgesic options for chronic pain without medications.

MAIN BODY

This review elucidates the mechanisms of major NINPT modalities and synthesizes evidence for their clinical potential across chronic pain populations. NINPT leverages peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms to restore normal pain processing and limit central sensitization. However, heterogeneity in treatment protocols and individual responses warrants optimization through precision medicine approaches.

CONCLUSION

Future adoption of NINPT requires addressing limitations in standardization and accessibility as well as synergistic combination with emerging therapies. Overall, this review highlights the promise of NINPT as a valuable complementary option ready for integration into contemporary pain medicine paradigms to improve patient care and outcomes.

Physiological benefits associated with facial skincare: Well-being from emotional perception to neuromodulation

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to demonstrate the specific nature of well-being induced by a facial skincare by deciphering its physiological and psychological impacts out of a therapeutic context.

METHODS

Objective and subjective evaluations were performed on two groups of healthy participants. One group of 32 participants received 1-h facial skincare, while the second group of 31 participants were subjected to a resting condition during the same period. Electroencephalography, electrocardiography, electromyography, and respiratory rate measurements were assessed before and after both experimental conditions. Prosody and semantic analyses were also performed to evaluate the emotional perception in both groups.

RESULTS

Physiological relaxation was observed after both experimental sessions; however, the effect was higher after the facial skincare. The cerebral, cardiac, respiratory, and muscular relaxation induced by facial skincare was 42%, 13%, 12%, and 17% higher, respectively, than that induced by the resting condition. In addition, non-verbal and verbal assessments showed that positive emotions were more markedly associated with the perception of facial skincare.

CONCLUSION

The comparison between parameters recorded after a rest period allowed us to distinguish the physiological and psychological signature of facial skincare. Moreover, our results suggest an involvement of positive emotions in the physiological relaxation enhancement. All these observations contribute to the very scarce data available on the specific profile of well-being associated with facial skincare.

Nature-Based Relaxation Videos and Their Effect on Heart Rate Variability

Growing evidence suggests that natural environments – whether in outdoor or indoor settings – foster psychological health and physiological relaxation, indicated by increased wellbeing, reduced stress levels, and increased parasympathetic activity. Greater insight into differential psychological aspects modulating psychophysiological responses to nature-based relaxation videos could help understand modes of action and develop personalized relaxation interventions. We investigated heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of autonomic regulation, specifically parasympathetic activity, in response to a 10-min video intervention in two consecutive studies as well as heart rate (HR). We hypothesized that a nature-based relaxation video elicits HRV increase and HR decrease, with response magnitude being affected by aspects of early life adversity (conceptualized as low parental care and high overprotection/constraint) and trait mindfulness. In Study 1, N = 60 participants (52% female, age_mean = 23.92 ± 3.13 years, age_range = 18–34 years) watched a relaxation video intervention depicting different natural scenery. We analyzed changes in HR and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a standard HRV measure, both based on 3-min segments from the experimental session, in multiple growth curve models. We found a decrease in HR and increase of RSA during the video intervention. Higher paternal care and lower trait mindfulness observing skills (assessed via questionnaires) were associated with higher RSA values before but not during video exposure. In Study 2, N = 90 participants (50% female, age_mean = 22.63 ± 4.57 years, age_range = 18–49 years) were assigned to three video conditions: natural scenery from Study 1, meditation video, or short clip from “The Lord of the Rings.” Again, HR decreased, and RSA increased during video segments, yet without expected group differences across different video types. We found higher parental care and lower parental overprotection to predict higher RSA at different times during the experiment. Interestingly, lower paternal overprotection predicted overall higher RSA. These results suggest a generic relaxation effect of video interventions on autonomic regulation that we discuss in light of different theories mapping restorative effects of natural environments. Further, psychological characteristics like aspects of early life adversity and trait mindfulness could contribute to individual differences in autonomic regulation. This study contributes to a better understanding of autonomic and psychological responses to relaxation videos.

Romantic partner embraces reduce cortisol release after acute stress induction in women but not in men

Stress is omnipresent in our everyday lives. It is therefore critical to identify potential stress-buffering behaviors that can help to prevent the negative effects of acute stress in daily life. Massages, a form of social touch, are an effective buffer against both the endocrinological and sympathetic stress response in women. However, for other forms of social touch, potential stress-buffering effects have not been investigated in detail. Furthermore, the possible stress-buffering effects of social touch on men have not been researched so far. The present study focused on embracing, one of the most common forms of social touch across many cultures. We used a short-term embrace between romantic partners as a social touch intervention prior to the induction of acute stress via the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test. Women who embraced their partner prior to being stressed showed a reduced cortisol response compared to a control group in which no embrace occurred. No stress-buffering effect could be observed in men. No differences between the embrace and control group were observed regarding sympathetic nervous system activation measured via blood pressure or subjective affect ratings. These findings suggest that in women, short-term embraces prior to stressful social situations such as examinations or stressful interviews can reduce the cortisol response in that situation.

Pediatric Tuina in children with autism spectrum disorder: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by repetitive stereotypical behavior and communication deficits. Currently, it lacks a specific clinical treatment method. Pediatric Tuina is a recent therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been used to treat children with ASD. Nonetheless, it remains uncommon given the lack of large-scale evidence-based medical studies. This study aims to compare the efficacy of Tuina and conventional treatment in children with ASD.

Methods

Eligible children will be randomly assigned to either the pediatric Tuina plus conventional treatment group or to the conventional treatment alone group based on a random table at a ratio of 1:1. The effectiveness of the Tuina intervention for ASD will be evaluated by a third-party organization. The pre- and post-intervention scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale comprised the primary outcome, whereas pre- and post-intervention scores on the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist were the secondary outcomes to assess improvement in symptoms. Baseline values of the participants will be determined at the time of registration. Outcomes will be evaluated after the 30th treatment session. The follow-up period will last for 6 months after treatment.

Discussion

This study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tuina in the treatment of ASD. The results of this study could provide reliable evidence to improve the management of patients with ASD.

Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (CHICTR), ChiCTR2000040452. Registered on 28 November 2020.