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Weze C, Leathard HL, Grange J, Tiplady P, Stevens G. Healing by gentle touch ameliorates stress and other symptoms in people suffering with mental health disorders or psychological stress. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE : ECAM 2007; 4:115-23. [PMID: 17342249 PMCID: PMC1810357 DOI: 10.1093/ecam/nel052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2006] [Accepted: 06/28/2006] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies on healing by gentle touch in clients with various illnesses indicated substantial improvements in psychological well-being, suggesting that this form of treatment might be helpful for people with impaired quality of mental health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of healing by gentle touch in subjects with self-reported impairments in their psychological well-being or mental health. One hundred and forty-seven clients who identified themselves as having psychological problems received four treatment sessions. Pre- to post-treatment changes in psychological and physical functioning were assessed by self-completed questionnaires which included visual analogue scales (VAS) and the EuroQoL (EQ-5D). Participants recorded reductions in stress, anxiety and depression scores and increases in relaxation and ability to cope scores (all P < 0.0004). Improvements were greatest in those with the most severe symptoms initially. This open study provides strong circumstantial evidence that healing by gentle touch is safe and effective in improving psychological well-being in participants with self-reported psychological problems, and also that it safely complements standard medical treatment. Controlled trials are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Weze
- The Centre for Complementary Care, Muncaster Chase Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1RD, Faculty of Health and Social Care, St Martin's College Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 3JD, Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School 46 Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB and Meadow Croft, Wetheral Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8JG, UK
| | - Helen L. Leathard
- The Centre for Complementary Care, Muncaster Chase Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1RD, Faculty of Health and Social Care, St Martin's College Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 3JD, Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School 46 Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB and Meadow Croft, Wetheral Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8JG, UK
| | - John Grange
- The Centre for Complementary Care, Muncaster Chase Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1RD, Faculty of Health and Social Care, St Martin's College Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 3JD, Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School 46 Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB and Meadow Croft, Wetheral Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8JG, UK
| | - Peter Tiplady
- The Centre for Complementary Care, Muncaster Chase Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1RD, Faculty of Health and Social Care, St Martin's College Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 3JD, Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School 46 Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB and Meadow Croft, Wetheral Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8JG, UK
| | - Gretchen Stevens
- The Centre for Complementary Care, Muncaster Chase Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1RD, Faculty of Health and Social Care, St Martin's College Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 3JD, Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School 46 Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB and Meadow Croft, Wetheral Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8JG, UK
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Abstract
There have been many hundreds of studies which have examined the efficacy of different forms of treatment of psychiatric disorders over the past 40 years. This paper presents some background to these studies for statisticians, illustrating and discussing some of the difficult problems which arise in this specialty of medicine. It also demonstrates a major requirement for statisticians to influence both the design and presentation of clinical trials and provides some suggestions about how this may be done.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Johnson
- Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit, University Forvie Site, Cambridge, UK.
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