Therapeutic touch/fotosearch
Therapeutic touch has its skeptics, but the postsurgical patients who received treatment with this ancient Asian medical practice are not among them.
In a recent University of Missouri study, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of non-contact therapeutic touch in a group of patients who were receiving occupational therapy after surgery. The 90 patients were divided into three groups; treatment with therapeutic touch, a placebo group in which a metronome was the treatment, and a control group that received no rehabilitation.
Compared with the placebo and control groups, the patients who received non-contact therapeutic touch reported a significant reduction in pain intensity: 22 of 30 (73%) experienced this benefit. Patients in the placebo and control groups reported an increase in pain perception.
Non-contact therapeutic touch has been described as the intentional and direct channeling of life energy from a practitioner to a recipient. People who recognize that the human body produces energy and that energy can be directed are typically most accepting of this therapeutic method.
The sessions involve four phases: centering, assessment, ‘unruffling’ the energy field, and intervention. This process allows the recipients’ energy to rebalance and the individuals to heal themselves. Therapeutic touch is being considered by more and more medical facilities as a way for consumers to manage pain using a non-drug, cost-effective way.
For more information about therapeutic touch in Arizona, contact the Therapeutic Touch Arizona Network for classes, workshops, and practitioners.
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