Pain Relief, Emmett, Massage, Reflexology and Healing

Category: <span>Research</span>

By Zena Hayward Blog articles, Research , , , , , ,

Advertising Standards for holistic therapies

What can holisitic therapies acutally prove?

What can be said on the website regarding how therapies can help is very restricted by the Advertising Standards Authority. Since 2011 therapists are unable to claim to do any more than relax, improve general well-being and lower stress.

 

The ASA wants to see double blind trials with a placebo control, the kind that pharmaceutical companies spend millions on then rake the money back by charging high fees for their drugs. Since most therapy groups are not in the multi million pound league of the big pharma companies this evidence is not available.

 

So I may have treated many people over the last 20+ years for the same problem and helped them but I cannot tell anyone.

So I may have a treatment that will help a specific problem but without a double blind placebo controlled trial I cannot tell anyone.

ASA states "marketers may claim that aromatherapy products and massage can be used for beauty, relaxation or "feel good” purposes but should not claim medicinal or health benefits beyond those stated above. "

I have had a therapy that has greatly helped the symptoms from a head injury, eg slight tremor in left hand - but the person treating me cannot tell anyone......

Even where trials have taken place with positive results in a NHS hospital this cannot be referred to as I am not allowed to reference specific medical conditions.

The best I can do is add to my blog the research summaries that do exist.

I cannot say that aromatherapy oils that have anti bacterial components could be anti bacterial, I cannot say ..(sorry cannot tell you).

I CAN SAY

Treatments may help you relax and reduce stress.

You may experience a sense of well-being.

Any relief from muscle pain may be temporary....

By Zena Hayward Blog articles, Massage, Research ,

Massage and migraine – research study

Migraine is helped by massage therapy.

Massage helps reduce pain and the need for pain killers study shows. Read summary here.

STUDY ONE.

 

Migraine

Lawler, S. & Cameron, L. (2006). A randomized, controlled trial of massage therapy as a treatment for migraine. Annual Behaviour and Medicine, 32, 50-9.

METHODS: Migraine sufferers (N = 47) who were randomly assigned to massage or control conditions completed daily assessments of migraine experiences and sleep patterns for 13 weeks.

Massage participants attended weekly massage sessions during Weeks 5 to 10. State anxiety, heart rates, and salivary cortisol were assessed before and after the sessions. Perceived stress and coping efficacy were assessed at Weeks 4, 10, and 13.

RESULTS: Compared to control participants, massage participants exhibited greater improvements in migraine frequency and sleep quality during the intervention weeks and the 3 follow-up weeks. Trends for beneficial effects of massage therapy on perceived stress and coping efficacy were observed. During the sessions, massage induced decreases in state anxiety, heart rate, and cortisol.

Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Dieter, J., Swerdlow. & Diego, M., (1998). Migraine Headaches are Reduced by Massage Therapy. International Journal of Neuroscience, 96, 1-11.

METHOD: Twenty-six adults with migraine headaches were randomly assigned to a massage therapy group, which received twice-weekly 30-minute massages for five consecutive weeks or a wait-list control group.

RESULTS: The massage group reported fewer distress symptoms, less pain, more headache free days, fewer sleep disturbances and taking fewer analgesics. They also showed increased serotonin levels

STUDY TWO

Headache

Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Dieter, J., Swerdlow. & Diego, M., (1998). Migraine Headaches are Reduced by Massage Therapy. International Journal of Neuroscience, 96, 1-11.

METHODS: Twenty-six adults with migraine headaches were randomly assigned to a massage therapy group, which received twice-weekly 30-minute massages for five consecutive weeks or a wait-list control group. RESULTS: The massage group reported fewer distress symptoms, less pain, more headache free days, fewer sleep disturbances and taking fewer analgesics. They also showed increased serotonin levels.

 

STUDY THREE

CHRONIC NON MIGRAINE HEADACHE

Quinn, C., Chandler, C., & Moraska, A. (2002). Massage therapy and frequency of chronic tension headaches. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 1657-1661.

METHODS: This study examined the effects of massage therapy on chronic, nonmigraine headache. Four chronic tension headache sufferers (aged 18-55 yrs) received structured massage therapy treatment directed toward the neck and shoulder muscles during a 4-wk period. RESULTS: Massage therapy reduced the number of weekly headaches. Headache frequency was significantly reduced within the initial week of massage treatment, and continued for the remainder of the study. A trend toward reduction in average duration of each headache event between the baseline period and the treatment period was also observed.

 

Contact me to book a massage to help your migraines.

 

Click HERE to go to the Touch Research website massage page. Opens in a new tab.

By Zena Hayward Blog articles, Research

Reflexology used for cancer patients

Reflexology used for cancer patients

Ten minute reflexology treatments can provide relief from pain, nausea and anxiety, according to a report from the School of Nursing, Division of Science and Design, University of Canberra, Australia.

Nurses at the School conducted an empirical study on the use of foot massage as a nursing intervention in patients hospitalised with cancer. The study was developed from the earlier work of Ferrell-Torry and Glick (1992).

87 patients participated in the study and each received a 10-minute reflexology foot massage (5 minutes per foot) . The results revealed that the treatments produced a significant and immediate effect on the patients’ perceptions of pain, nausea, and relaxation, when measured with a visual analog scale. The use of reflexology foot massage as a complementary method is recommended as a relatively simple nursing intervention for patients experiencing nausea or pain related to the cancer experience. The results were so positive that the researchers recommend that further research using larger numbers of patients in controlled clinical trials into its eused ffectiveness of reflexology in alleviating pain, nausea and anxiety in the management of these symptoms by the family at home is warranted.

 

Foot massage. A nursing intervention to modify the distressing symptoms of pain and nausea in patients hospitalized with cancer. Grealish L, Lomasney A, Whiteman B Cancer Nurs 2000 Jun;23(3):237-43

Click here to see the original article © Internet Health Library 2000

 

 

 

 

By Zena Hayward Blog articles, Research

Research on reflexology and migraine headaches

Reflexology & Migraine

According to a large nationwide research study undertaken in Denmark, reflexology treatment has a beneficial effect on patients suffering from migraine and tension headaches. The study was conducted at the Department of Social Pharmacy, The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy in co-operation with five reflexology associations. 220 patients participated with treatment being given by 78 fully trained reflexologist across the country.

Headaches remain the most common health problem amongst the adult population and it has been estimated that they are the reason for the loss of three mil-lion working days every year. Reflexology is renowned for its ability to help relax and calm patients and for this reason it was considered an interesting therapy to study for the treatment of tension headaches and migraine.

Of all the patients who took part in the study, 90 percent said that they had taken prescribed medication for their headaches within the month prior to the commencement of the study and, of them, 36 percent had experienced side effects from the medicines. 81 percent of the prescribed medicine in the acetvlsalicyclic acid and paracetamol group was taken at least twice a week and 72% of the stronger migraine medicines were taken at least once a fortnight which indicates that the majority of the patients were suffering from moderate to severe symptoms. 34 percent had taken medications for ailments other than headaches.

Three months after a completed series of reflexology treatments, 81 percent of patients confirmed that reflexology had either cured (16%) or helped (65%) their symptoms. 19 percent of the patients re-ported that they had been able to completely dispense with the medications they had been taking before the study.

The reflexologist also found that there was a strong link between headaches and the gall bladder, stomach, bladder, and endocrine hormone meridians. At the end of the study the patients who benefited from the treatment showed less stress on the reflex points for the ovaries, small intestine, bladder, stomach, liver and kidneys than they had experienced on their first treatment. The likelihood of successful cure was found to be greatest for: a) those patients whom the reflexologist found no stress on the reflex zones of the uterus or gall bladder, and b) younger patients who had suffered from headaches for a short period of time.

Brendstrup E, Launso L, Eriksen L. Reflexions March 1996, 10

See the Internet Health Library page Reflexology research migraine here (opens in a new tab).