[goya]

Evaluation of healing by gentle touch in 35 clients
with cancer
Clare Wezea, Helen L. Leatharda,*, John Grangeb, Peter Tipladyc,
Gretchen Stevensd
aSchool of Health, Medical Sciences and Social Work, Faculty of Health & Social Care, St. Martin’s College,
Lancaster LA1 3JD, UK
bCentre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School,
46 Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB, UK
cMeadowcroft, Wetheral, Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8JG, UK
dCentre for Complementary Care, Eskdale, Cumbria CA18 1RT, UK
Summary An uncontrolled, preliminary evaluation of healing by gentle touch in
clients with cancer was carried out at The Centre for Complementary Care in
Eskdale, Cumbria. All clients attending The Centre between 1995 and 2001 were
invited to participate. Data were collected from 35 clients with cancer. Outcome
measures included pre- to post-treatment changes in physical and psychological
functioning. Assessments were made using a questionnaire with visual analogue
scales for subjective rating of symptoms and the EuroQoL (EQ-5D), a generic state of
health measure.
Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests showed statistically significant improvements in
psychological and physical functioning, with positive effects on quality of life. The
most pronounced improvements were seen in ratings for stress and relaxation,
severe pain/discomfort, and depression/anxiety, particularly in those with the most
severe symptoms on entry. The study found no adverse effects resulting from the
treatment. These findings indicate that healing is a safe and effective adjunct to
conventional medical treatment with the potential to ameliorate some of the more
stressful aspects of cancer, including those inherent in current cancer treatment
strategies. Rigorous evaluation of this modality by prospective, randomised,
controlled trial is strongly warranted, as are investigations into its potential for
use in palliative care.
& 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.