Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Form of Therapeutic Touch - Case Study Example

Alternative Therapy Running head: ALTERNATIVE THERAPY: THERAPEUTIC TOUCH Alternative Therapy: Therapeutic Touch in APA Style Name of University Alternative Therapy 2 “Complementary and alternative medicine is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine (otherwise known as traditional, Western, orthodox, and mainstream),” as reported by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), 2002. The five categories of therapies as defined by the National Institutes of Health and the NCCAM are as follows: 1. Alternative Medical Systems—based on complete systems of theory and practice that have been inspired by the U.S.A. Homeopathy is one example that has developed in western cultures. Eastern cultures developed traditional Chinese medicines. 2. Mind-Body Interventions—incorporates techniques that influence the mind to assist with healing. Examples include cognitive-behavioral therapy, mental healing, prayer, and meditation. 3. Biologically Based Therapies—the implementation of natural substances such as herbs, natural and yet unproven methods such as supplements, shark cartilage, foods, and natural remedies. 4. Manipulative and Body-Based Methods—manipulation and movement of parts of the body. This includes massage, chiropractic manipulation, and osteopathic treatments. 5. Energy Therapies—used to affect energy fields. Energy fields have not been scientifically proven. However, biofield therapies attempt to influence these energy fields to induce healing. Therapeutic touch falls under this category. Alternative Therapy 3 Another form of energy therapy includes bioelectromagnetic-based therapies, which is the unconventional use of electromagnetic fields. Therapeutic touch therapy is also called “laying on of hands”. Therapists provide balance of the bodies’ energies by locating the imbalances and passing their hands of the areas of their patients that are imbalanced. It is believed that by balancing these energies, recovery and healing is increased. Since the beginning of time, it has been believed the power of touch is extremely healing. Many cultures believe that bodily contact not only heals physical ailments but also heals spiritually so therapeutic touch therapy is a very spiritual. Whether the religion is Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, etc. it is believed that two persons, or more, can heal by mere physical contact. This has now evolved into the Western world as therapeutic touch has been incorporated into treatments. Therapeutic Touch (2004) reports that, “Dolores Krieger, a professor at New York University School of Nursing, and Dora Kunz, a natural healer, developed therapeutic touch in the early 1970s. At first, Krieger and Kunz only taught the techniques to Kriegers graduate school nursing students, but Kriegers professional research and writing increased the popularity of the technique, particularly among nurses. The practice grew primarily through a grassroots effort of nurses throughout the United States.” Therapeutic touch therapy is based on the belief that there is life energy in all living things and in the universe. It is believed that when there are irregularities in these energies then there are ailments. Therapists locate these irregularities and channel energies from themselves to the areas that hold the irregularities and can reenergize these areas. It is believed that this type of therapy can heal ailments that are known and also issues/ailments that patients Alternative Therapy 4 are not even aware of. One with a painful shoulder may come out of the treatment with a positive attitude about his/her life. Other theories of therapeutic touch therapy include the idea that physical or emotional pain is stored in the cells of the body. The cells that store the pain cause other cells to not function properly which then leads to diseases. Those who go by this theory believe that therapeutic touch improves communication between the cells. (Therapeutic Touch, 2002.) There are many claims for this type of therapy, which can be misleading and perhaps even false. Claims include healing from a distance, producing energies to promote world peace and decrease violence. One of the dangers of therapeutic touch is the anecdotal evidence which are “simply stories which pertain somehow to topic matter… Contrasted to the cold, careful, and (ideally) rational view of scientific inquiry are the simple day to day experiences of therapeutic touch which are recorded in anecdotes. Anecdotes make no pretense at scientific method; they are simply descriptions of what happened in a particular circumstance. Anecdotal evidence of therapeutic touch is quite well documented, going back several thousand years for certain systems. As powerful and moving as an anecdote may be, there are many inherent weaknesses involved in using anecdotes to support an argument. The names of persons involved are often changed to protect their identities. While this is certainly a good practise from the standpoint of our constitutional right to privacy, it does make it absolutely impossible to track down the sources of these stories. There is no way to prove that any of these stories occurred in the manner related, if they occurred at all. Another problem with anecdotal references is the lack of scientific controls. Even if these stories did occur in the manner Alternative Therapy 5 described by the texts, there is no reason to believe that they would not have turned out the exact same way without the intervention of a touch healer,” as reported by Marble (n.d.) There are scientific studies and data on therapeutic touch. These studies are usually unbiased and reproducible. The researchers of these studies usually include doctors and other health practitioners and these are the ones who are most affected by the outcome. They usually have a vested stake. Studies on therapeutic touch therapy techniques are quite simple to do. However, the understanding of the findings and data is rather difficult as there are many changes and factors which make the interpretation of results quite difficult and inconsistent. Although templates can be used to conduct the studies and research, the conclusions of experiments can be interpreted different. For example, Marble (n.d.) lists a template experiment which was listed in an abstract at the Reiki homepage (n.d.), “Daniel Wirth of Healing Sciences International in Orinda, California conducted a tightly controlled experiment involving a (Therapeutic Touch). Forty four male college students received identical minor wounds deliberately inflicted by a doctor in the right or left shoulder. Twenty-three then received (Therapeutic Touch) and the other twenty-one did not. The treatments were given in such a way that the possibility of a placebo effect was ruled out. All forty-four students extend their arms though a hole in the wall. In the other room, a trained healer was present for those who received healing and administered healing from a distance without touching. For those who did not receive healing, no one was present in the room. Both the students and the doctor who administered the wounds and later also evaluated their healing rate had been told that the experiment was about the electrical conductivity of the body. Neither knew that the experiment was about healing. Eight and sixteen day follow-up measurements of the rate of wound healing Alternative Therapy 6 were done. After eight days, the treated groups’ wounds had shrunk 93.5 percent compared with 67.3 percent for those not treated. After sixteen days, the figures were 99.3 and 90.9. After debriefing, the students stated they did not know the true nature of the experiment and had felt no contact with the healer. The possibility that expectations of the students caused the healing was ruled out.” The experiment can be performed over and over and is listed in full detail, however the findings and conclusions can be interpreted differently. Finally, another danger, or concern, regarding this therapy is that there are no certifications and guidelines. As therapeutic touch healing is incorporated into hospitals, due to meeting the demands of the public or for whatever reason, people assume that these therapists have passed credentials and requirements that are set forth. However, there are no certifications, licenses, or regulations that are required by the government for those who provide therapeutic touch healing. Putting all of this into consideration, it is upon the individual to determine whether or not he/she wishes to incorporate this type of therapy. The writer believes that if it only helps an individual mentally and he/she believes that it does work, then it will work as it all starts with the mind. If you believe, then it shall happen. Besides, human touch cannot possibly be harmful. It seems to be one of the greatest human needs. Braunstein (1999) wonderfully states, “Touch - at once the simplest and most intimate of communications. A touch expresses, a to uch connects, a touch closes distance and in an Instant reminds us that we are not separate. Touch quite truly lowers the resistance of energy between two bodies and when that energy is linked, the potential is raised. Alternative Therapy 7 References Braunstein, M. (1999). Therapeutic Touch: Hands on Healing. Heartland Healing Center: 1999. Retrieved 24 April 2006 from http://www.heartlandhealing.com/pages/archive/therapeutic_touch/index.html Marble, D. (n.d.). I Have the Touch: The Alternate Treatment Modality of Therapeutic Touch. Reiki. Retrieved 24 April 2006, from http://www.wesleyan.edu/synthesis/FRIDAY/frifinal/artdm.htm#setting Reiki Homepage, http://reiki.org/reikinews/reikin24.html National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (May, 2002). What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 24 April 2006, from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/#sup1 Therapeutic Touch (2002). A.D.A.M., Inc.: 2004. Retrieved 24 April 2006, from http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsModalities/Print/TherapeuticTouchcm.html Therapeutic Touch (2004). What is therapeutic touch? University of Maryland Medical Center: 2004. Retrieved 24 April 2006, from http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsModalities/TherapeuticTouchcm.html Read More