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The application of techniques of Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch in cancer: a systematic review.
132
Poster Presentations / European Journal of Integrative Medicine 4S (2012) 124–201
a reduction of pain NRS ≤3 is considered efficacious; however, any pain reduction is registered. For groups B and C, the treatment effectiveness is based on HFS reduction.
PP-020
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2012.07.778
Laffranchi Alberto
PP-019
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
The application of techniques of Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch in cancer: a systematic review. Motta Pedro, Monezi Ricardo, Andrade André, Filice de Barros Nelson Faculty of Medical Sciences - State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Sao Paulo, Brazil Background: Reiki, therapeutic touch and healing touch are complementary and integrative practices, which contribute to the harmonisation with the flow of vital energy in the body through the laying-on-of-hands method. One of the most prominent experts in this field is Wilhelm Reich. He believes that cancer could be due to a lack of vital energy (orgone). After many studies and observations, he concluded that tumour would be only a symptom, the more visible part of the disease. Although his findings have provided new perspectives to comprehend cancer, the influence of energetic therapies is not well understood. Aim: The study aimed to analyse and discuss the results regarding complementary techniques such as Reiki, therapeutic touch and healing touch in patients with cancer. Method: A systematic review was undertaken about the use of complementary techniques in patients with cancer. Only articles written in the English language in the last 30 years, identified in ‘PubMed/Medline’, ‘Lilacs’, ‘Embase’, ‘Ebsco’ and ‘Web Of Science’, were considered. The keywords were Reiki and cancer, therapeutic touch and cancer, healing touch and cancer. Results: There were 13 articles found related to the use of the complementary techniques described above. The data showed a divergence among some authors because the same variables led to conflicting results. Despite these findings, the effects obtained by these techniques are coherent with those effects showed by Wilhelm Reich, such as the function of vital energy in the human body, reduction of pain, relaxing and reducing fatigue. Conclusion: Despite the conflicting results of some studies, there is some evidence to support the efficacy of hands-on techniques on relaxation, pain reduction and fatigue relief. Further studies are needed in this area focussing on qualitative approaches aiming to understand more about the effects of complementary techniques in patients with cancer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2012.07.779
Low-dose phyto-therapeutic complexes to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
control
Background: For many chemotherapy regimens, neurotoxicity is the most important non-haematologic dose-limiting toxicity, and there are no guidelines for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Aim: The efficacy of a low-dose phyto-therapeutic complex (Arnica Compositum, Rhododendroneel S, Ranunculus Homaccord and Colocynthis Homaccord)was tested in patients with peripheral pain following chemotherapy, prescribing 10 drops of each alcoholic preparation in the evening. Method: The treatment was given to seven patients with post-taxane neuropathic pain in the hands, present for at least 3 months, refractory to gabapentin. In all cases a clinically significant reduction in hand pain was shown approximately 3 months after initiating the treatment. A further five breast cancer patients with post-taxane neuropathic pain present for about a month were treated. Subsequently two lung cancer patients with neuropathy of the hands and feet were treated, who experienced pain reduction within 20 days of initiating treatment, and two further patients, one with lung cancer and the other with colon cancer were treated; the former had neuropathy of the hands and feet for over a year, the second had a similar complaint for 2 years following treatment with oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil and which worsened at night and disturbed sleep. The patient with lung cancer stopped taking the treatment after 20 days due to lack of benefit. In the patient treated for colon cancer, the symptoms in the hands resolved within 2 months but the problems in the feet persisted. In this patient, weekly treatment was given of an injectable phyto-therapeutic preparation containing Acer negundo, Condurango, Fraxinus americana, Gallae, Haematoxylon campechianum, Lycopodium, Prunus padus, Raphanus, Scrofularia nodosa, Thuia, Ulmus campestris and Viscuma album (P73 Juv 110). The foot paraesthesia improved after the first injection and further improved (no longer interrupted sleep) after the second injection. A third injection is planned followed by oral treatment. The encouraging results with these low-cost phyto-therapeutic preparations indicate that controlled studies should be performed to validate their efficacy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2012.07.780
Poster Presentations / European Journal of Integrative Medicine 4S (2012) 124–201
a reduction of pain NRS ≤3 is considered efficacious; however, any pain reduction is registered. For groups B and C, the treatment effectiveness is based on HFS reduction.
PP-020
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2012.07.778
Laffranchi Alberto
PP-019
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
The application of techniques of Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch in cancer: a systematic review. Motta Pedro, Monezi Ricardo, Andrade André, Filice de Barros Nelson Faculty of Medical Sciences - State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Sao Paulo, Brazil Background: Reiki, therapeutic touch and healing touch are complementary and integrative practices, which contribute to the harmonisation with the flow of vital energy in the body through the laying-on-of-hands method. One of the most prominent experts in this field is Wilhelm Reich. He believes that cancer could be due to a lack of vital energy (orgone). After many studies and observations, he concluded that tumour would be only a symptom, the more visible part of the disease. Although his findings have provided new perspectives to comprehend cancer, the influence of energetic therapies is not well understood. Aim: The study aimed to analyse and discuss the results regarding complementary techniques such as Reiki, therapeutic touch and healing touch in patients with cancer. Method: A systematic review was undertaken about the use of complementary techniques in patients with cancer. Only articles written in the English language in the last 30 years, identified in ‘PubMed/Medline’, ‘Lilacs’, ‘Embase’, ‘Ebsco’ and ‘Web Of Science’, were considered. The keywords were Reiki and cancer, therapeutic touch and cancer, healing touch and cancer. Results: There were 13 articles found related to the use of the complementary techniques described above. The data showed a divergence among some authors because the same variables led to conflicting results. Despite these findings, the effects obtained by these techniques are coherent with those effects showed by Wilhelm Reich, such as the function of vital energy in the human body, reduction of pain, relaxing and reducing fatigue. Conclusion: Despite the conflicting results of some studies, there is some evidence to support the efficacy of hands-on techniques on relaxation, pain reduction and fatigue relief. Further studies are needed in this area focussing on qualitative approaches aiming to understand more about the effects of complementary techniques in patients with cancer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2012.07.779
Low-dose phyto-therapeutic complexes to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
control
Background: For many chemotherapy regimens, neurotoxicity is the most important non-haematologic dose-limiting toxicity, and there are no guidelines for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Aim: The efficacy of a low-dose phyto-therapeutic complex (Arnica Compositum, Rhododendroneel S, Ranunculus Homaccord and Colocynthis Homaccord)was tested in patients with peripheral pain following chemotherapy, prescribing 10 drops of each alcoholic preparation in the evening. Method: The treatment was given to seven patients with post-taxane neuropathic pain in the hands, present for at least 3 months, refractory to gabapentin. In all cases a clinically significant reduction in hand pain was shown approximately 3 months after initiating the treatment. A further five breast cancer patients with post-taxane neuropathic pain present for about a month were treated. Subsequently two lung cancer patients with neuropathy of the hands and feet were treated, who experienced pain reduction within 20 days of initiating treatment, and two further patients, one with lung cancer and the other with colon cancer were treated; the former had neuropathy of the hands and feet for over a year, the second had a similar complaint for 2 years following treatment with oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil and which worsened at night and disturbed sleep. The patient with lung cancer stopped taking the treatment after 20 days due to lack of benefit. In the patient treated for colon cancer, the symptoms in the hands resolved within 2 months but the problems in the feet persisted. In this patient, weekly treatment was given of an injectable phyto-therapeutic preparation containing Acer negundo, Condurango, Fraxinus americana, Gallae, Haematoxylon campechianum, Lycopodium, Prunus padus, Raphanus, Scrofularia nodosa, Thuia, Ulmus campestris and Viscuma album (P73 Juv 110). The foot paraesthesia improved after the first injection and further improved (no longer interrupted sleep) after the second injection. A third injection is planned followed by oral treatment. The encouraging results with these low-cost phyto-therapeutic preparations indicate that controlled studies should be performed to validate their efficacy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2012.07.780