Healing touch therapy thrives despite skeptics

By Vivianne Rodrigues
Fri Nov 16, 4:26 PM ET


NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's not traditional medicine but patients love it: an unconventional therapy called the healing touch that is gaining acceptance in some U.S. hospitals.

The technique uses light touch and deep breathing to address energy imbalances, its advocates say. Though research on it is limited, the therapy is practiced at 30 U.S. hospitals and by nearly 2,000 certified therapists, according to Healing Touch International, based in Denver.

"Healing touch raised my awareness and brought me a deep state of relaxation, which is not something you can get just by taking pain medicine," said Sarla Santos, 40, a nurse who underwent lung surgery in October and receives healing touch therapy at New York University Medical Center.

"Pain medication takes the pain out but doesn't make you feel good or calm."

The U.S. National Institutes of Health classifies healing touch as "energy medicine," in which practitioners believe illness results from disturbances of subtle energy fields, and calls it controversial.

The NIH says neither the external energy fields nor the therapeutic effects have been demonstrated convincingly.

NYU Medical Center has approved it as a complement to traditional rehabilitation, offering patients and staff free sessions as part of the hospital's MindBody Patient Care Program.

The system incorporates ancient Asian healing techniques and was developed in the 1980s by Janet Mentgen, a nurse in Colorado.

A healing touch therapist will gently touch or glide his hands through the patient's energy points or affected areas, such as shoulders, feet and forehead. The practitioner concentrates on each point for a few minutes.

Lisa Anselme, executive director at the Denver organization, said the method was not meant to stand alone.

"Healing touch is not intended to replace standard treatment. It's a complementary therapy," said Anselme, a registered nurse and healing touch practitioner.

Jackie Levin, a nurse who coordinates the NYU program, said the treatment works well for people with anxiety, depression and stress associated with surgery and cancer treatments.

"It's very safe, very calming and in the end, almost everyone can benefit from it," said Levin.

Nancy Hauserman, 58, a college professor in Iowa City, sought healing touch therapy twice, first during a period of emotional distress and then after foot surgery.

"I would still see my doctor, but I wanted to make sure that there were no blockages between my mind and body at that time," Hauserman said. "In fact, my own doctor was extremely impressed with how fast my wound has healed."

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)

"Healing touch is not intended to replace standard treatment. It's a complementary therapy," said Anselme, a registered nurse and healing touch practitioner.

It doesn't surprise me that "healing touch" can make patients feel calmer, but it's not because of "energy". It's because patients are lonely, and simply having someone give you a massage or talk to you in a calming, caring demeanour will make you feel much better.

News flash: a hospital is a shitty place to hang out. There's nothing to do, the environment is ugly, the nurses are harried and irritable so you feel guilty asking them for anything, your family only shows up for a few minutes each day if you're lucky, and your friends usually figure it's good enough to send you a "Get Well" card in the mail. Virtually anything is an improvement on the status quo in hospitals.

They should compare the calming effects of "healing touch" with the calming effects of bringing in callgirls to give blowjobs and flirt with the patients. I'd bet they'd feel even better after that, but I doubt any hospital would dare try the experiment.

I'm not actually joking. I would love to see one of these studies on "alternative therapies" to make patients feel better, only done with callgirls instead of shamans or witch doctors or faith healers or whatever else the woo-woo crowd is trying to sell. I'd bet that the results are at least as good, if not better.

I'm not actually joking. I would love to see one of these studies on "alternative therapies" to make patients feel better, only done with callgirls instead of shamans or witch doctors or faith healers or whatever else the woo-woo crowd is trying to sell. I'd bet that the results are at least as good, if not better.

I smell an ignoble in the making.

I'm not actually joking. I would love to see one of these studies on "alternative therapies" to make patients feel better, only done with callgirls instead of shamans or witch doctors or faith healers or whatever else the woo-woo crowd is trying to sell. I'd bet that the results are at least as good, if not better.

What the fuck are "energy imbalances"? Is that a nifty term for being hungry?

I'm not actually joking. I would love to see one of these studies on "alternative therapies" to make patients feel better, only done with callgirls instead of shamans or witch doctors or faith healers or whatever else the woo-woo crowd is trying to sell. I'd bet that the results are at least as good, if not better.

This is slightly off topic, but your comments reminded me of a case a few years back. A dieing teenage boy wanted to experience sex before he passed, so someone at the hospital hired a prostitute for him. After his death the parents found out and sued the hospital. I think it happened in Australia, but I'm not sure. Does anyone remember that case and know how it turned out (though I'd be shocked if it didn't end in a nice fat settlement for the family)?

Why bother suing? It's a complete waste of time.

What the fuck are "energy imbalances"? Is that a nifty term for being hungry?

I feel with you. The German equivalent is homeopathy. People love it and it feels like it´s on the rise. Even people whom i otherwise think of as reasonable people, some of them holding engeneering and even fucking science degrees will take some bullfuckering homeopathy globulies to "rince out the bad things from the painkillers" they´re taking because they just had an operation.

Frankly, you can blame the failures of conventional medicine for the rise of alternative medicine. Look at all the world's hospitals and how they treat you. When you're in inpatient care, you feel like you're a fucking prisoner. Doctors don't seem to care at all how you're feeling; they figure you're fine as long as you don't have symptoms that can be tied to a serious complication. Conventional medicine has neglected the patient's feelings in a big way.

I feel with you. The German equivalent is homeopathy. People love it and it feels like it´s on the rise. Even people whom i otherwise think of as reasonable people, some of them holding engeneering and even fucking science degrees will take some bullfuckering homeopathy globulies to "rince out the bad things from the painkillers" they´re taking because they just had an operation.