Effects of therapeutic touch on biochemical and mood indicators in women

Previous research has shown therapeutic touch (TT) to be effective in reduc ing anxiety and discomfort and promoting relaxation. The present investigat ion experimentally evaluated the effects of TT on biochemical indicators an d moods in a sample of 41 healthy female volunteers. Participants were rand omly assigned to either an experimental group who received TT or to a contr ol group who did not receive TT. Pretest and posttest urine samples were co llected, and personality and mood inventories were administered across thre e consecutive monthly sessions. Results indicated that mood disturbance in the experimental group decreased significantly over the course of the three sessions, while the control group increased in mood disturbance over time. Specifically, experimental group participants showed significant reduction s in tension, confusion, and anxiety and a significant increase in vigor ac ross sessions. Analyses of the biochemical data indicated that TT produced a significant decrease in levels of nitric oxide in the experimental group by the third TT session. The results of the present investigation have impo rtant implications for reducing symptom distress in cancer patients undergo ing chemotherapy.