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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Joanne Guerrerio, MSN, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, One Barnes-Jewish Hospital Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63110, 314-821-8967, jguerrerio@aol.com and Cynthia A. Loveland Cook, PhD, School of Social Service, Saint Louis University, 3550 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
Fatigue is a common and often debilitating response to radiation therapy for women with gynecologic or breast cancer. Although the underlying mechanisms explaining radiation-induced fatigue are largely unknown, one explanation focuses on the relationship of fatigue to disrupted energy fields following radiation therapy. Healing touch (HT), a widely practiced energy-based complementary and alternative treatment, is increasingly being used to remedy this condition. However, little is known about its efficacy.
A single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted using a convenience sample of 62 women receiving radiation treatment for gynecologic and breast cancer at a large university-affiliated medical center. Adult women whose cancer required either internal or external radiation therapy were enrolled in the study. The experimental group received six healing touch treatments by Level II HT practitioners, whereas the "sham" comparison group received six mock treatments by research assistants not trained in HT.
Fatigue was measured using the self-administered Visual Analog Scale before and after each HT or sham treatment. Covariates included functional (SF-36) and emotional status (Profile of Moods States), as well as radiation dose, fatigue-inducing medications, chemotherapy and anemia. Preliminary findings demonstrate larger reductions in fatigue in the HT group following 5 out of 6 treatments. To illustrate, the HT group experienced a mean 9.9 (S.D.=13.1) reduction in fatigue during the last treatment compared to a mean 3.4 (S.D.=7.2) for the comparison group (t=2.30, p<.03). The implications of the findings will be described from the perspective of evidence-based practice, clinical utilization and future research.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to
Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, Women's Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.