Sixty-two studies by nurses illustrate the uses, doses and value of reflexology application
• One nurse-researcher notes: “Foot reflexology is a way to enhance the nurse-patient interrelationship. It offers a strategy to fulfill the goals for human touch and holistic nursing care. It can be performed at any location, is non-invasive, and does not interfere with patients’ privacy.”
• 10 minutes of hand reflexology work was found to be effective in providing: significant pain relief for post operative patients, improvement in feeling, an increase in skin temperature and a high rating for nurse-patient relationship.
• 10-minute hand reflexology sessions over 5 days helped cancer patients with: significantly lower degrees of fatigue and anxiety; improved mood states and lower systolic blood pressure and pulse rate.
• A series of 10-minute hand reflexology sessions over 5 days for 5 weeks with hemodialysis patients demonstrated significant improvements in four measures of kidney functioning. In addition, patients experienced significant increases in vigor, mood, uplifts and self care agency.
• For menopausal women, reflexology work lessened symptoms.
• Foot reflexology makes a real time, right now difference for cancer patients, easing pain and anxiety following a ten-minute session in one study and a thirty-minute session in another.
• Sixteen studies from seven countries demonstrate that reflexology helps cancer patients with: nausea, vomiting, fatigue, pain, and anxiety as well as providing relaxation.
• In separate studies of reflexology, middle-aged women showed: reduced urinary incontinence; reduced depression and stress responses, and strengthened the immune systems; reduced perceived stress and fatigue and helped blood circulation; and relieved pain and depression for those with osteoarthritis.
• In separate studies of postpartum women, reflexology was shown to significantly decrease depression and improve sleep quality as well as gastrointestinal function.
• Separate studies found that elderly women were helped with reflexology: a self-help program lowered depression; reflexology work decreased blood pressure and fatigue as well as helped with sleep and fatigue.
• A hospice program found reflexology (and other complementary therapies) “offer(ed) a voluntary, non-invasive and holistic opportunity for patients to experience increased comfort and relaxation in the midst of their treatment experience.”
• An end-of-life program found that reflexology applied by family members had a beneficial effect on the morale of both cancer patients and their families.
• Research “supports the use of reflexology in nursing home residents with mild/moderate dementia with results demonstrating a significant decrease in symptoms of pain, depression and physiologic measures of stress.”
Evidenced-based reflexology information: research shows how much and how long to apply reflexology to create positive effects.
Barbara Kunz
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Showing posts with label nurses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nurses. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Nursing and Reflexology Research
Touch has always been a part of the nursing mandate and reflexology has become a part of this reach out to patients. The causal use of reflexology by nurses has now been explored through research, creating an evidence base for its uses.
The use of reflexology by nurses is easy and practical as noted by one nurse researcher who writes: “Foot reflexology is a way to enhance the nurse-patient interrelationship. It offers a strategy to fulfill the goals for human touch and holistic nursing care. It can be performed at any location, is non-invasive, and does not interfere with patients’ privacy.”
The following abstracts of sixty-two studies by nurses illustrate the uses, doses and value of reflexology application. For example, research shows benefits of 10 minutes hand reflexology applications: a single application provides post-operative pain relief; a 5-day series helps cancer patients and a 5-day per week/5 weeks course of treatment improves kidney function for dialysis patients. Whether applied as hand reflexology or foot reflexology or taught for partner use, research shows reflexology to be a useful adjunct for nursing.
Barbara Kunz
More Information
The use of reflexology by nurses is easy and practical as noted by one nurse researcher who writes: “Foot reflexology is a way to enhance the nurse-patient interrelationship. It offers a strategy to fulfill the goals for human touch and holistic nursing care. It can be performed at any location, is non-invasive, and does not interfere with patients’ privacy.”
The following abstracts of sixty-two studies by nurses illustrate the uses, doses and value of reflexology application. For example, research shows benefits of 10 minutes hand reflexology applications: a single application provides post-operative pain relief; a 5-day series helps cancer patients and a 5-day per week/5 weeks course of treatment improves kidney function for dialysis patients. Whether applied as hand reflexology or foot reflexology or taught for partner use, research shows reflexology to be a useful adjunct for nursing.
Barbara Kunz
More Information
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