Newswise — In the largest national survey of its kind, researchers from UCLA and UC San Diego measured medical students’ attitudes and beliefs about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and found that three-quarters of them felt conventional Western medicine would benefit by integrating more CAM therapies and ideas.
Massage Therapy Eases Post-Surgical Pain
A Mayo Clinic study conducted over a period of five months showed so much of a reduction in post-surgical pain, they hired a full-time massage therapist to be available for patients after heart surgery. Approximately half of the 58 patients who participated in this original pilot study received massage.
On a 10-point scale of pain, those who received massage had a mean post-surgical pain score of less than one, while those who did not receive massage had an average score of three. In addition to the massage therapy, the Mayo Clinic has been looking into the advantages of other complementary therapies, including ambient music and guided imagery, both of which have shown to have a positive effect of patients recovering from surgery.
Back killing you? Try Kyphoplasty
Greenport doctor Frank Adipietro injects surgical cement into the damaged vertebrae of an 87-year-old woman suffering from chronic back pain for years. The procedure, called kyphoplasty, was recently criticized by the New England Journal of Medicine.
Five Days of Massage Benefit Preterm Infants
Stable preterm infants gained more weight and slept less after five days of massage therapy than infants who did not receive massage, according to a recent study.
“Stable Preterm Infants Gain More Weight and Sleep Less after Five Days of Massage Therapy” was conducted by staff at the Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine; and the Center for Prenatal Assessment and Human Development, Emory University.
Massage Can Alleviate Lower Back Pain
Many back pain sufferers seek to alleviate their symptoms with massage, but, according to The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, only some forms of massage therapy are actually beneficial in reducing or eliminating pain. “Research suggests that classic massage, Thai massage and acupressure can relieve low back pain that has lasted longer than several weeks,” says Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute’s Director. Read more