Fwd: [alternacare] TOUCH!

[Guest guest]

>1. The Magic of Your Touch

>Posted by: " Rich Putman " rich.putman richputman

>Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:46 pm (PDT)

>*The Magic of Your Touch

>*

>For centuries, mothers have instinctively known it works -- pick up young

>children and they'll stop crying... gently rub babies' backs and it's off to

>dreamland they go. Now scientists are also coming to recognize the power of

>touch -- and not just touch therapies such as reflexology, but simple acts

>such as giving a backrub, holding hands, sharing a hug or putting your arm

>around someone. With research demonstrating the healing power of touch, more

>hospitals are incorporating massage programs into care protocols for cancer

>and cardiovascular patients, among others.

>

>Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the

>University of Miami School of Medicine, has studied the benefits of touch

>for many years. Her book, *Touch*, reviews medical and sociological research

>on the importance of touch to good health and also argues that the Western

>world, including the medical profession, has marginalized and minimized its

>importance. When I called her to discuss her work, Dr. Field told me that

>many forms of touch can help reduce pain, anxiety, depression and aggressive

>behavior... promote immune function and healing... lower heart rate and

>blood pressure... and improve air flow in asthmatics. All this, and no drug

>side effects!

>

>*THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF TOUCH

>

>*Previous research has suggested that touch deprivation leads to aggression

>and violent behavior in animals, so it was no surprise when Dr. Field shared

>her concerns that living in our largely touch-deprived Western society can

>have negative consequences. It was these concerns that led researchers at

>the Touch Research Institute to examine how touch is treated differently in

>two cities with very different cultures -- Miami and Paris.

>

>In one study, published in *Early Child Development and Care* in 1999, Dr.

>Field and her colleagues measured how much affectionate touch preschoolers

>received from their parents on playgrounds and also the children's level of

>aggressive behavior. In Paris, they found there was more touch toward peers

>and parents by children and less aggression. In a separate study,

>researchers also observed that French adolescents -- raised with more

>affectionate touch -- were more affectionate and less physically and

>verbally aggressive with one another than American adolescents. This

>association does not imply or prove causation, but does make a case for

>closer examination with further research.

>

>*REACH OUT AND TOUCH

>

>*Dr. Field explained that the benefits of touch seem to stem largely from

>its ability to reduce levels of cortisol, a stress hormone manufactured by

>the adrenal glands. This was measured in two dozen studies. She said that

>touching with moderate-pressure (a firm handshake) stimulates activity in

>the vagus nerve, one of the 12 cranial nerves in the brain, which in turn

>slows the heart and decreases the production of stress hormones including

>cortisol.

>

>Other studies published from the Touch Research Institute, published in

>peer-reviewed journals, demonstrate that touch contributes to...

>

>- *Decreased pain.* Children with mild to moderate juvenile rheumatoid

>arthritis who were given massages by their parents 15 minutes per day for

>one month experienced less anxiety and lower cortisol levels. Over a 30-day

>period, parents, kids and their physicians reported less pain overall in the

>children.

>

>- *Enhanced immune function.* In studies, women with breast cancer and

>HIV patients showed a measurable increase in natural killer cells -- part of

>a line of defense in the immune system against virus-infected cells and

>cancer cells -- after massage. They also experienced less anxiety and

>depression.

>

>- *Happier, healthier babies.* Preemies who were touched more while in

>the NICU gained more weight.

>

>- *Less labor pain.* Women in labor who received a backrub the first 15

>minutes of every hour of labor reported less pain and made fewer requests

>for pain medications. Their labor was also shorter, on average.

>

>- *Enhanced alertness and performance.* Following massage, adults

>completed math problems in significantly less time and with fewer errors.

>

>*TOUCH IS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL

>

>*Touching is good for the giver as well as the recipient, says Dr. Field.

>She cites a study in which 20 children with leukemia were given daily

>massages by their parents. After one month, the parents' depressed moods

>decreased, and the children's white blood cell and neutrophil counts

>increased. In another study of elderly volunteers who were trained to give

>massages to infants, Dr. Field found that after three weeks the seniors

>experienced improved mood with less anxiety or depression, decreased levels

>of stress hormones and more social contacts and fewer doctor visits.

>

>*GET IN TOUCH

>

>*Touch comes more naturally to some people than others. You can make a

>conscious effort to bring more touch into your daily life -- and more

>happiness to yourself and those around you. Give your kids hugs when they

>leave for school in the morning and when they come home. Hold your partner's

>hand when you take a walk, exchange back rubs and don't forget good-night

>kisses. Pet your dog or cat. Schedule a few sessions with a professional

>massage therapist and pay attention to what feels especially good -- then

>try it at home on one another. Relax and enjoy.

>

>*Source(s):*

>

>*Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the

>University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida.

>

>*

 

******

Kraig and Shirley Carroll ... in the woods of SE Kentucky

http://www.thehavens.com/

thehavens

606-376-3363

 

 

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