Touch therapy on cancer patients

From the time of its discovery, cancer has been a disease that, in the majority of cases, significantly reduces the patients´ quality of life, affecting many aspects of not only their health but their day-to-day life.

Since cancer is a disease that has a collection of different causes with various symptoms and prognoses, finding the right treatment plan in every case can be challenging. Over time, this has led to the use of complementary and alternative therapeutic methods to improve the health status in patients with cancer.

Within this category, therapeutic touch has improved health and well-being in diverse cancer patients over the years by functioning as an additional method to other forms of treatment.

Therapeutic touch, also known as healing touch, is a medical practice that involves the use of hands-on or near the body to promote healing by helping to balance the energy fields found inside every human being. In integrative oncology, this practice is classified as a type of biofield therapy.

Multiple studies have been done in order to understand the relationship between cancer and touch therapy, resulting in positive findings that include:

· Improved mood, appetite, sleep, well-being, and interpersonal relationships.

· Decreased pain, nausea, anxiety, and fatigue levels.

· Increased vitality, mobility, and satisfaction.

As per the physiological mechanisms behind therapeutic touch, experts on the matter have stated that this practice affects the autonomic nervous system by increasing parasympathetic tone and decreasing sympathetic activation.

Other hypotheses showed that this practice promotes relaxation and boosts the body´s production of endorphins, which can help diminish stress levels and improves the immune system, reducing swelling and inflammation processes.

As a conclusion, results have demonstrated the therapeutic value of touch therapy as a non-invasive intervention in cancer patients, is considered a safe method to improve their health status and well-being while reducing complications of the disease.