The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Tactile massage in elderly patients with severe dementia

    Tactile massage is a soft massage that improves physical relaxation and psychological well-being.

    Researchers at Hamamatsu University, in Shizuoka, Japan, studied the response to tactile massage among elderly patients with dementia.

    First, the details.

    • Elderly patients with dementia were assigned to a treatment group.
      • Tactile massage therapy 30 times each for about 20 minutes
      • A control group

    And, the results.

    • In the control group, the average scores for ”intellectual” and ”emotional function” score decreased significantly after 6 weeks.
      • No change was observed in the tactile massage group.
    • The ”aggressiveness” score and chromogranin A (a measure of the level of stress) decreased significantly after 6 weeks in the tactile massage group.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Tactile massage reduces aggressiveness and stress level in patients with dementia.”

    Researchers in Sweden tell us, “Clinical experiences indicate that tactile stimulation can contribute to a feeling of trust and confirmation as well as to improving communication, promoting relaxation and easing pain.”

    In their research they concluded, “Tactile stimulation can be seen as a valuable way to communicating non-verbally, of giving feedback, confirmation, consolation or a feeling of being valuable and taken care of.”

    A brief background on tactile massage is here.

    12/12/10 22:06 JR

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