| Healing Touch is a series
of techniques that balance energy for wholeness within a person’s body,
mind and soul. It is an energy therapy that can be used in conjunction
with other traditional medical treatments.
Nathan Schmulewitz, MD, the lead author of this investigator-initiated
study and assistant professor of digestive diseases, says people
undergoing procedures often have problems falling asleep because of
anxiety.
Schmulewitz specializes in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS),
a technique for imaging and accessing deep structures in the chest and
abdomen which are near the GI tract. EUS is used as a screening tool for
cancer or other suspicious polyps.
He says if a patient is unable to fall asleep with
intravenous sedation, it might be necessary to use stronger anesthesia
which is expensive and not often covered by insurance companies.
“In addition, stronger sedation can prolong recovery
for the patient and can cause slight amnesia following the procedure,”
Schmulewitz says.
This study is looking at whether coupling Healing
Touch with mild sedation prior to an EUS procedure can help relax
patients, avoiding problems with anesthesia and making the procedure run
more smoothly.
Judy Bowers, a nurse at University Hospital, Healing
Touch practitioner and co-author of the study, has been doing this
therapy for about seven years and has administered it to over 40
patients involved in this study.
“By restoring balance within the energy system, you
create an optimal environment for healing,” Bowers says. “This is
complementary medicine, not alternative medicine, so it can be easily
incorporated in a medical model.”
Although there are many healing touch therapies, this
study is only looking at three: the Chakra Connection, which facilitates
movement of energy from one energy center to another, Magnetic Clearing,
which clears the field of congested energy, and Mind Clearing, which
involves a light touch on the face, head and neck.
As part of the study, a third party calls the patient
two days after the procedure to ask a number of questions about how
Healing Touch affected the patient during the EUS and recovery.
The results are being analyzed, but Bowers says she’s
observed some fairly positive responses.
“Some of the patients are asleep before they even
receive the intravenous sedation,” she says, noting that she stays with
patients throughout the procedure in order to continue sharing her
energy with them and maintaining the balance.
Schmulewitz says if the results are positive, this
could be an inexpensive, effective way to reduce costs and improve care
at University Hospital.
“It will be a fairly easy way to enhance patient care
with acceptable and specific means and without increased risk of
injury,” he says. |
