title: The clinical effectiveness of healing touch.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) to determine the clinical effectiveness of Healing Touch (HT) on variables assumed to be related to health enhancement; (2) to determine whether practitioner training level moderates treatment effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mixed-method repeated measures design with quasi-experimental and naturalistic approaches, paired with nomothetic and idiographic analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Practitioner's offices or client's home.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two (22) clients who had never experienced HT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three treatment conditions: no treatment (NT), HT only (standard HT care), and HT+ (Standard HT care plus music plus guided imagery).
  
  
  METHODS
  Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) concentrations in saliva, self-reports of stress levels, client perceptions of health enhancement, and qualitative questionnaires about individual effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clients of practitioners with more training experienced statistically significant positive sIgA change over the HT treatment series, while clients of practitioners with less experience did not. Clients reported a statistically significant reduction of stress level after both HT conditions. Perceived enhancement of health was reported by 13 of 22 clients (59%). Themes of relaxation, connection, and enhanced awareness were identified in the qualitative analysis of the HT experience. Pain relief was reported by 6 of 11 clients (55%) experiencing pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data support the clinical effectiveness of HT in health enhancement, specifically for raising sIgA concentrations, lowering stress perceptions and relieving pain. The evidence indicates that positive responses were not exclusively as a result of placebo, that is, client beliefs, expectations, and behaviors regarding HT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Tennessee State University, Nashville 37209-1564, USA. dswilkinson@mindspring.com
authors.forename: Dawn S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Pamela L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Chatman
authors.forename: Terrance L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Nilufer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barbour
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Myles
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015990:Placebo Effect; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019124:Therapeutic Touch / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory