title: A randomised-controlled trail examining the effects of reflexology of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
abstract: It is known that many patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases use a number of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). There has been a great deal of interest into the CAM recently, with the House of Lords select committee for science and technology's report suggesting randomised-controlled trials are the best means of researching the area. There is very little research into the effects of reflexology specifically on the effects it has on COPD. As such a randomised-controlled trial was set up to examine the effects of reflexology treatments on COPD. Results were qualitative and quantitative and showed that there are a number of areas of possible benefit for patients with COPD, but a larger scale study with a longer time frame is needed for a full evaluation of these effects.
authors.affiliation: St George's Hospital, Tooting, London SW17, UK. iainwilkinson@doctors.net.uk
authors.forename: Iain S A
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prigmore
authors.forename: Charlotte F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Rayner
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012107:Research Design; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome