Craig Telfer

Nancy M
First Year Composition
April 1,2015

Therapeutic touch to manage post-surgical pain in elderly.

Summary

Pseudoscientific energy therapy which practitioners claim promotes healing and reduces
pain and anxiety. How people perform these healings are that the practitioner would center his or
her mind with the intent to help to heal, then the move their palms of his or her hands slowly
about 3-4 inches around the individuals aura or energy. Some main clams are that, this
method/practice involves centering, mindfulness or meditative process rather than medical
attempts or processes. Another main claim include the nature of the research which is that non
contact therapeutic touch (NCTT) is a natural way of helping the body cope and release stress
and anxiety. While researchers were conducting the NCTT research, the article by Guy L
Mccormack form the department of occupational therapy and occupational sciences, presents a
lot of statistics in the article on sample participants, type of research used, and other successful
cases to support statistics and ideas. In the article, there was mentions that the art of therapeutic
touch was around since ancient times, about 35 years. This practice have been around for a long
time and is used for several reasons, from helping patients with anxiety, to comforting people to
the end. Because this practice has been around for so long and seem to be successful and

prefered other other options such as pills and machines, why did we not think to keep this
method in place, to keep this practice going?.
In the article presented by Mccormack, he mentions other scholars to backup his findings,
he included other professors and doctors to support his studies. The HAT was mentioned in the
article with was developed by Achterberg and Lewin (1990), this is a test that is consists of 22
questions that relate logically to the construct of health belief and genetics of control. Other tests
that were conducted during the NCTT research like the MPAC, which was used to measure pain
intensity, another test was TAS which has been found to be valid and reliable in measuring the
absorption levels of openness to experience.
The statistics presented throughout the article about NCTT supports the clinical
efficiency the method as a way of reducing pain and discomfort in the elderly. Findings were
consistent with results supported by other authors. This form of therapy is good for elderly
patients because it gives them peace, it helps them to relax and it had proven to be reliable and
trustful.