Healing Touch

Our assessments of evidence for each medical benefit fall into one of these categories:

• Strong evidence: consistent, significant effects in several large (or at least one very large) well designed clinical studies or at least two meta-analysesa statistical analysis that combines the results of two or more research studies; the results of smaller research studies addressing the same or similar questions can be analyzed as though they are one bigger, more powerful study of clinical studies of moderate or better quality (or one large meta-analysis) finding similar results
• Good evidence: significant effects in one large or several mid-sized and well-designed clinical studies ( randomized controlled trialsa study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects with an appropriate placebo or other strong comparison control or observational studies that control for confounds)
• Modest evidence: significant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observationala type of study in which individuals are observed or certain outcomes are measured, but no attempt is made to affect the outcome (for example, no treatment is given); an example is a study that records people’s diets, but doesn’t try to alter their diets, and looks for patterns of disease or other outcomes related to different foods studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis
• Preliminary evidence: significant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect
• Weak evidence: one or more case studies, supported by animal evidence OR small treatment effects of limited clinical significance OR studies with no controls OR weak trends of effects
• Insufficient evidence: preclinical evidence only OR clinical studies with such poor or unclear methodology that no conclusion can be drawn OR conflicting findings across clinical studies with no preponderance of evidence in one direction; conflicting evidence occurs when studies find conflicting effects (positive effect vs no effect or negative effect) with the same treatment and the same general study population (same cancer type, for example)

Learn more about how we research and rate therapies and practices in How We Rate Therapies ›

• Improvements with symptom control were mentioned in interviews with people with cancer in hospice receiving healing touch compared to standard hospice care in a small trial²Ziembroski J, Gilbert N, Bossarte R, Guldberg G. Healing touch and hospice care: examining outcomes at the end of life. Alternative & Complementary Therapies 2003;9(3):146-151.

• Better anxiety/depression scores among people with cancer receiving “healing by gentle touch” compared to baseline in a small uncontrolled triala study in which a therapy is used, but without a comparison group against which to judge outcomes; an uncontrolled trial is considered a weak study design³Weze C, Leathard HL, Grange J, Tiplady P, Stevens G. Evaluation of healing by gentle touch in 35 clients with cancer. European Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2004 Mar;8(1):40-9.
• Less anxiety among women undergoing a breast biopsy receiving healing touch compared to baseline in a small uncontrolled trial⁴Goldberg DR, Wardell DW et al. An initial study using healing touch for women undergoing a breast biopsy. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2016 Jun;34(2):123-34.

• Fewer indicators of depressed mood during chemotherapy and radiation for cervical cancer among women receiving healing touch compared to relaxation training and usual care in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects⁵Lutgendorf SK, Mullen-Houser E et al. Preservation of immune function in cervical cancer patients during chemoradiation using a novel integrative approach. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2010 Nov;24(8):1231-40.
• Better anxiety/depression scores among people with cancer receiving “healing by gentle touch” compared to baseline in a small uncontrolled trial⁶Weze C, Leathard HL, Grange J, Tiplady P, Stevens G. Evaluation of healing by gentle touch in 35 clients with cancer. European Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2004 Mar;8(1):40-9.

• Less fatigue among children with cancer, their parents, and caregivers receiving healing touch compared to reading/play activity in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects⁷Wong J, Ghiasuddin A, Kimata C, Patelesio B, Siu A. The impact of healing touch on pediatric oncology patients. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2013 Jan;12(1):25-30.

Also see one study showing more fatigue during radiotherapy among people receiving healing touch in Safety and precautions ›

Preliminary evidence of less pain among children with cancer and their parents and caregivers receiving healing touch

• Less pain among children with cancer, their parents, and caregivers treated with healing touch compared to reading/play activity in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects⁸Wong J, Ghiasuddin A, Kimata C, Patelesio B, Siu A. The impact of healing touch on pediatric oncology patients. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2013 Jan;12(1):25-30.

During treatment: preliminary evidence of less pain during radiotherapy or chemotherapy among people with cancer receiving healing touch

• Less pain during radiation treatment for gynecological and breast cancer among women treated with healing touch compared to no treatment in a small RCT⁹Cook CA, Guerrerio JF, Slater VE. Healing touch and quality of life in women receiving radiation treatment for cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2004 May-Jun;10(3):34-41, as reported in Healing Beyond Borders. What Is Healing Touch? Viewed June 28, 2018.
• Less pain during chemotherapy among people with cancer treated with healing touch compared to those receiving usual care, with a weak trend toward less pain also among those receiving placebo treatment in a small controlled triala study design in which people are assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatment; assignment is not random, and so this is not as strong a study design as a randomized controlled trial, but still stronger than an uncontrolled trial¹⁰Aghabati N, Mohammadi E, Pour Esmaiel Z. The effect of therapeutic touch on pain and fatigue of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2010 Sep;7(3):375-81.

During treatment: no evidence of an effect on quality of life during chemotherapy or radiotherapy among people receiving healing touch in a small study

• No difference in quality of life during radiation therapy among women with breast cancer receiving healing touch compared to placebo in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects¹¹FitzHenry F, Wells N et al. A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study of the impact of healing touch on fatigue in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2014 Mar;13(2):105-13.

During hospice care: no evidence of an effect on quality of life among people with cancer in hospice receiving healing touch in a preliminary study

• No difference in quality of life scores among people with cancer in hospice receiving healing touch compared to standard hospice care in a small trial¹²Ziembroski J, Gilbert N, Bossarte R, Guldberg G. Healing touch and hospice care: examining outcomes at the end of life. Alternative & Complementary Therapies 2003;9(3):146-151.

• Lower stress among children with cancer, their parents, and caregivers treated with healing touch compared to reading/play activity in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects¹³Wong J, Ghiasuddin A, Kimata C, Patelesio B, Siu A. The impact of healing touch on pediatric oncology patients. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2013 Jan;12(1):25-30.
• Better stress/relaxation scores among people with cancer receiving “healing by gentle touch” compared to baseline in a small uncontrolled triala study in which a therapy is used, but without a comparison group against which to judge outcomes; an uncontrolled trial is considered a weak study design¹⁴Weze C, Leathard HL, Grange J, Tiplady P, Stevens G. Evaluation of healing by gentle touch in 35 clients with cancer. European Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2004 Mar;8(1):40-9.

• Better psychosocial measures and a shorter hospital length of stay among people undergoing stem cell transplant treated with either healing touch or relaxation therapy compared to historical controls in a small trial¹⁵Lu DF, Hart LK, Lutgendorf SK, Oh H, Silverman M. Effects of healing touch and relaxation therapy on adult patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant: a feasibility pilot study. Cancer Nursing. 2016 May-Jun;39(3):E1-E11.

Healing touch and massage therapy:

Preliminary evidence of lower blood pressure, respiratory rate, and heart rate, and less mood disturbance, fatigue, and pain among people with cancer receiving therapeutic massage and healing touch

No evidence of a difference in re-hospitalization rates, treatment delays, and infection rates during chemotherapy among women with ovarian cancer treated with an intervention combining healing touch, hypnosis, and massage in a preliminary study

• Lower blood pressure, respiratory rate, and heart rate, and less mood disturbance, fatigue, and pain among people with cancer receiving therapeutic massage and healing touch compared to presence alone or standard care in a mid-sized RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects¹⁶Post-White J, Kinney ME et al. Therapeutic massage and healing touch improve symptoms in cancer. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2003 Dec;2(4):332-44.
• No difference in re-hospitalization rates, treatment delays, and infection rates during chemotherapy among women with ovarian cancer treated with an intervention combining healing touch, hypnosis, and massage compared to no intervention in a small RCT¹⁷Judson PL, Dickson EL et al. A prospective, randomized trial of integrative medicine for women with ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology. 2011 Nov;123(2):346-50.

Healing touch, massage therapy, and hypnosis: no evidence of a difference in use of antiemetic medications during chemotherapy among women with ovarian cancer treated with healing touch, hypnosis, and massage in a preliminary study

• No difference in quality of life or antiemetic use during chemotherapy among women with ovarian cancer receiving an intervention combining healing touch, hypnosis, and massage compared to no intervention in a small RCT¹⁸Judson PL, Dickson EL et al. A prospective, randomized trial of integrative medicine for women with ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology. 2011 Nov;123(2):346-50.

Preliminary evidence of less anxiety among people undergoing surgery treated with healing touch

• Less anxiety among outpatient adults recovering from surgery treated with HT and traditional nursing care compared to baseline, while those receiving traditional nursing care alone had no reduction in anxiety in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects¹⁹Foley MK, Anderson J, Mallea L, Morrison K, Downey M. Effects of healing touch on postsurgical adult outpatients. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2016 Sep;34(3):271-9.
• Lower anxiety scores among people recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery treated with HT compared to partial HT and standard care in a small RCT²⁰MacIntyre B, Hamilton J et al. The efficacy of healing touch in coronary artery bypass surgery recovery: a randomized clinical trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2008 Jul-Aug;14(4):24-32.
• Lower anxiety scores starting on the second day after surgery among people undergoing bilateral total knee arthroplasty treated with healing touch compared to standard care in a small RCT²¹Hardwick ME, Pulido PA, Adelson WS. Nursing intervention using healing touch in bilateral total knee arthroplasty. Orthopaedic Nursing:. 2012 Jan-Feb;31(1):5-11.

No evidence of an effect on use of antiemetic medication among people recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery treated with healing touch in a preliminary study

• No difference in use of antiemetic medication among people recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery treated with healing touch compared to having visitors or standard care in a small RCT²²MacIntyre B, Hamilton J et al. The efficacy of healing touch in coronary artery bypass surgery recovery: a randomized clinical trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2008 Jul-Aug;14(4):24-32.

Modest evidence of small improvements in well-being among people treated with healing touch

• Small improvement in well-being among people treated with healing touch compared to controls in a meta-analysis of 57 studies of generally poor design²³Roe CA, Sonnex C, Roxburgh EC. Two meta-analyses of noncontact healing studies. Explore (NY). 2015 Jan-Feb;11(1):11-23.

Preliminary evidence of less pain but not less use of pain medications among people recovering from surgery treated with healing touch

• Lower pain scores, fewer ratings of pain as moderate/severe, higher numbers rating pain as adequately controlled and lower opioid doses starting on the second day after surgery among people undergoing bilateral total knee arthroplasty with healing touch compared to standard care in a small RCT²⁴Hardwick ME, Pulido PA, Adelson WS. Nursing intervention using healing touch in bilateral total knee arthroplasty. Orthopaedic Nursing:. 2012 Jan-Feb;31(1):5-11.
• Less pain among outpatient adults recovering from surgery after receiving healing touch with traditional nursing care compared to baseline in a small RCT²⁵Foley MK, Anderson J, Mallea L, Morrison K, Downey M. Effects of healing touch on postsurgical adult outpatients. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2016 Sep;34(3):271-9.
• No difference in use of pain medication among people recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery with HT compared to having visitors or standard care in a small RCT²⁶MacIntyre B, Hamilton J et al. The efficacy of healing touch in coronary artery bypass surgery recovery: a randomized clinical trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2008 Jul-Aug;14(4):24-32.

Preliminary evidence of less stress among people who had never previously received healing touch, but only with more experienced practitioners

• Less stress among people who had never previously received healing touch, but only with more experienced practitioners, compared to baseline in a small controlled trial of poor quality²⁷Wilkinson DS, Knox PL et al. The clinical effectiveness of healing touch. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2002 Feb;8(1):33-47.

Preliminary evidence of shorter hospital stays among people recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery treated with HT

• Shorter hospital stays among people recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery with HT compared to partial HT and standard care in a small RCT²⁸MacIntyre B, Hamilton J et al. The efficacy of healing touch in coronary artery bypass surgery recovery: a randomized clinical trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2008 Jul-Aug;14(4):24-32.