How can Therapeutic Touch® help you? What the research says - CancerChoices



This biofield energy therapy directs energy through practitioners’ hands to rebalance your energy field.

How can Therapeutic Touch® help you? What the research says

We summarize the clinical evidence for each medical benefit here. We begin with our assessment of the strength of evidence within each category, followed by a brief summary of individual studies or reviews of several studies. In assessing the strength of evidence, we consider the study design, number of participants, and the size of the treatment effect (how much outcomes changed with treatment).

To see more details, click the plus sign to the right of any section.

Improving treatment outcomes

Is Therapeutic Touch® linked to improved survival? Is it linked to less cancer growth or metastasis? Does it enhance the anticancer action of other treatments or therapies? We present the evidence.

Notable preclinical evidencetesting a drug, a procedure, or another medical treatment in isolated cells or in animals; preclinical evidence is considered only an initial indication of possible effects in people is listed in Are you a health professional? ›

Optimizing your body terrain

Does Therapeutic Touch® promote an environment within your body that is less supportive of cancer development, growth, or spread? We present the evidence.

See Optimizing Your Body Terrain ›

Find medical professionals who specialize in managing body terrain factors: Finding Integrative Oncologists and Other Practitioners ›

We also recommend that you share with your doctor the information here about how Therapeutic Touch® might affect these terrain factors if you have any imbalances.

Hormone imbalance

In a small study, people treated with TT after vascular surgery showed lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. However, elderly people treated with TT showed no change in cortisol in another small study.

Immune function

People treated with TT after vascular surgery had a higher marker of immune activation in a small study.

Increased immune system activation is not always beneficial, so your oncology team needs to determine whether immune activation would be favorable in your situation.

Managing side effects and promoting wellness

Is Therapeutic Touch® linked to fewer or less severe side effects or symptoms? Is it linked to less toxicity from cancer treatment? Does it support your quality of life or promote general well-being? We present the evidence.

Anxiety

Therapeutic Touch did not show an effect on anxiety among people with breast cancer in a small study.

Depression

Therapeutic Touch did not show an effect on overall mood during radiotherapy among women with breast cancer.

Fatigue

In small studies, women with cancer showed less fatigue when treated with TT during chemotherapy but no effect was seen during radiotherapy.

Gastrointestinal symptoms

Women with breast cancer treated with TT experienced less nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy in several studies.

Pain

People with cancer treated with Therapeutic Touch have reported less pain in some studies, but not all.

Quality of life

In small studies, people with terminal cancer treated with TT reported better well-being, but women with breast cancer didn’t report changes in quality of life during radiotherapy after surgery.

Skin and tissue effects

In a small study, women with breast cancer treated with TT during radiotherapy after surgery didn’t show changes in radiation dermatitis or the appearance of their skin or tissues.

Therapeutic Touch® combined with other therapies

Therapeutic Touch has shown benefits when combined with other therapies:

  • With soft music: less reported confusion
  • With dialogue: lower state anxiety before surgery
Symptoms not specific to cancer

People treated with TT have reported less anxiety or pain in many studies, and people have reported less emotional distress or more comfort in one study each.

Helpful links

ClinicalTrials.gov logo

Find a study ›

Enter a specific cancer or other condition in the Condition or Disease box, then enter “Therapeutic Touch” in the Other Terms box

Keep reading about Therapeutic Touch®

Authors

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS

Senior Clinical Consultant
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Laura Pole is senior clinical consultant for CancerChoices. Laura is an oncology clinical nurse specialist who has been providing integrative oncology clinical care, navigation, consultation, and education services for over 40 years. She is the co-creator and co-coordinator of the Integrative Oncology Navigation Training at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC. Laura also manages the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv for Smith Center/Commonweal. In her role as a palliative care educator and consultant, Laura has served as statewide Respecting Choices Faculty for the Virginia POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) Collaborative as well as provided statewide professional education on palliative and end-of-life care for the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care.

For CancerChoices, Laura curates content and research, networks with clinical and organizational partners, brings awareness and education of integrative oncology at professional and patient conferences and programs, and translates research into information relevant to the patient experience as well as clinical practice.

Laura sees her work with CancerChoices as a perfect alignment of all her passions, knowledge and skills in integrative oncology care. She is honored to serve you.

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS Senior Clinical Consultant

Nancy Hepp, MS

Lead Researcher
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Ms. Hepp is a researcher and communicator who has been writing and editing educational content on varied health topics for more than 20 years. She serves as lead researcher and writer for CancerChoices and also served as the first program manager. Her graduate work in research and cognitive psychology, her master’s degree in instructional design, and her certificate in web design have all guided her in writing and presenting information for a wide variety of audiences and uses. Nancy’s service as faculty development coordinator in the Department of Family Medicine at Wright State University also provided experience in medical research, plus insights into medical education and medical care from the professional’s perspective.

Nancy Hepp, MS Lead Researcher

Last update: October 21, 2024

Last full literature review: August 2024

CancerChoices provides information about integrative in cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan cancer care. We review complementaryin cancer care, complementary care involves the use of therapies intended to enhance or add to standard conventional treatments; examples include supplements, mind-body approaches such as yoga or psychosocial therapy, and acupuncture therapies and self-care lifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress practices to help patients and professionals explore and integrate the best combination of conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy and complementary therapies and practices for each person.

Our staff have no financial conflicts of interest to declare. We receive no funds from any manufacturers or retailers gaining financial profit by promoting or discouraging therapies mentioned on this site.

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