Publication: Is reflexology as effective as aromatherapy massage for symptom relief in an adult outpatient oncology population?
| Reference | |
|---|---|
| Title | Is reflexology as effective as aromatherapy massage for symptom relief in an adult outpatient oncology population? |
| Topic | Reflexology |
| Author | Dyer, J, Thomas, K, Sandsund, C, Shaw, C |
| Year | 2013 |
| Journal | Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice |
| DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2013.03.002 |
Author's Abstract The abstract and the information and conclusions contained therein were written by the authors of the publication.
| Aim: To test whether reflexology was inferior to aromatherapy massage for ameliorating self-selected problems or concerns.
Design: Non-blinded, randomised study with a 1:1 allocation. Adult outpatients recruited from a UK cancer centre, randomised by the minimisation method to either four aromatherapy massage or four reflexology sessions. Outcome measures: MYCaW scores at baseline and completion; VAS (relaxation) pre and post-sessions. Analysis: Unpaired t-test for the primary outcome; analysis of variance tests for repeated measures for VAS (relaxation); descriptive statistics (means and 95% confidence intervals) and content analysis for patient comments. Results: 115 subjects (58 aromatherapy massage, 57 reflexology) recruited. Reflexology was found to be no less effective than aromatherapy massage for MYCaW first concerns (p=0.046). There was no statistical difference between groups for MYCaW second concerns or overall well-being scores, proportions of patients gaining clinical benefit, VAS scores over time (p=0.489) or between groups (p=0.408) or in the written responses. |
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