Use of reflexology foot massage to reduce anxiety in hospitalized cancer patients in chemotherapy treatment: methodology and outcomes (original) (raw)
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Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research, 2018
Objective: Findings suggest dissatisfaction of half of the cancer patients regarding pain and anxiety management. This study aimed to determine the effect of reflexology on the intensity of pain and anxiety among patients with metastatic cancer hospitalized inadulthematology ward. Methods: In this study, the samples were selected from adult hematology ward in Baghaei 2 hospital in Ahwaz, Iran, according to the inclusion criteria. They were then assigned into treatment and control groups. In the treatment group, reflexology protocol was performed following manual reflexology method by Fr Josef Eugster based on Ingham method on the patient’s bed. In the control group, sole touching was used as the placebo. Reflexology was performed for three days, 30 min per day. Spielberger questionnaire were provided to the samples and completed in the first and third days, and Spielberger questionnaire was provided to the samples and completed. The data obtained from this study were then analyzed ...
Journal of Caring Sciences
Introduction Nausea, vomiting and retching (NVR) are commonly seen among patients undergoing chemotherapy, even after the development of anti-emetic therapy, that alone is not enough to reduce chemotherapy-induced NVR, various other techniques are also used along with medications to reduce the symptoms. 1 Other therapies that can be used along with medications to reduce nausea, vomiting & retching are massage therapy, guided imagery, aromatherapy, reflexology, etc. 2 Massage therapy is reported to have a positive effect in reducing nausea, vomiting, retching, anxiety, and pain, among various other non-pharmacological therapies. Several massage therapy techniques have been used in various populations such as cancer patients, bone marrow transplantation patients, patients with lower back pain, patients who underwent abdominal surgery and patients with endstage renal disease, to know the effect of foot massage on various parameters. 3 The patients were administered anti-emetics normally used for NVR reduction. New global cancer data 2018 suggests that the global cancer burden has risen to 18.1 million cases & 9.6 million cancer deaths. 4 Based on the cancer statistics in India (2018), the estimated number of people living with the disease is around 2.25 million. New cancer patients registered every year is over 1 157 294 lakh and cancerrelated deaths are 784 821. Among all cancers, breast cancer comes in the first position of cancers among females. There were 2 million new cases of breast cancer in 2018. 5 Massage can be considered as a part of complementary and integrative medicine. 6 For cancer treatment, massage benefits by reducing the side effects caused by the treatment and improves the quality of life and wellbeing. Scientific studies that have looked the effect of various body massage on patients on chemotherapy treatment and patients underwent surgery have shown that massage helps to reduce side effects such as pain, fatigue, nausea,
Massage Relieves Nausea in Women with Breast Cancer Who Are Undergoing Chemotherapy
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2007
The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of massage on nausea, anxiety, and depression in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. This work was a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled trial. This study was conducted in an oncology clinic, in a hospital in southwestern Sweden. Thirty-nine (39) women (mean age = 51.8) with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy were enrolled. The patients were randomly assigned to a massage therapy group (20 minutes of massage on five occasions) or a control group (five 20-minute visits). All patients recorded nausea and anxiety on the Visual Analogue Scale before and after each intervention. They also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Massage treatment significantly reduced nausea compared with control treatment (p = 0.025) when improvement was measured as a percentage of the five treatment periods. Differences in anxiety and depression between the two treatment regimes could not be statistically demonstrated. This study complements previous studies on the effect of massage and supports the conclusion that massage reduces nausea in these patients.
Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing
Objective: Patients receiving chemotherapy struggle with the side effects of this treatment. These side effects obligate the patients to use not only the pharmacological methods but also non-pharmacological relaxing methods. This study was conducted to determine the effect of reflexology on chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and fatigue in breast cancer patients. Methods: The study was conducted as a pretest-posttest experimental design. The study was conducted with sixty patients, thirty as the control and thirty as the experimental groups. A sociodemographic form, Rhodes index of nausea, vomiting, and retching (INVR), and Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) were used to collect the data. Analysis of variance, t-test, percentage calculations, and Chi-square methods were used to evaluate the data. The data obtained were assessed using the "Statistical Package for Social Science 21.0" software. Results: It was determined that the difference between the total mean scores of INVR in the experimental and control groups was significant on the onset and first and second measurements, and the difference between total mean scores of development and distress between the groups was statistically significant in the third measurement (P < 0.05). The results of the study showed that the BFI mean scores of patients in the experimental group gradually decreased in the first, second, and third measurements (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The present study proved that reflexology decreased the experience, development, distress of nausea, vomiting, and retching as well as fatigue in the experimental group. Hence, the use of reflexology is recommended for chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
Applied Nursing Research, 2013
This quasi-experimental and cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the efficacy of back massage, a nursing intervention, on the process of acute fatigue developing due to chemotherapy and on the anxiety level emerging in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy during this process. The study was conducted on 40 patients. To collect the data, the Personal Information Form, the State Anxiety part of Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Brief Fatigue Inventory were used. In our study, it was determined that mean anxiety scores decreased in the intervention group patients after chemotherapy. The level of fatigue in the intervention group decreased statistically significantly on the next day after chemotherapy (p = .020; effect size = 0.84). At the same time, the mean anxiety scores of the patients in the intervention group decreased right after the massage provided during chemotherapy (p = .109; effect size = 0.37) and after chemotherapy. In line with our study findings, it can be said that back massage given during chemotherapy affects anxiety and fatigue suffered during the chemotherapy process and that it significantly reduces state anxiety and acute fatigue. Therefore, the effective use of back massage in the process of chemotherapy by oncology nurses who have a key role in cancer treatment and care can make it more modulated.
Reflexology for Symptom Relief in Patients With Cancer
Cancer Nursing, 2008
Complementary therapies Reflexology Systematic review Complementary therapies are increasingly being used in hospices and hospitals alongside orthodox treatments in an attempt to improve patients' emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical well-being. An average of 31% of UK patients with cancer use some form of complementary therapy. Many UK cancer centers, outpatient units, and hospices are providing complementary services. There is strong anecdotal evidence that complementary therapies assist in the palliation of physical and psychological symptoms. This systematic review examines the research evidence base for the effectiveness of reflexology in cancer care. The study reports the results of a systematic review following the Cochrane principles of systematic reviewing. No meta-analysis was possible. Studies were retrieved from a comprehensive search of electronic databases from their start dates. An initial search was carried out in 2003 and updated in 2005 to 2006. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials, controlled before and after studies, and interrupted time-series studies. Participants were adults with a diagnosis of cancer, receiving care in any healthcare setting. Interventions were limited to reflexology carried out by a qualified therapist as distinguished from another healthcare professional carrying out a reflexology intervention. Outcome measures were patient-reported levels of physical and psychological indices of symptom distress and quality of life (measured using validated assessment tools).
Effect of Foot Reflexology on Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting among Cancer Patients
Mansoura Nursing Journal
Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common side-effect in different treatments modalities for cancers. Reflexology is one of the non-pharmacological interventions that could be used to control CINV among cancer patients. Aim: Evaluate effect of foot reflexology on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting among cancer patients. Methods: Quasi-experimental study with a purposive sample of totally 60 cancer patients from both genders who were admitted to the Oncology Center of Mansoura University Hospital was enrolled in the study. Patients were assigned to the intervention group (foot reflexology) and the control group (routine care). Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire and the Rhodes index for nausea and vomiting scale. Results: There was a significant improvement in nausea and vomiting among the study group than control group according to the Rhodes Index for nausea and vomiting scale as the p-value ≤ 0.05 after implementing foot reflexology sessions. Conclusion & Recommendation: Foot reflexology has a good effect on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting among cancer patients and should be used as an adjuvant to daily care for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012
Objective. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate and compare the effects of reflexology and Swedish massage therapy on physiologic stress, pain, and mood in older cancer survivors residing in nursing homes.Methods. An experimental, repeated-measures, crossover design study of 18 nursing home residents aged 75 or over and diagnosed with solid tumor in the past 5 years and following completion of cancer treatments. The intervention tested was 20 minutes of Swedish Massage Therapy to the lower extremities, versus 20 minute Reflexology, using highly specified protocols. Pre- and post-intervention levels of salivary cortisol, observed affect, and pain were compared in the Swedish Massage Therapy and Reflexology conditions.Results. Both Reflexology and Swedish Massage resulted in significant declines in salivary cortisol and pain and improvements in mood.Conclusions. Preliminary data suggest that studies of Swedish Massage Therapy and Reflexology are feasible in this populati...