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| |  Research Shows Clinical Benefits Of Massage For Infants And Children NEW ORLEANS, LA -- November 3, 1997 -- For the first time, the nation's pediatricians received a comprehensive look at research showing the health benefits of touch therapy, or massage. Clinical studies presented this week at a plenary session of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) annual meeting found touch therapy can help premature newborns gain weight faster, asthmatic children improve breathing function, diabetic children comply with treatment and sleepless babies fall asleep with less trouble. "Our research suggests that touch is as important to infants and children as eating and sleeping," said Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine (UMSM) and Nova Southeastern University, and professor in the department of pediatrics, psychology and psychiatry at UMSM. "Touch therapy triggers many physiological changes that help infants and children grow and develop. For example, massage can stimulate nerves in the brain which facilitate food absorption, resulting in faster weight gain. It also lowers levels of stress hormones, resulting in improved immune function." Touch therapy involves gentle stroking and kneading by a parent or caregiver on three regions of a child's body: the face, neck, head and shoulders; the arms and hands; and the back, legs and feet. It also can incorporate flexing and extension of the arms and legs. Pediatricians, obstetricians and other healthcare professionals can teach parents the simple techniques of touch therapy. "As pediatricians and parents, it's important that we recognize the advantages of touch therapy and use this basic, effective tool as part of pediatric care of diverse ailments," said Lawrence Schachner, M.D., professor, department of pediatrics and department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine. "Clinical research shows that touch therapy can benefit infants and children studied, including children with skin disorders such as eczema. It may furthermore improve parent-baby interaction." Researchers at the Touch Research Institutes have completed controlled clinical studies on a number of special populations of infants and children. Results include: -- Weight gain: premature infants and cocaine-exposed infants gained more weight (47 percent and 28 percent more, respectively) than infants receiving similar volume and caloric intake in the non-massaged control groups. In the massaged premature infants, weight gain was associated with discharge from the hospital six days earlier than the non-massaged infants, resulting in a $10,000 (adjusted for inflation) cost savings per infant. -- Reduced anxiety and improved behavior: asthmatic children, diabetic children, cocaine-exposed infants, premature newborns and sleepless infants who were massaged had decreased levels of the stress hormone cortisol and were observed to have fewer temperamental outbursts and less stressful fidgeting. -- Improved motor development: premature newborns and cocaine-exposed infants, when massaged, scored higher on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale -- specifically in the areas of habituation, orientation and motor and sensory development -- than did the non-massaged control group. -- Improved pulmonary functions and peak air flow: massaged children with mild-to-severe asthma demonstrated an enhanced ability (in volume and flow rate) to exhale, compared with children who were not massaged. -- Improved adherence to treatment regimens: youngsters with juvenile diabetes who received massage therapy showed an improved compliance with their insulin and food regulation, compared with children who were not massaged. Average blood glucose levels among the massaged children dropped from 159 on the first day of the study to 118 on the last day (normal range is 70 to 120). Data from these recently completed studies offer a clear view of the observable and measurable outcomes of infant and child massage. Additional studies are underway to examine the effects of massage on a broad range of patients and to further define the ways touch therapy contributes to the treatment of childhood anxiety, behavioral disorders and physical ailments.
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