Science is revealing that the power of touch triggers changes in the body that can activate healing and increase longevity.
A tender, loving touch largely determines our mental, physical and emotional well-being, beginning in infancy. When touch is lacking in childhood we may grow up feeling intensely separated and often disturbingly lonely most of our lives.
Healing touch
Experts have determined that not only is touching essential for emotional development, it also eases physical pain, slows the heart rate, drops blood pressure and speeds up recovery from illness. In other words, touch has the power to heal. A simple touch can generate hope, soothing comfort and show caring concern in ways mere words can’t convey.
One of the most common findings from research, including a study at the Institute of Neurological Sciences in Glasgow, is that touch lowers heart rate and blood pressure. It has shown that touch and massage can cut levels of stress hormones (cortisol), which have been implicated in increasing the risk of a number of diseases. Touch also promotes growth and healing by increasing melatonin levels, the feel-good hormone serotonin and oxytocin, which increases pain thresholds and stimulates positive social interaction.
The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine has carried out over 100 studies into touch and found evidence of significant effects, including faster growth in premature babies, reduced pain, decreased autoimmune disease symptoms, lowered glucose levels in children with diabetes and improved immune systems in people with cancer. Touch also helps wounds to heal quicker and alleviates pain and anxiety. It says touch therapy may also have positive effects on fracture healing, asthma and arthritis.
The proper use of touch has the potential to transform the practice of medicine. For example, studies show that touching patients with Alzheimer’s disease can have huge effects on getting them to relax, make emotional connections with others and reduce their symptoms of depression.
Research at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health has found that having eye contact and a pat on the back from a doctor may boost survival rates of patients with complex disease, and a study by French psychologist Nicolas Gueguen has found that when teachers pat students in a friendly way, those students are three times more likely to speak up in class.
Touching doesn’t have to be hugging or kissing. A hand on the shoulder can let people know that you’re paying attention to them, or that what they’re saying or doing is important.
Sources
Davis, Phyllis. 1999. The power of touch. Hay House Inc.
www.dailygood.org
www.goodhousekeeping.com
www.webmd.com