Experimental Apparatus
On April 1, 1998, the following article by Gina Kolata appeared in the New York Times. The newspaper report was based on a paper published April 1 in JAMA, the journal of the AMA. Click for full text and abstract. Another version of the news report by Jeff Stryker appeared the following Sunday in the New York Times Week in Review. Gina Kolata's article together with two discussion questions appeared in Chance News 7.04.
Experimental Apparatus
THERAPEUTIC TOUCH (TT) is a widely used nursing practice rooted in mysticism but alleged to have a scientific basis. Its practitioners claim to heal or improve many medical problems by manual manipulation of a "human energy field" (HEF) perceptible above the patient's skin. They also claim to detect illnesses and stimulate recuperative powers through their intention to heal. Therapeutic Touch practice guides describe 3 basic steps, none of which actually requires touching the patient's body. The first step is centering, in which the practitioner focuses on his or her intent to help the patient. This step resembles meditation and is claimed to benefit the practitioner as well. The second step is assessment, in which the practitioner's hands, from a distance of 5 to 10 cm, sweep over the patient's body from head to feet, "attuning" to the patient's condition by becoming aware of "changes in sensory cues" in the hands. The third step is intervention, in which the practitioner's hands "repattern" the patient's "energy field" by removing "congestion," replenishing depleted areas, and smoothing out ill-flowing areas. The resultant "energy balance" purportedly stems disease and allows the patient's body to heal itself.
This quotation from Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., R.N., Professor Emerita of Nursing Science, New York University, recognized as the major proponent of TT in North America, was included in her response to the JAMA article:
TT is not done with only the hands; it is an interiorized process called into being by compassion for someone who is in need and is coupled with a deep-seated knowledgeable intentionality.
Activity: Poll students to determine their familiarity with this practice.
Discussion Activity: Is this what the experiment tests?
Activity: Critique the experimental procedure. How was the sample chosen? Was there informed consent? Was there a control group? What were the conditions under which the experiment was performed? What would you do to design a better experiment?
Activity: Discuss the outcomes and the data analysis.
The editor of JAMA stated:
EDITOR'S NOTE.—The American public is fascinated by alternative (complementary, unconventional, integrative, traditional, Eastern) medicine. Some of these practices have a valid scientific basis; some of them are proven hogwash; many of them have never been adequately tested scientifically. "Therapeutic Touch" falls into the latter classification, but nonetheless is the basis for a booming international business as treatment for many medical conditions. This simple, statistically valid study tests the theoretical basis for "Therapeutic Touch": the "human energy field." This study found that such a field does not exist. I believe that practitioners should disclose these results to patients, third-party payers should question whether they should pay for this procedure, and patients should save their money and refuse to pay for this procedure until or unless additional honest experimentation demonstrates an actual effect.
George D. Lundberg, MD, Editor
Activity: Discuss the extent to which the conclusion of the editor is justified by the experimental findings.