Traditional Chinese Medicine Vibration Therapy May Reduce Muscle Fatigue
Recent widespread use of vibration therapy in treating sport-induced muscle fatigue spurred researchers to study the effects of the holistic local vibration therapy used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Using data from a previously approved and completed clinical trial, the study examined the results of a 7-week vibration-based TCM holistic theory combined with conventional therapy, such as stretching, massage, and flapping, on local Greco-Roman wrestling and Judo athletes in South China. A control group received only the conventional therapy.
Significant positive effects on exercise-induced muscle fatigue were shown in the TCM intervention group. A pre- and postintervention two-point discrimination test also showed a significant difference for the intervention group.
The study concludes that “application of vibration therapy based on TCM holistic theory may have an immediate effect in reducing sport-induced muscle fatigue from intensive training.” The authors recommend future robustly designed clinical trials with larger sample sizes to evaluate the long-term effect of the intervention.
The abstract is available to view online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33376339.
Massage Helps Ease Aggression and Other Symptoms in Dementia Patients
In a review article published in the November/December 2020 issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, researchers examined the role of massage therapy in attenuating aggression and related behavioral disorders in patients with dementia.
The review authors state an “essential feature of dementia is a significant decline in a patient’s cognitive ability, and communicating among patients through language becomes virtually ineffective. Scientists have examined techniques to maintain communication with patients with dementia at a basic level, such as through gentle touch in the form of massage.”
The review examined studies that implemented massage therapy, either alone or in conjunction with other nonpharmacological interventions such as aromatherapy or calming music, as a treatment for dementia-related behavioral disorders.
The authors conclude: “The employment of massage therapy—either alone or in combination with aromatherapy or calming music—can significantly decrease agitation, aggression, stress, and anxiety in patients with dementia. Moreover, massage therapy can also be beneficial for nursing personnel involved in taking care of patients with dementia. The combination of massage with aromatherapy seems to impart the most significant results in patients with dementia.”
Read the full study online at alternative-therapies.com/abstracts/9913.html.