Study finds Healing Touch therapy reduces pain and anxiety

Healing Touch therapy is at least as effective as traditional nursing care for reduction in pain and reducing anxiety, according to a study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing.

Healing Touch therapy is administered by trained therapists who work with the energy field surrounding the patient's body.

"We hear about the energy that's given off by electrical lines, or just even how our phones work. You know we all have our cell phones these days, so, it doesn't seem too crazy that we pick that up and it's not connected to any line or anything, but yet it works. So it's those same kind of energies that make those things work that we have around our bodies as well,” said Mary Kay Foley, a Healing Touch therapist.

Healing Touch therapy is offered at St. Luke’s Wood River. They say you don't have to be sick to seek the therapy and it benefits just about everyone. They also offer a class so you can learn how to give the healing touch on your own.

"I was very interested in experiencing it and that particular day I was on the verge of a migraine headache and it was really amazing. Just a tension headache. You know, we carry a lot of tension here in our shoulders, goes up my neck and into my head. Just the warm, relaxed stress free feeling I had once it was over was just amazing, and it did not go into a migraine headache,” said Deb Hobart, Manager of Volunteer Services for St. Luke’s.

St. Luke’s says Healing Touch is actively being used in over 40 hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the country.

Foley says as medicine becomes increasingly high–tech, it is important to maintain the human connection and care for the whole person.

If you'd like to learn more about receiving Healing Touch therapy or for more information on the classes, contact St. Luke’s Wood River Center for Community Health at 208-727-8733.