Positive Health Online

Abstract

BRYGGE and colleagues, H:S Rigshospitalet, allergiklinikken, ortopaedkirurgisk afdeling, Koebenhavns Universitet, Biostatistisk Afdeling og oejenpatologisk Institut, Denmark, thorbrygge@dadlnet.dk, studied a group of asthma patients to determine whether reflexology treatment could be of benefit to the condition.

Background

Claims have been made by asthma patients who have sought alternative or complementary treatment for their condition and by reflexology practitioners that reflexology can be of benefit to sufferers of bronchial asthma.

Methodology

Subjects were 40 patients with bronchial asthma . They received 10 weeks of genuine ('active') or simulated ('placebo') reflexology in a double-blind manner (i.e. neither assessors nor patients knew who was receiving genuine and who was receiving simulated treatment.). Outcome measures included tests of lung function, subjective symptom scores and bronchial sensitivity to histamine. During the study, patients self-scored their asthma in a symptom diary.

Results

No changes in objective tests of lung function occurred in either group. Both groups showed improvements in subjective scores and bronchial sensitivity to histamine, with no significant differences detected between the active and placebo treatments. A supplementary analysis of the patients' symptom diaries revealed a trend towards improvement favouring reflexology over placebo. However, a significant pattern suggesting subconscious unblinding with regard to the study treatments was also found.

Conclusion

This study found no evidence that reflexology benefited asthma any greater than placebo.

References

Brygge T et al. (Zone therapy and asthma.) Ugeskrift for Laeger 164 (18): 2405-10, Apr 2002.

Comment

I would like to see both the above research studies replicated. In particular, it needs to be shown that a reliable placebo for reflexology is used.