Efficacy of Massage Therapy for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

按摩疗法是增长最快的补充和替代医学疗法之一，1990年至1997年期间，按摩治疗师的访问量增加了36%，估计每年花费40亿至60亿美元。个人寻求按摩治疗的一系列问题，包括背痛，肌肉疼痛，头痛，紧张，焦虑，疲劳和失眠的感觉。按摩疗法旨在改善血液循环，减少焦虑，抑郁和疼痛的症状，以及刺激幸福感。尽管它的广泛使用，有很少的系统调查按摩的疗效，仔细特点的患者人群和很少有人知道的病理条件和按摩疗法的作用机制之间的相互作用。正如白宫补充和替代医学政策委员会（2002年）所承认的那样，有必要研究按摩疗法在传统医学疾病中的疗效，并研究解释按摩疗法有益效果的机制。作为对PA-06-510的回应，我们建议调查按摩疗法在广泛性焦虑症（GAD）患者中的疗效，GAD是一种流行的衰弱性疾病。我们的工作假设是，按摩疗法将导致显着减少客观和主观症状的广泛性焦虑症相比，并与轻触条件，我们已经证明是一种安慰剂。该试点项目的具体目的是调查：1）6周按摩治疗对GAD症状的急性影响; 2）在减少GAD症状方面，12周按摩治疗是否比5周按摩治疗更有效; 5）按摩治疗是否增加GAD受试者的催产素水平，降低AVP和HPA功能。这项研究的结果将有助于开发一项更大规模的急性临床试验，调查按摩疗法作为治疗GAD的替代疗法的疗效，并收集有关按摩干预GAD的心理生物学的初步数据。 公共卫生相关性：尽管其声称的健康益处和按摩疗法在世界各地的广泛接受，但很少有人知道治疗性按摩对广泛性焦虑症等病理状况的影响。需要进行研究，以调查按摩疗法在治疗此类疾病中的疗效，并证明它是一种可接受的替代传统医学和心理疗法的方法。这项研究将探讨按摩疗法治疗广泛性焦虑症的疗效。我们将收集必要的初步数据，以设计一个更大的，随机的，对照的临床试验。研究结果也将提供有价值的初步数据按摩对广泛性焦虑症患者的生物学参数的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Massage therapy is one of the fastest-growing complementary and alternative medical therapies with a 36% increase in visits to massage therapists between 1990 and 1997 and an estimated annual cost of 4 to 6 billion dollars. Individuals seek-out massage therapy for an array of concerns including backaches, muscle aches, headaches, feelings of tension, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia. Massage therapy is purported to improve circulation, decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and pain, as well as stimulate feelings of well being. Despite its widespread use, there has been little systematic investigation of the efficacy of massage in carefully characterized patient populations and very little is known about the interaction between pathological conditions and the mechanism of action of massage therapy. As acknowledged in the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (2002), there is a need for research investigating the efficacy of massage therapy in traditional medical disorders as well as studies explaining the mechanism responsible for the beneficial effects of massage therapy. In response to PA-06-510, we propose investigating the efficacy of massage therapy in well-characterized patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a prevalent and debilitating condition. Our working hypothesis is that massage therapy will cause a significant decrease in both objective and subjective symptoms of GAD when compared and contrasted with the light touch condition, which we have demonstrated is a placebo. The specific aims of this pilot project are to investigate: 1) the acute effects of 6 weeks of massage therapy on the symptoms of GAD; 2) whether 12 weeks of massage therapy is more effective than 5 weeks of massage therapy in decreasing symptoms of GAD; and 5) whether massage therapy increases levels of oxytocin, decreases AVP, and HPA function in subjects with GAD. The results of the study will facilitate the development of a larger acute clinical trial investigating the efficacy of massage therapy as an alternate treatment for treatment for GAD, as well as gather preliminary data about the psychobiology of a massage intervention for GAD. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Despite its purported health benefits and the widespread acceptance of massage therapy throughout the world, little is known about the impact of therapeutic massage on pathological conditions such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Research is needed to investigate the efficacy of massage therapy in the treatment of such medical conditions and to demonstrate that it is an acceptable alternative to more traditional medical and psychological therapies. The proposed study will examine the efficacy of massage therapy for the treatment of generalized anxiety. We will gather preliminary data necessary to design a larger, randomized, controlled clinical trial. The results will also provide valuable preliminary data about the effects of massage on biological parameters in subjects with GAD.