Efficacy of Massage Therapy for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

描述(申请人提供)：按摩疗法是增长最快的补充和替代医疗疗法之一，在1990至1997年间，去看按摩治疗师的人数增加了36%，估计每年的费用为40至60亿美元。个人寻求按摩疗法来治疗一系列问题，包括背痛、肌肉疼痛、头痛、紧张感、焦虑、疲劳和失眠。按摩疗法据称是为了改善血液循环，减少焦虑、抑郁和疼痛的症状，以及刺激幸福感。尽管它被广泛使用，但对于按摩在仔细描述的患者群体中的疗效进行的系统研究很少，对按摩治疗的病理条件和作用机制之间的相互作用也知之甚少。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，以及解释按摩疗法有益效果的机制的研究。作为对PA-06-510的回应，我们建议研究推拿疗法对特征良好的广泛性焦虑症(GAD)患者的疗效，GAD是一种普遍存在的令人虚弱的疾病。我们的工作假设是，与轻触摸相比，按摩疗法将导致GAD的客观和主观症状显著减少，我们已经证明轻触摸是一种安慰剂。这个试点项目的具体目的是调查：1)6周推拿疗法对GAD症状的急性影响；2)12周推拿疗法在减轻GAD症状方面是否比5周推拿疗法更有效；5)推拿疗法是否提高了GAD患者的催产素水平，降低了AVP和HPA功能。这项研究的结果将有助于开展一项更大规模的急性临床试验，调查推拿疗法作为治疗广泛性焦虑症的替代疗法的疗效，并收集有关推拿干预治疗广泛性焦虑症的心理生物学的初步数据。 与公共健康相关：尽管按摩疗法声称对健康有好处，并在世界各地被广泛接受，但人们对治疗性按摩对广泛性焦虑症等病理条件的影响知之甚少。需要进行研究，以调查按摩疗法在治疗此类疾病方面的疗效，并证明它是更传统的医学和心理疗法的可接受替代方案。这项拟议的研究将检验推拿疗法治疗广泛性焦虑的疗效。我们将收集设计一项更大规模、随机、对照临床试验所需的初步数据。这一结果也将为推拿对广泛性焦虑症患者生物学参数的影响提供有价值的初步数据。

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.