Thaindian News

London, March 29 (IANS) Soothing massages once a week for eight weeks after the death of a loved one can ease the pain of bereavement, says a new study.
People, aged between 34 to 78 years, who had lost a relative to cancer took part in the study. It included widows, widowers and daughters and sisters of the person who died of cancer. While some of them chose a foot massage, others preferred a hand massage.

“Details about the massage study were included in an information pack provided by the palliative care team when people’s relatives died,” says Berit S. Cronfalk, who led the study at Stockholm’s Sjukhem Foundation, a Swedish palliative care provider.

Relatives were offered a 25-minute hand or foot massage once a week for eight weeks and could choose whether the sessions took place at home, work or at the hospital.

“Soft tissue massage is gentle, but firm,” explains Cronfalk, who carried out the research with colleagues from the Karolinska Institute. “This activates touch receptors which then release oxytocin, a hormone known for its positive effects on well-being and relaxation,” he says.

“In this study, the hand or foot massage was done with slow strokes, light pressure and circling movements using oil lightly scented with citrus or hawthorn. The relatives were then encouraged to relax for a further 30 minutes,” he says.

Baseline data was collected on the participants during a 60-minute interview before the programme started and a further 60-minute interview was conducted a week after the massage programme finished.

The interviews with the participants showed that they derived considerable benefits from the programme, says a Sjukhem Foundation release.

These findings are slated for publication in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.