14 DAY TRIAL // Massage sessions may reduce agitation and depression in people who suffer from dementia, according to a recent report in the Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration. The study was carried out by a team of researchers led by Dr. Niels Viggo Hansen of the Knowledge and Research Center for Alternative Medicine, part of Denmark's Ministry of Health.
Researchers found that two types of massage techniques, hand massage and gentle touching during conversation are highly effective in reducing elevated levels of depression and restlessness in dementia patients. Consequently, dementia patients should try for a change the drug-free massage method which is going to restore their appetite and good mood. However, this is not going to last for long - the team warned - as beneficial effects of hand massage and gentle touching are going to 'vanish' within an hour. Nevertheless, it is worth trying, taking into account the fact that massage may sooth dementia patients' troubled mind and agitated body.
Dr. Viggo stated: "Although the available reliable evidence supports the use of massage and touch, it is so limited in scope that it is not possible to draw general conclusions about benefits in dementia. However, even if touch therapy aims only to reintroduce something which has been lost in the professionalization and institutionalization of care, it may still turn out to be a relatively effective, inexpensive and low-risk intervention."
The study investigated by Cochrane reviewers was a rather small one, conducted only on 110 subjects, but researchers expressed their strong belief that massage methods may be very useful as a drug-free complementary technique to treat dementia patients. The team also pinpointed the fact that, besides calming down and restoring appetite in individuals who suffer from the neurodegenerative condition, regular massage sessions may prove effective in slowing down the decline of the cognitive function and improving memory and other mental abilities in patients.
Cynthia Bologna, a Petaluma, California, massage therapist said that many of her patients are dementia sufferers and she has noticed that after massage therapy they are more relaxed and less depressed. She also stated that "whereas I am not sure about long-term cognitive memory, it seems as though their sensory memory is being enhanced."