Energy Therapies in Advanced Practice Oncology: An Evidence-Informed Practice Approach

" Advanced practitioners in oncology want patients to receive state-of-the-art care and support for their healing process. Evidence-informed practice (EIP), an approach to evaluating evidence for clinical practice, considers the varieties of evidence in the context of patient preference and condition as well as practitioner knowledge and experience. This article offers an EIP approach to energy therapies, namely, Therapeutic Touch (TT), Healing Touch (HT), and Reiki, as supportive interventions in cancer care; a description of the author's professional experience with TT, HT, and Reiki in practice and research; an overview of the three energy healing modalities; a review of nine clinical studies related to oncology; and recommendations for EIP. These studies demonstrate a response to previous research design critiques. Findings indicate a positive benefit for oncology patients in the realms of pain, quality of life, fatigue, health function, and mood. Directionality of healing in immune response and cell line studies affirms the usual explanation that these therapies bring harmony and balance to the system in the direction of health." {Credits 1}

{Credits 1} 🎪 Potter P. J. (2013). Energy therapies in advanced practice oncology: an evidence-informed practice approach. Journal of the advanced practitioner in oncology, 4(3), 139–151. © 2013 Harborside Press. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.