Our Cells Respond to Human Touch

A 2-year research study headed by Gloria A. Gronowicz of the Department of Surgery at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, New Jersey, credits certain forms of alternative energy medicine with the successful stimulation and growth of normal human cell cultures.

Energy medicine includes such biofield therapies as Reiki, quikong and Therapeutic Touch (TT), according to Liverpool-based Dr. Robert Wrieden, D.C. The study focused on TT, which was credited with directly impacting how human cells respond to external stimulation.

Dr. Wrieden points to the case report published this year in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The findings suggest that external stimulation with TT may also be effective in decreasing abnormal cell growth in cancer patients.

In this particular study, three different cell cultures - fibroblasts (derived from neonatal foreskin obtained during circumcision), tendon cells (derived from human hamstring discarded during orthopedic procedures) and bone cells (obtained from healthy bone chips) - were grown and isolated.
All cultures were obtained from different patients. In addition, each of the three cell types that were simultaneously subjected to the various tests all came from different patients.

The cultures were subjected twice a week, over a period of two weeks, to the healing hands of three experienced TT practitioners. During that time, the cultures also underwent sham treatments, or they received no stimulation at all. Each experiment was repeated three times at a minimum.

TT was performed by sweeping hand motions at least 4-10 inches above the plate without ever touching the specimen itself, for a period of 10 minutes, twice a week. "These hand motions direct positive intentions through the hands," explained Dr. Wrieden. Control groups of the cultures underwent sham treatments - random hand motions without any thoughts or intentions - or they received no treatment at all.

All cultures were assessed at the same time. The results were obtained by statistical analysis and were rather surprising: TT resulted in a measurable change in all three cell cultures. Osteoblasts (bone cells) showed a significant increase in cell growth, compared to the untreated cells; a slightly smaller increase was seen in fibroblasts (cultures from neonatal foreskin).

But the largest increase in growth compared to the control group occurred in tenoctytes (cells derived from hamstring tendon).

"We see that human touch has the capacity to affect even cell growth and thereby has a real healing potential," exclaimed Dr. Wrieden. "More studies are needed, but the findings also give hope to many patients who suffer from abnormal cell growth - in particular cancer patients. By and large, energy medicine treatments, in particular TT, promise significant benefits for our bodies."

Editor's note:
Anyone wishing more information may contact Dr. Wrieden, whose office is located at 101 First Street Liverpool, NY 13088 (315 451-2522).

Reference:
"Therapeutic Touch Stimulates the Proliferation of Human Cells in Culture" by Gloria A. Gronowicz, Ankur Jhaveri, Libbe W. Clarke, Michael S. Aronow, Theresa H. Smith, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 14, Number 3, 2008.