Table 4h. Biofield studies conducted with miscellaneous clinical populations, in order of total quality ratings. Problematic studies marked with an asterisk (*). (HT = Healing Touch, TT = Therapeutic Touch, TAU= Treatment as Usual, STAI = State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, POMS = Profile of Mood States, VAS = Visual Analog Scale)

Study Reference / Patient Population (N, gender, ethnicity) / Intervention(s)
(duration, design) / Biomarkers
examined / Psych and other outcome variables / Results / Study +/- / Comments
(Cleland et al., 2006) / 88 asthmatic patients (26 male, 62 female; mean age = 45; ethnicity not reported) / B/wn Ss design
Spiritual healing (n = 29)
Sham healing (n = 30)
Standard care control (n = 31)
One healer with 16years experience used; 40min sessions; 5 weekly sessions
Actor delivered sham healing / Forced expiratory flow (FEV1)
Peak expiratory flow (PEF) / Juniper Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ)
Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS)
Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP)
SF-36 General Health scale / No significant differences between groups for any measure
Within-group analysis revealed that all groups reported sigificant improvement in AQLQ from baseline to post-intervention; also each group showed increased SF-36 from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up. / + controlled for covariates
+ had two follow-up points
+placebo and standard control
- only one practitioner used
(Gagne & Toye, 1994) / 31 adult inpatients mean age 43 (no info on gender, eth) / B/wn Ss design
15-min TT (n=9)
25-30-min Relaxation (RT) (n=12)
15-min mock TT (n=10)
Sessions all w/in 2 days, 2 sessions/day; Nurse or nurse assistant trained in TT administered TT treatment / None / STAI, nurse-rated extraneous movements / Group x time interaction; TT and RT showed decreased STAI over time, mock TT STAI decrease was not sig.
RT showed decrease in motor activity, TT and mock TT did not / + placebo control group
Study Reference / Patient Population (N, gender, ethnicity) / Intervention(s)
(duration, design) / Biomarkers
examined / Psych and other outcome variables / Results / Study +/- / Comments
(Shore, 2004) / 45 Self-identified adults with depression and stress (ages 19-78; gender and ethnicity not reported) / B/wn Ss design
Reiki hands-on (n = 13)
Distance Reiki (n = 16)
Placebo distance Reiki (n = 16)
Used 12 Reiki masters and 3 level II Reiki practitioners; > 1yr experience and distant healing experience with at least 10 people
Reiki tx were 1-1.5 hours per week, for 6 weeks. Practitioner was not in same room as patient for distance Reiki session. / None / Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS)
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) / Repeated measures MANOVA indicated significant post-test and one-year follow-up differences between the treatment groups and placebo control on all 3 measures; Reiki groups showed decreases over time for BDI, BHI, and PSS
No difference was found between distance and hands-on Reiki for any measure
After 1 yr follow-up data were collected, Placebo group given 6 weeks of Reiki treatment (half hands-on, half distance) – results showed similar significant reduction in all 3 outcomes / + placebo control
+ follow-up data
- no control for covariates
- unclear estimates of effect size / Author reported that “participants in the hands-on Reiki condition believed they were receiving mock Reiki, and participants in the placebo Reiki condition believed they were receiving distance Reiki”. However, no questionnaires were given assessing patients’ belief on treatment assignment.
Elegant design
Heterogeneous sample
(Krieger, 1976) / 75 Patients with a variety of medical disorders (male = 23, female = 52; mean age = 36, ethnicity not reported) / B/wn Ss design
Healing group (modality not specified)
Control group
Intervention ws 2 weeks in length; number and duration of sessions not specified / Hemoglobin / None / Within-Ss analysis revealed significant pre-post differences for Healing group but not Control group (no baseline differences between groups); significant b/wn Ss post-intervention differences between groups / + assessment of covariates
+ adequate methodology to assess hemoglobin levels
+ standard control
- only one outcome measure / One of the first published studies with what was likely a precursor study with TT
Nice review of previous theory and literature
(Dixon, 1998) / 51 patients with various medical conditions (male = 16; female = 35) mean age unclear; ethnicity not reported) / B/wn Ss design
Standard care control (n = 24)
Spiritual healing (n = 27)
no info on healers / NK cell percentage / Self-report of symptom intensity
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD)
Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) for functional ability / Healing group showed significant improvement via change scores for symptom intensity, HAD, and NHP scores at 3 mos; but only significant improvement in HAD scores at 6 mos
No change in NK percentages / - no control/assessment for covariates
-unclear reliability/validity for 2/3 self-report measures / Heterogeneous group of patients (arthritis, pain, post-stroke, stress, depression, Crohn’s, psoriasis, eczema)
Study Reference / Patient Population (N, gender, ethnicity) / Intervention(s)
(duration, design) / Biomarkers
examined / Psych and other outcome variables / Results / Study +/- / Comments
(Brooks et al., 2006) / 21 persons undergoing residential substance-abuse treatment (13 male, 9 female; 71% Anglo) / B/wn Ss design
Johrei (n = 12)
Wait-list control (n = 9)
5-week intervention with ~3 20-min sessions/week (14 sessions total) / None / Global Assessment of Individual Need-Quick Scale (GAIN)
POMS
General AA Tools of Recovery Scale (GAATOR) / ANCOVA results revealed that treatment group showed significant decrease in GAIN depressive symptoms, traumatic symptoms, and externalizing behaviors, as well as increase in POMS vigor and increase in 12-step involvement / + control group
+ controlled for pretest score
- no alpha control for a number of comparisons
- underpowered / Study examined Johrei as an adjunct to exisiting 12-step program
(Ireland, 1998) / 20 HIV-infected children , 6-12 years; 13 female, 7 male; 10 African-American, 5 Hispanic, 3 White, 2 other)
TT administered by nurse practitioner with >9 years experience / B/wn Ss design
TT
mock TT
One session only; 5-7 minutes / None / STAI-C / No statistically significant between groups difference on pre-post scores
TT group showed significant within-group pre-post reduction in STAI, but mock TT did not / + comparison group
- underpowered
- only one outcome measure / Very brief treatment (one 5-7 min session) studied
(Larden et al., 2004)* / 54 Pregnant women with chemical dependence, 49% Caucasian, 43% First Nations, 8% Asian; mean age = 27 / B/wn Ss design
(one 20min session per day, 7 days)
TT (n = 18)
Presence (practitioner interacts w/Ss but does not perform TT) (n = 16)
Standard care control (n = 20)
6 TT practitioners, all 2+ yrs experience / None / STAI-X
Symptom Checklist / For first 3 days of treatment, TT group showed significantly reduced anxiety compared to control and presence group; however, by day 4 of treatment, no longer significant differences between groups
No differences between groups on Symptom Checklist scores / + comparison & control group
-Insufficient description of statistical procedures / Authors note large and differential attrition in study (44% TT, 66% presence, 45% standard care); authors suggest that attrition had effect on outcomes on later days
Marked as problematic due to unclear baseline differences and no means/SD reported