A Report on South Africa: Searching for jobs which persons with visual impairment are doing and the state of acupuncture and massage

I visited to Durban, South Africa and investigated what persons with visual impairment were doing for their vocation. In the provincial society for the visually impaired, they were trained packaging, assembly, and cane weaving for employment. Acupuncture was taught for students belonging to the courses of chiropractic and homeopathy in an university

Which essential oil is better for hygienic massage practice?

We examined whether it was possible to practice hygienic massage by using six essential oils—eucalyptus, lavender, niaouli, sage, tea tree, and thyme linalol—which in previous studies or anecdotally have been found to have antibacterial effects. First, to determine the inhibitory properties of the six essential oils against 4.80 × 105 colony forming units (CFU) of strain ATCC-25923 of Staphylococcus aureus, we used a disc method to measure the inhibition zones. Niaouli and eucalyptus showed higher growth inhibitory effects. We then examined the results of using these two essential oils in seven different massage sessions. The niaouli and eucalyptus were each diluted to 1%, 3%, or 6% v/v with jojoba oil base, and jojoba oil without any essential oil was used as a control. Bacterial samples were taken from the therapist’s palms and the subject’s skin, and the surviving bacteria were counted. The antibacterial effects were correlated in vitro with the concentration of the essential oil, and massage sessions with niaouli oil were more hygienic than those with eucalyptus oil

Differences in practitioners’ proficiency affect the effectiveness of massage therapy on physical and psychological states

Objective: An examination was made of how differences in the proficiency of massage practitioners had different physical and psychological effects on clients. Method: Eight healthy 50-year-old females, suffering from chronic neck and shoulder stiffness, were recruited and four interventions were conducted; three 40-minute massage therapy interventions, one each by a freshman and a sophomore student studying massage therapy, and one by their instructor, and one rest on the massage table. Visual Analogue Scale score for muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder, state anxiety score, and salivary cortisol concentration levels and secretory immunoglobulin A were measured pre- and post- interventions. Results: Visual Analogue Scale of neck and shoulder stiffness after massage by the instructor was significantly lower than that after the other interventions, and the score of state anxiety was lower than that after resting

Effects of Anma therapy (traditional Japanese massage) on body and mind.

Introduction: Anma therapy is a traditional style of Japanese massage, one of touch and manual therapies, and one of the most popular CAM therapies in Japan. It was brought from China in the 6th century and, while based on the theory of Chinese medicine, it developed in Japan according to Japanese preference and has recently come to include theories of Western medicine. The purpose of this study was to clarify the physical and psychological effects of Anma therapy. Participants and Methods: Fifteen healthy 50-year-old female volunteers with chronic muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder, received two interventions; 40-minute Anma therapy and 40-minute rest intervention. The design was cross-over design. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. Group A was started on Anma therapy from the first day followed by the rest intervention after a three-day interval. The order of the Anma therapy and the rest intervention reversed for Group B. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score for muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder, state anxiety score, and salivary cortisol concentration levels and secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) were measured pre- and post-interventions. Results: Anma therapy significantly reduced VAS scores and state anxiety scores. S-IgA concentration levels increased significantly across both groups

Using tea tree oil for hygienic massage practice

Objective: The essential oil tea tree oil (TTO) possesses powerful antibacterial activity and many aromatherapists in Japan use it for preventing infection during foot massage. Thus, whether massage is more hygienic using oil with added TTO was evaluated. Design: Massage sessions were conducted using different oils as lubricant; 3% TTO (TTO diluted to 3% v/v with Jojoba oil base), 6% TTO, 3% lavender oil (LO), 6% LO and Jojoba oil without any essential oil added as control. Samples were taken from the therapist's palms and client's skin, then surviving bacteria were counted. Also, to clarify the growth inhibition effect on bacteria, 4.80×103 colony forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus aureus was added to the 5 kinds of oils used as lubricants, undiluted TTO, and undiluted LO, and reduction of bacterial survival count measured. Results: Bacterial count on the therapist's palms increased and that on the client's skin decreased after 10-min. and 20-min. massage. Bacterial count was dependent on concentration of essential oils, however this tendency was not special on TTO. Using undiluted TTO and LO in bacterial growth experiments, no multiplication of the organisms was observed, but this effect was not complete using diluted TTO and LO. Conclusion: Undiluted TTO had antibacterial activity against S. aureus in vitro, however, it could not be demonstrated that it was effective to use the oil added TTO as lubricant for the purpose of hygienic massage practice

Effects of <i>Anma</i> therapy (Japanese massage) on health-related quality of life in gynecologic cancer survivors: A randomized controlled trial

<div><p>Objectives</p><p><i>Anma</i> therapy (Japanese massage therapy, AMT) significantly reduces the severity of physical complaints in survivors of gynecologic cancer. However, whether this reduction of severity is accompanied by improvement in health-related quality of life is unknown.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Forty survivors of gynecologic cancer were randomly allocated to either an AMT group that received one 40-min AMT session per week for 8 weeks or a no-AMT group. We prospectively measured quality of life by using the Japanese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30) at baseline and at 8-week follow-up. The QLQ-C30 response rate was 100%. Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Profile of Mood States (POMS), and Measure of Adjustment to Cancer were also prespecified and prospectively evaluated.</p><p>Results</p><p>The QLQ-C30 Global Health Status and Quality of Life showed significant improvement at 8 weeks (<i>P</i> = 0.042) in the AMT group compared with the no-AMT group, and the estimated mean difference reached a minimal clinically important difference of 10 points (10.4 points, 95% CI = 1.2 to 19.6). Scores on fatigue and insomnia showed significant improvement in the AMT group compared with the no-AMT group (<i>P</i> = 0.047 and 0.003, respectively). There were no significant between-group improvements in HADS anxiety and depression scales; however, POMS-assessed anger-hostility showed significant improvement in the AMT group compared with the no-AMT group (<i>p</i> = 0.028).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>AMT improved health-related quality of life in gynecologic cancer survivors. AMT can be of potential benefit for applications in oncology.</p></div

Analyses of EORTC QLQ-C30 symptom scales.

<p>Analyses of EORTC QLQ-C30 symptom scales.</p