1. Physical and Psychological Effects of Head Treatment in the Supine Position Using Specialized Ayurveda-Based Techniques.
- Author
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Masako Murota, Yoko Iwawaki, Kazuo Uebaba, Yoko Yamamoto, Yukie Takishita, Kiyomi Harada, Akemi Shibata, Jin Narumoto, and Kenji Fukui
- Subjects
PARASYMPATHETIC nervous system physiology ,AFFECT (Psychology) ,ALTERNATIVE medicine ,ANTHROPOMETRY ,ANXIETY ,BLOOD pressure measurement ,CLINICAL trials ,COLLEGE students ,CROSSOVER trials ,MENTAL depression ,ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY ,HEAD ,HEALTH status indicators ,HEART rate monitoring ,MASSAGE therapy ,AYURVEDIC medicine ,PROBABILITY theory ,PSYCHOLOGICAL tests ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,RESEARCH funding ,SELF-evaluation ,STATISTICS ,SUPINE position ,DATA analysis ,WELL-being ,VISUAL analog scale ,TREATMENT effectiveness ,DATA analysis software ,STATE-Trait Anxiety Inventory ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,FRIEDMAN test (Statistics) - Abstract
Objective: To clarify the physical and psychological effects of head massage performed in the supine position using Ayurveda-based techniques (head treatment). Design: Twenty-four healthy female students were included in the study. Using a crossover study design, the same participants were enrolled in both the head treatment intervention group and control group. There was an interval of 1 week or more between measurements. Outcome measures: The physiologic indices measured included blood pressure and heart rate fluctuations (high frequency and low frequency/high frequency). The psychological markers measured included liveliness, depression, and boredom using the visual analogue scale method. State anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory method. Results: The parasympathetic nerve activity increased immediately after head treatment. Upon completion of head treatment, the parasympathetic nerve predominance tended to gradually ease. Head treatment boosted freshness and relieved anxiety. Conclusions: The results suggest that head treatment has a relaxing and refreshing effect and may be used to provide comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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