PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

V M Bzdek

Publications and source records attributed to V M Bzdek.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of therapeutic touch on tension headache pain.

Therapeutic touch (TT) is a modern derivative of the laying on of hands that involves touching with the intent to help or heal. This study investigated the effects of TT on tension headache pain in comparison with a placebo simulation of TT. Sixty volunteer subjects with tension headaches were randomly divided into treatment and placebo groups. The McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire was used to measure headache pain levels before each intervention, immediately afterward, and 4 hours later. A Wilcoxon signed rank test for differences indicated that 90% of the subjects exposed to TT experienced a sustained reduction in headache pain, p less than .0001. An average 70% pain reduction was sustained over the 4 hours following TT, which was twice the average pain reduction following the placebo touch. Using a Wilcoxon rank sum test, this was statistically significant, p less than .01. Study results indicated that TT may have potential beyond a placebo effect in the treatment of tension headache pain.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of modeling and information on reactions to pain: a childbirth-preparation analogue.

p6labor-preparation analogue study was conducted to examine the efficacy of videotaped information and modeling as pain-reducing techniques for women during labor and delivery. Sixty nulliparous college female undergraduates were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions: (a) videotaped modeling; (b) videotaped information; (c) videotaped information and modeling combined; and (d) control (irrelevant) videotape. Assessments of the effectiveness of these treatments were made during a one-hour session involving 20 80-second exposures to the Forgione-Barber pain stimulator. The timing and sequencing of the pain stimulus was patterned to resemble labor contractions. Dependent variables included self-reported pain, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, frontalis electromyogram, and respiratory rate. The group that received information and modeling combined reported significantly lower pain ratings than each of the other three groups. Analyses conducted on the physiological dependent variables failed to demonstrate significant treatment effects. The implications of these findings are discussed from the perspective of developing more effective methods of preparing women for the experience of childbirth.

Female↗