The Potential Beneficial Effects Of Hand And Foot Bathing On Vital Signs In Women With Caesarean Section.

PURPOSE: Hand-foot bathing therapy is a simple technique to induce sensations of comfort and relaxation. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of hand and foot bathing therapy on vital signs in women following caesarean section. METHODS: Participants were sixty women with caesarean section. They divided to two groups: (1) study group (n=30, median age=26.67 years, SD=2.04); and, (2) control group (n=30, median age=27.75 years, SD=1.09). Vital signs were measured for 5 minutes before and for 30 minutes after the hand and foot bathing therapy. RESULTS: Pain score, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart and breath rates decreased after hand and foot bathing therapy. Differences between before and after therapy were statistically significantly. CONSCLUSIONS: These results indicate that hand and foot bathing therapy might be helpful to restore the vital signs in post-operative patients by decreasing anxiety and psychological stress.

Potential beneficial effects of foot bathing on cardiac rhythm.

PURPOSE: Foot bathing therapy is a simple technique that induces sensations of comfort and relaxation. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of foot bathing therapy on heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in a healthy population. METHODS: Participants were twenty healthy female subjects (median age=20.67 years, SD=1.04). The recording ECG was applied for 5 minutes before and for 5 minutes after foot bathing therapy of 10 minutes. Subjects rested for 10 minutes without recording ECG in order to stabilize autonomic parameters. The digital signals were then transferred to a laptop and analyzed using LabChart® software (MLS310/7 HRV Module). RESULTS: Almost all HRV parameters increased and heart (pulse) rate and LF/HF ratio decreased after foot bathing therapy compared with before foot bathing therapy. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate for the first time in humans that foot bathing might induce a state of balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic systems and might be helpful to prevent possible cardiac arrhythmias.

The effect of foot reflexotherapy on the dynamics of cortical oscillatory waves in healthy humans: An EEG study.

BACKGROUND: Foot reflexotherapy is a noninvasive complementary therapy that has gained considerable application in several fields of human endeavor. The therapy is used to relieve the symptoms of several ailments. For instance, foot reflexotherapy when applied to the cortical areas of the left or right foot relieves pain and stress. However, the electrophysiological mechanisms of the effect of foot reflexotherapy on cortical activity are not completely understood. While it has been shown that foot reflexotherapy exert positive effects on brain functions, little is known about the effects of this therapy on cortical activities as recorded with electroencephalogram (EEG) in healthy humans. Cortical activity is widely investigated with EEG, a noninvasive recording that is used to study brain activity in different functional states and conditions. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot reflexotherapy on EEG rhythms in healthy humans. MATERIAL AND METHODS: EEG recording before and after reflexological therapy was carried out in seven healthy right-handed males who volunteered for the study. RESULTS: Analysis of EEG data revealed activation offrontal cortex that resulted to significant increase in beta and gamma spectral powers after foot reflexotherapy (p ˂ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Foot reflexotherapy is associated with increase in spectral powers in beta and gamma frequency bands. Therefore cortical beta and gamma waves of the EEG could be used as measures of functional activation of the brain, related to foot reflexotherapy.