RM led to an immediate increase in the patient's dorsal surface temperature, as well as increased HRV and sympathetic stimulation. In the long term, RM resulted in a progressive improvement of warmth distribution and regulation of the resting HRV.

No abstract

Objectives: Eurythmy therapy, an artistic movement therapy characteristic of anthroposophic medicine, is used at the Paracelsus-Hospital Richterswil, in Canton Zurich, in Switzerland. This therapy is used to help prepare patients for surgery, often in a passive way, with the therapist moving the patient's limbs. The goal of the present study was to find out if this intervention leads to alterations in cortisol levels, pulse, and blood pressure (BP), and to investigate the therapy's effectiveness as perceived by patients who receive it. Design and subjects:This was a prospective, sham-controlled, nonrandomized clinical study. Patients undergoing surgery at the hospital were recruited upon giving signed informed consent. Subjects were then allocated either to a therapy group (30 minutes of eurythmy therapy, n = 30) or to the control group (sham treatment consisting of 30 minutes of lying down in the presence of the therapist, n = 30). The decision to prescribe eurythmy therapy was made by the operating surgeon independently of the study.Outcome measures: Physiologic outcomes-salivary cortisol, heart rate, and BP-were measured pre and post therapy. Two days after surgery, patients filled in a questionnaire on how effective they perceived the treatment to be.Results: Eurythmy therapy directly before surgery did not lead to significant changes in the physiologic outcomes. However, patients assessed the effects of eurythmy therapy and control treatment on their preparation for surgery distinctly. Patients in the eurythmy therapy group perceived favorable effects of the therapy more often and more strongly than did patients in the control group, with the difference between the various scores in the 2 groups being always statistically significant. The lack of prior knowledge of eurythmy therapy reported by the majority of the patients in the eurythmy therapy group suggests an unbiased appreciation of the therapy.