More Essential Hug Therapy

We continue the Valentine’s theme with a unique and different perspective on relationships and love and how it relates to our health!

It seems too easy, but its true! Hugs affect all of us and at every stages of life. We need social, physical contact, that includes touch in any context…from friendship…to family…to the context of intimacy. Look at some of this incredible research that shows the power of touch:

• Skin-to-skin contact between mom and baby has shown such benefit for the baby’s physical and emotional development that placing a diaper-clad infant skin-to-skin on the mother is an practice used for premature infants in neonatal ICUs used worldwide.
• Hugs increase oxytocin and cortisol (especially in women) producing a protective effect on the heart and lowering blood pressure and risk of disease compared to those without hugs who had higher pulse rates and significantly higher blood pressure.
• Lower cortisol levels from hugs also means increased metabolism (helping to regulate weight) from a UNC study.
• Touch therapy from NYU research shows that touch from others stimulates the hemoglobin levels, raising the levels in our tissues and carrying more oxygen throughout our body, leaving us feeling invigorated
• Gentle touch has been shown to help reduce stress, relieve pain, increase coping ability, and general health ratings
• Therapeutic touch as a treatment for pain management in fibromyalgia has shown that participants experienced a significant decrease in pain and reported a significant improvement in overall quality of life than those without.
• Alzheimer’s nursing home residents showed that intervention consisting of therapeutic touch significantly reduces behavioral symptoms (dementia, such as restlessness, searching and wandering, tapping and banging, pacing and walking, and vocalization.) Impressive since the therapeutic touch used in the study was only provided twice daily, for three days, lasting only 5-7 minutes.
• Infants in an orphanage who received an extra 15 minutes of a female voice, massage and eye-to-eye contact, five days for a month, gained more weight and had greater increases in body length and head circumferences for the next 6 months than children without the extra contact.

The power of touch is truly amazing. Although we live in a deeply ingrained society of “individuality,” we truly need each other! So, don’t let a day go by without offering your touch of love!