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Therapeutic touch promotes DNA synthesis and mineralization of human bone-forming cells (osteoblasts)
(www.drdavidhamilton.com)

Scientists at the University of Connecticut recently showed that Therapeutic Touch (a form of hands-on healing) actually affected the synthesis (replication) of DNA in bone forming cells.

The University of Connecticut scientists took human bone-forming cells, known as osteoblasts, and placed them in a culture, then gave them 2 ten-minute sessions of Therapeutic Touch per week.

After 1 week (2 sessions) there was no change in DNA synthesis compared to controls, but after 2 weeks (4 sessions) there was a significant increase in DNA synthesis. Therapeutic Touch had led to a real, measurable, and significant elevation in the rate of DNA synthesis. And in another test, looking at the quantity of mineralization taking place, Therapeutic Touch also led to increased mineralization of the cells.

Much research on Therapeutic Touch has focused on using real people, but critics have pointed towards the placebo effect as the likely reason for the successful outcomes.
Although, please note, the placebo effect is NOT some subjective ‘all in the mind’ effect. The placebo effect causes real, measurable, chemical changes in the brain and physiological changes throughout the body.

But to get around this, the scientists placed the osteoblasts in a vessel outside of the human body and Therapeutic Touch was then performed on them. There is no human consciousness in a lab Petri dish so there’s no placebo effect.

Yet Therapeutic Touch impacted the DNA. Period!

What does this mean for using therapeutic touch in healing? It demonstrates that Therapeutic Touch would be really effective in healing bone conditions because it would most likely increase the rate of growth of new bone cells.

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