PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Interpersonal touch represents the primal sensory experience between humans, fostering social bonding from the cradle to the death bed. In recent decades \"affective touch\" has been intensely studied, stimulated by the discovery of a population of mechanosensitive unmyelinated C-tactile afferents in mammalian skin. A lack of touch in childhood is associated with negative consequences for psychosocial and physical health and the benefits of professional touch techniques in the prevention and treatment of various diseases have been shown over and over again in clinical studies. However, its application in mainstream clinical applications remains limited. To bridge the gap between recent discoveries in touch research and clinical medicine, we propose the establishment of a new discipline: \'Touch Medicine\'. Here, we unfold the potential of Touch Medicine by focusing on the treatment of depression, which in our view is primarily a disorder of the lived body. Controlled studies and systematic reviews have demonstrated the antidepressant, anxiolytic and analgesic effects of specific massage techniques. Underlying mechanisms of action are currently under investigation, ranging from interoceptive, endocrinological, to stress-related or psychological underpinnings. Touch Medicine represents a novel interdisciplinary field connected to various medical specialities such as neonatology, pediatrics, pain medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and geriatrics - but also clinical psychology and psychosomatic medicine might benefit from the integration of these findings into their daily practice.
摘要：
人际接触代表了人类之间的原始感官体验，促进从摇篮到死亡床的社会纽带。近几十年来，“情感触摸”得到了广泛的研究，通过在哺乳动物皮肤中发现机械敏感性无髓鞘C触觉传入神经群而刺激。儿童时期缺乏接触会对社会心理和身体健康产生负面影响，在临床研究中，专业接触技术在预防和治疗各种疾病方面的益处已一遍又一遍地显示出来。然而,其在主流临床应用中的应用仍然有限。为了弥合触摸研究和临床医学的最新发现之间的差距，我们建议建立一个新的学科：“触摸医学”。这里,我们通过专注于抑郁症的治疗来展现触摸医学的潜力，在我们看来，这主要是活体的紊乱。对照研究和系统评价已经证明了抗抑郁药，抗焦虑和镇痛效果的具体按摩技术。目前正在调查潜在的行动机制,从交互感受，内分泌学，与压力相关或心理基础。触摸医学代表了一个新颖的跨学科领域，涉及各种医学专业，例如新生儿学，儿科,止痛药,神经学,精神病学,和老年医学-但临床心理学和心身医学也可能受益于将这些发现整合到他们的日常实践中。
