Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Benefits of Therapeutic Touch for Newborns | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
What are the benefits of giving very loving and therapeutic touch to a newborn, and how does it affect their development of being healthy?— Interested Student in Newark, De. | | | ANSWER |
April 2, 2001 | | | Dear Interested Student,
I'm so glad you asked this question. Human beings appear to have an instinctive need to be touched. Loving, therapeutic touch triggers the relaxation response, which can be measured by reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones. As a result, the immune system works better and people stay healthier. This is true for newborns as well as for older children and adults.
Some of the most dramatic results from massage therapy have been in fragile premature infants. By reducing stress, massage actually helps them to gain weight faster and leave the hospital sooner and with fewer medical complications.
The researcher who has done the most in this area is Tiffany Field, PhD, at the University of Miami. In addition to many articles on massage in newborns and premature infants, she has documented benefits of massage in many different settings. Here are just a very few titles of the more than 100 articles she has written on this subject:- Pregnant Women Benefit from Massage Therapy
- Bulimic Adolescents Benefit from Massage Therapy
- Children with Asthma Have Improved Pulmonary Functions after Massage Therapy
- Massage Therapy Improves Behavior in Neonates (newborns) Born to HIV-positive Mothers
In addition to strictly medical effects, of course there are also powerful psychological effects when parents massage their babies. It's a wonderful way for parents and babies to learn about each other and bond.
Although nothing could be more natural than cuddling a baby (I find it almost impossible not to), there are a few techniques that make infant massage more effective. So it's worthwhile reading up on the subject. You might start with one of the books by Dr. Field, at your library or from a bookstore.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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