Effect of Foot Reflexology and Olive Oil Foot Massageon Asthma Control

BACKGROUND: There are some non-invasive and affordable treatments for asthma with fewer side effects, such as reflexology and olive oil foot massage in complementary and alternative medicine. There is a lack of studies regarding the efficacy of olive oil foot massage and reflexology for asthma control. This study was done to investigate the effect of foot reflexology and olive oil foot massage on asthma control.

METHODS: This randomized controlled clinical trial study was performed in 2013 on 45 adult patients suffered from asthma. Participants were divided into three groups (15 in each group): foot reflexology (R), olive oil foot massage (O) and control(C). The reflexology and olive oil foot massage were done by a massage therapist for ten sessions, three times a week for 15 minutes. Asthma control questionnaire (ACQ) was used to determine the adequacy of asthma control. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18. P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Significant difference was seen in Asthma Control mean scores for both of reflexology and foot massage groups at the baseline and after the intervention (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between R and O groups in their asthma control mean scores at the end of the intervention.

CONCLUSION: The results showed that foot reflexology and olive oil foot massage could improve the asthma control. Further study is needed on the interaction of these two interventions, to compare them with the use of specific drug treatments, and to investigate the effect of olive oil absorption on asthma.