$3.1 Million from the National Institute of Health (NIH)
Began Fall of 2005 -- A 5 year Study
Michigan State University (MSU)
Reflexology Grant
Are you wondering how this grant came to be?
Here’s the story...One of my clients had extraordinary results with a broken leg that was not healing. I saw her one day in the community with a cast on her leg. When I asked what had happened she explained that this had been a very long and arduous three months with her leg in a hard cast and the results were not good; it was not healing. It was at this time that I asked why she hadn’t been in to see me to help facilitate the circulation and nerve and blood supply to her leg for it to heal?
She replied with, “well, my foot is in a cast and I figured you couldn’t work on it”. I explained that her hand, wrist and elbow were referral areas to her foot, ankle and knee, and since we never work on an injury, we would locate the referral area on the arm, same side of the body. I explained there would be a knot or lump in the same relative area of her forearm.
I assured her that if she were to come in once a week for four weeks and if she would do a little homework on herself a couple times a day for a minute or two, that she wouldn’t have to have the metal plate and screws put in her leg. In fact I guaranteed her results. With eyebrows high and a very skeptical look she said, “how are you going to guarantee this?” I then told her I would give her all her money back if it didn’t work. She scheduled her four appointments (once a week for 4 weeks) did her homework and when she went to her scheduled doctors appointment to x-ray and schedule her for surgery...her doctor was very surprised to find the break had mended. When he asked, “what in the world did you do?” my client began to explain but the doctor was not interested in her story.
She returned for another reflexology session with her cast off telling me of her good news...very disheartened she explained her doctor’s lack of interest. I explained that doctor’s haven’t heard enough about it. In the early 1900’s it was practiced in hospitals. It was after all a physician by the name of Dr. William Fitzgerald, M.D. that rediscovered it in our country. My client, also a Ph.D. in Nursing and a Professor at Michigan State University, said to me, “Well, you’ve always told me this was very beneficial to your clients with breast cancer, undergoing chemotherapy. Let’s write a grant and prove this.” I was asked to select the reflex areas that would most benefit patients who were undergoing chemotherapy.
Dr. Gwen Wyatt wrote first the pilot where they studied equally guided imagery, reminiscence therapy and reflexology. The data showed that reflexology was the therapy of choice, demonstrating favorable results.
Next, the big grant was entered to study just one complementary therapy for five years. After many months of waiting, The National Institute of Health, NIH, our nations most prestigious and most difficult grant to acquire, awarded Michigan State University (MSU) a five year $3.1 million dollar grant to study the effects of Reflexology on Women with Breast Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy.
(Grant #1R01CA104883-01A1)
Dr. Wyatt is a pioneer in her own efforts to see how a science that was able to help her heal a broken leg, can now enter her own field of nursing care for breast cancer, to help women around the world.
You may contact Dr. Wyatt at:
Michigan State University
515-E West Fee Hall
Nursing Care for Breast Cancer
East Lansing, MI 48823
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