Unpublished MSc thesis, Unitec Institute of Technology, 2011/03, 110, type of study: ,ppt,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Free full text   (https://www.researchbank.ac.nz/handle/10652/1748)

Keywords:

immune system [53]
immunoglobulin [7]
lymphatic pump technique [43]
male [860]
OMT [3924]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3945]
pilot study [215]
pretest posttest design [240]

Abstract:

Background: The osteopathic lymphatic pump technique (LPT), a treatment that has not been researched extensively, is widely used within the osteopathic profession to improve health in patients. Secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) in saliva is related to mucosal immune system function and high levels of salivary S-IgA have been shown to decrease the incident of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). The aim of this pilot study was to determine changes in salivary S-IgA in response to LPT. Design: A single systems research design using a modified A-B-C protocol on eight healthy male participants was used to evaluate the outcome measure defined as change in salivary S-IgA secretion rate (μg/ml) as determined by Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbant Assay (ELISA). Methods: Baseline measures of salivary S-IgA were recorded once daily over 5 days. On Day 5 a seven minute thoracic LPT treatment was administered immediately following the pre-treatment measurement. Two post-intervention measurements, at 1 minute post-treatment and at 10 minute post treatment were reported. Results: Visual analysis of the plotted outcome measures showed a short term increase in salivary S-IgA secretion rates following LPT in seven out of eight healthy male subjects. The averaged post-treatment measurements of salivary S-IgA secretion rates were higher when compared to the mean baseline (ES=3.0; p=0.03). Limited data points, lack of control and high variability of data weaken the study and make it difficult to conclude confidently that the intervention caused the results. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that thoracic LPT may influence the salivary S-IgA levels in healthy males. Further research in this area seems to be warranted and may include a more robust research design with a larger sample size and inclusion of participants that suffer from mucosal immune compromise.