Young, A · Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association · 1993 · DOI
This study looked at Amma Therapy, a hands-on healing practice, as a possible way to help people with ME/CFS who feel frustrated with traditional medical care. The researcher examined how this holistic approach might benefit patients with chronic fatigue. The study suggests that some people with ME/CFS may find relief through this alternative therapy.
This early study addresses an important gap in ME/CFS literature by documenting patient interest in holistic approaches and highlighting dissatisfaction with conventional medicine at a time when ME/CFS was poorly understood. It acknowledges the patient perspective and explores complementary therapies, which remains relevant to comprehensive ME/CFS care discussions.
This study does not demonstrate that Amma Therapy is an effective treatment for ME/CFS. The case-control design without rigorous controls cannot establish causation or rule out placebo effects. The findings cannot be generalized to the broader ME/CFS population, and no mechanism of action is identified.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Young, A (1993). Amma therapy: a holistic approach to chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association. https://doi.org/10.1177/089801019301100206
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-young-1993-amma-therapy,
author = {Young, A},
title = {Amma therapy: a holistic approach to chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association},
year = {1993},
doi = {10.1177/089801019301100206},
note = {PubMed: 8277135},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/young-1993-amma-therapy},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/young-1993-amma-therapy
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