Massage, music therapy may help dementia patients with certain symptoms

A new review of more than 160 studies suggests that non-drug interventions — including massage and music therapy — may be more effective for treating psychiatric symptoms of dementia. Those with dementia often experience symptoms such as agitation and aggression. Studies that evaluated non-pharmacologic interventions reveal that, compared to treatment with standard drugs or cannabinoids, massage and touch therapy — and the addition of music therapy to those two — were more effective in helping dementia patients with their psychiatric symptoms. A major limitation of the new review is that 46% of studies that were analyzed were at risk of bias because of incomplete data when it came to outcomes. The study also did not look at the costs or harms of providing such therapies, which need further evaluation.