Effect of Warm Water Footbaths With Added Ginger or Mustard Powder on Psychosocial Parameters in Patients With an Oncological Disease

Effect of Warm Water Footbaths With Added Ginger or Mustard Powder on Psychosocial Parameters in Patients With an Oncological Disease: a Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized, controlled, three-arm trial to investigate the effects of warm water footbaths with and without the addition of ginger or mustard powder on psychosocial parameters in patients with an oncological disease and in healthy controls.

A randomized, controlled trial with cross-over design in which the subjects (23 patients with an oncological disease, 13 healthy controls) receive warm water footbaths with added ginger (experimental) or mustard powder (experimental) or without additives (active comparator). The wash-out period between two consecutive footbath interventions is at least one day. Outcome measures are assessed right before (t1), right after (t2) and 10 minutes following the footbath (t3). The main focus is on the change in subjective perception of warmth distribution between t1 and t3. Moreover, the objective skin temperature distribution and psychosocial scores are assessed. The primary outcome measure is analyzed with a linear mixed effects model (after checking for carry-over effects). Secondary outcome measures are described descriptively.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent
• Age between 18 and 65 years
• Oncological disorder with at least one chemotherapy or radiation in the treatment history
• Current inpatient treatment in the oncology ward of the Filderklinik (Filderstadt, Germany) with a minimum stay of 4 days

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infectious disease (with more than 38 °C core body temperature)
• Skin lesion on the lower legs or feet
• Hypersensitivity to mustard or ginger products
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Pregnancy
• Insufficient knowledge of the German language
• Bedriddenness
• Poor general condition (according to the assessment of the attending physicians)