A 12-minute massage to boost immunity? science puts it to the test

NCT ID NCT06565065

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 19, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial asks whether a standardized 12-minute osteopathic lymphatic massage can enhance immune readiness in healthy adults. Thirty participants will each receive the massage, a sham light touch, and a 15-minute exercise session in random order across three visits. Blood draws at multiple time points will measure immune cells and signaling molecules to see if the massage changes the immune profile compared with the other interventions.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) - a standardized 12-minute lymphatic massage protocol
What this could lead to
If OMT measurably boosts immune cell activity, it could support a drug-free way to enhance immune readiness in healthy people.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study in 30 healthy adults, so results may not apply broadly. The effect may be no different from sham touch or exercise, and blood markers don't always reflect real immune protection.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2025

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals must be 18 years or older. * Individuals must provide informed consent. * Individuals must be healthy with a BMI under 30, with no primary or secondary immune deficiency or autoimmune disease/must not be immunocompromised. * Individuals must not be using or recently have used any immune-altering medications such as corticosteroids, cyclosporin, tacrolimus, and pimecrolimus * Individuals must not have had lymphatic OMT or other physical manipulation such as acupuncture, physical therapy, chiropractic, or massage therapy in the previous four weeks before study enrollment. * Individuals must have the ability to receive OMT with lymphatic techniques. * Individuals must be able to tolerate 12 minutes of moderate physical activity. * Individuals must not be pregnant or breastfeeding. * Individuals must not have had a splenectomy or other spleen or oncologic surgery within the past 6 months. * Individuals must be infection-free for the past 6 weeks before starting the study and have not received any immunizations within the past 6 weeks. * Individuals must be willing to avoid strenuous activity at least 24 hours before each visit. * Individuals must be willing to abstain from moderate to intense activity in the 4 hours between their 2nd blood draw and their final blood draw at each of their three visits. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals are younger than 18 years of age. * Individuals who do not provide informed consent. * Individuals with a BMI over 30, or with primary or secondary immune deficiency or autoimmune disease or is immunocompromised. * Individuals using or recently have used any immune-altering medications such as corticosteroids, cyclosporin, tacrolimus, and pimecrolimus * Individuals who have had lymphatic OMT or other physical manipulation such as acupuncture, physical therapy, chiropractic, or massage therapy in the previous four weeks before study enrollment. * Individuals who don't have the ability to receive OMT with lymphatic techniques. * Individuals who cannot tolerate 12 minutes of moderate physical activity. * Individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding. * Individuals who have had a splenectomy or other spleen or oncologic surgery within the past 6 months. * Individuals who have had an infection in the 6 weeks before starting the study and or have received any immunizations within the past 6 weeks. * Individuals not willing to avoid strenuous activity at least 24 hours before each visit. * Individuals not willing to abstain from moderate to intense activity in the 4 hours between their 2nd blood draw and their final blood draw at each of their three visits.

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Western University of Health Sciences

    Pomona, California, 91766, United States

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