A gentle touch against coughs and colds: could manual therapy shorten respiratory illness?

This study tests whether adding lymphatic pump osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) to standard care helps older adults recover faster from respiratory illnesses like bronchitis, sinusitis, or pneumonia. Participants aged 65 to 100 with a new respiratory diagnosis will receive OMT—a series of manual pressures and movements aimed at stimulating fluid flow and immune response—alongside usual treatments. The trial compares symptom severity and illness duration against standard care alone, with surveys taken at diagnosis and five days later.