Babamahmoodi, A., Arefnasab, Z., Noorbala, A. A., Ghanei, M., Babamahmoodie, F., Alipour, A. et al. · Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology · 2015
Mixed effect linear models showed EFT improved mental health (F=79.24, p=0), quality of life (F=13.89, p=0.001), decreased anxiety/insomnia (F=24.03, p<0.001), and increased lymphocyte proliferation and IL-17 (both p<0.01) compared to wait-list.
Lymphocyte proliferation and IL-17 are measured in a lab, not reported by a patient — seeing immune markers move favorably alongside mental health improvements, in veterans with real, chemically-caused lung damage, is a genuinely biological finding a skeptic can't reduce to 'they just felt like saying they were better.'
If tapping's apparent effect on immune markers alongside mood holds up, it could mean veterans living with chronic, chemically-caused lung damage — a population conventional medicine often struggles to fully treat — get a technique that could support both mental health and possibly physical resilience together. Because it's self-administered, veterans wouldn't need a standing clinical appointment to keep practicing it as part of ongoing self-care.
This is exactly the kind of immune-cascade finding worth chasing further: if EFT increases lymphocyte proliferation and IL-17 alongside better mental health, does that immune shift correspond to fewer respiratory infections or measurable improvement in lung function tests over time in these chemically-injured veterans? A longer trial adding a fuller inflammatory panel and pulmonary function testing would show whether calming the mind genuinely nudges the body's damaged immune and respiratory systems, not just eases distress about the condition.
| Design | Randomized trial |
|---|---|
| Participants | 28 people |
| Population | chemically pulmonary injured war veterans |
| Comparison group | wait-list control |
| Outcome measures | mental health scale, health-related quality of life, somatic symptoms, lymphocyte proliferation (Con A, PHA), IL-17 |
| Journal | Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology |
| Year | 2015 |
| Country | Iran |
| Language | English |
| Method | EFT / tapping |
| Publication type | Study / trial |
| Verification | ✓ Confirmed against the primary source |
Babamahmoodi, A., Arefnasab, Z., Noorbala, A. A., Ghanei, M., Babamahmoodie, F., Alipour, A., & et al. (2015). Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Effects on Psychoimmunological Factors of Chemically Pulmonary Injured Veterans. Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/tapping. Explore more studies on Other Physical Conditions
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