tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24564714070844396102024-02-08T11:27:01.194-08:00Jewish HistoryJonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-23013710530258978642014-11-17T13:16:00.004-08:002014-11-17T13:16:24.020-08:00Complementary and alternative medicine for veterans and military personnel<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
A growing body of research evidence shows that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has health benefits for US military veterans and active duty personnel, according to" <a href="http://journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/toc/2014/12001" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Building the Evidence Base for Complementary and Integrative Medicine Use among Veterans and Military Personnel,"</a> a special December supplement to <i><a href="http://www.lww-medicalcare.com/" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Medical Care</a></i>. The journal is published by <a href="http://www.lww.com/" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Lippincott Williams & Wilkins</a>, a part of <a href="http://www.wkhealth.com/" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Wolters Kluwer Health</a>.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
The special issue presents new studies and commentaries on the benefits and increasing use of CAM techniques in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and other military health settings. "The papers in this supplement represent promising steps to improve the health of veterans and active military personnel," according to an introductory article by Guest Editors Stephanie L. Taylor, PhD, of Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System and A. Rani Elwy, PhD, of Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, Mass. "They mirror the countless stories we hear from veterans and their providers about the positive effect that CAM is having on their lives."</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<b>Studies Show Value of CAM for Improving Health of Military Personnel</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
The supplement presents 14 original studies reporting on specific CAM therapies and on the current use, perceptions, and acceptance of CAM in veterans and current military personnel. The special issue of <i>Medical Care</i> is sponsored by the VHA's Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
Complementary and alternative medicine therapies are increasingly available, used, and appreciated by military patients, according to Drs Taylor and Elwy. They cite statistics showing that CAM programs are now offered at nearly 90 percent of VA medical facilities. Use CAM modalities by veterans and active military personnel is as at least as high as in the general population.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
Previous systematic reviews have reported benefits of CAM treatments for many of the important problems seen in military populations, including chronic pain, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression. Those prior results suggest that CAM therapies are "moderately effective" for these conditions--although these conclusions must be weighed against the weaknesses of the evidence base.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
Highlights of the research included in the special issue include:</div>
<ul style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<li>Studies reporting benefits of specific types of meditation practices. One study finds that a mindfulness-based intervention reduced depression and improved psychological well-being in veterans with PTSD. A study of mindfulness-based stress reduction for veterans shows reductions in anxiety and depression, as well as suicidal thoughts.</li>
<li>A report showing beneficial effects of acupuncture for veterans with PTSD. In addition to reduced severity of PTSD symptoms, the study shows improvements in depression, pain, and physical and mental health functioning. Another study finds that most veterans use vitamins and nutritional supplements, often substituting them for prescription drugs.</li>
<li>Studies showing high rates of use and favorable perceptions found of CAM modalities among veterans of the Gulf War and Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom. Veterans with PTSD are more likely to be accepting of CAM therapies.</li>
<li>Reports describing the rates and preferred types of CAM mind-body and other modalities among military members and veterans, as well as on health care providers' attitudes toward CAM. While VA providers vary in their knowledge of CAM, many perceive benefits for their patients.</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
A commentary by Laura P. Krejci, MSW, and colleagues of the VA's Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation discusses the role of CAM in meeting the "number one strategic priority" of providing "personalized, proactive, patient-driven health care to veterans." Dr Wayne B. Jonas and colleagues of the Samueli Institute, Alexandria, Va., draw attention to several bodies of research on CAM in the US military. They conclude that current policy and priorities leave "the majority of active duty service members, veterans, and their families to fend for themselves, to pay for or go without the beneficial effects of CAM and integrative medicine practices."</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
While the studies in the special issue show progress, Drs Taylor and Elwy stress the need for additional rigorous research to better understand CAM's potential for managing important conditions seen in military populations. They conclude, "It is time for more funding to be awarded to CAM ...to improve the capacity of the field to carry out rigorous CAM research, which in turn will benefit veterans and military personnel, as well as the general population."</div>
<div align="center" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-16774580252398500792014-11-06T13:34:00.000-08:002014-11-06T13:34:19.911-08:00Study shows integrative medicine relieves pain and anxiety for cancer inpatients<h1 class="title">
<br /></h1>
<h2 class="subtitle" style="font-style: italic;">
</h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pain is a common symptom of cancer and side effect of cancer treatment, and treating cancer-related pain is often a challenge for health care providers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Penny George Institute for Health and Healing researchers found that integrative medicine therapies can substantially decrease pain and anxiety for hospitalized cancer patients. Their findings are published in the current issue of the <i>Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Following Integrative medicine interventions, such as medical massage, acupuncture, guided imagery or relaxation response intervention, cancer patients experienced a reduction in pain by an average of 47 percent and anxiety by 56 percent," said Jill Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H., lead author and Senior Scientific Advisor at the Penny George Institute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"The size of these reductions is clinically important, because theoretically, these therapies can be as effective as medications, which is the next step of our research," said Jeffery Dusek, Ph.D., senior author and Research Director for the Penny George Institute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Penny George Institute receives funding from the National Center of Alternative and Complementary Medicine of the National Institutes of Health to study the impact of integrative therapies on pain over many hours as well as over the course of a patient's entire hospital stay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"The overall goal of this research is to determine how integrative services can be used with or instead of narcotic medications to control pain," Johnson said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Researchers looked at electronic medical records from admissions at Abbott Northwestern Hospital between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2012. From more than ten thousand admissions, researchers identified 1,833 in which cancer patients received integrative medicine services.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Patients were asked to report their pain and anxiety before and just after the integrative medicine intervention, which averaged 30 minutes in duration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Patients being treated for lung, bronchus, and trachea cancers showed the largest percentage decrease in pain (51 percent). Patients with prostate cancer reported the largest percentage decrease in anxiety (64 percent).</span>Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-20237444827314121732014-03-28T05:35:00.000-07:002014-03-28T05:35:02.774-07:00Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms<h1 id="article-title-1" itemprop="headline">
<a href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403.full" target="_blank">Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms</a></h1>
<h2 class="subtitle">
A Systematic Review</h2>
<div class="contributors intlv">
<ol class="contributor-list" id="contrib-group-1">
<li class="contributor" id="contrib-1"><span class="name"><a class="name-search" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/search?author1=Helan%C3%A9+Wahbeh&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">Helané Wahbeh</a></span><span class="contrib-degrees">, ND, MCR</span><a class="xref-aff" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403?papetoc#aff-1" id="xref-aff-1-1">1</a><span class="xref-sep">,</span><a class="xref-aff" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403?papetoc#aff-2" id="xref-aff-2-1">2</a><a class="xref-up-link" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403?papetoc#corresp-1" id="xref-corresp-1-1"><span>⇑</span></a></li>
<li class="contributor" id="contrib-2"><span class="name"><a class="name-search" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/search?author1=Angela+Senders&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">Angela Senders</a></span><span class="contrib-degrees">, ND</span><a class="xref-aff" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403?papetoc#aff-1" id="xref-aff-1-2">1</a><span class="xref-sep">,</span><a class="xref-aff" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403?papetoc#aff-2" id="xref-aff-2-2">2</a></li>
<li class="contributor" id="contrib-3"><span class="name"><a class="name-search" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/search?author1=Rachel+Neuendorf&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">Rachel Neuendorf</a></span><span class="contrib-degrees">, MS</span><a class="xref-aff" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403?papetoc#aff-2" id="xref-aff-2-3">2</a></li>
<li class="last" id="contrib-4"><span class="name"><a class="name-search" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/search?author1=Julien+Cayton&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">Julien Cayton</a></span><span class="contrib-degrees">, BA</span><a class="xref-aff" href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/20/2156587214525403?papetoc#aff-1" id="xref-aff-1-3">1</a></li>
</ol>
<ol class="affiliation-list">
<li class="aff"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2456471407084439610" id="aff-1" name="aff-1"></a><address>
<sup>1</sup>Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
</address>
</li>
<li class="aff"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2456471407084439610" id="aff-2" name="aff-2"></a><address>
<sup>2</sup>National College of Natural Medicine, Portland, OR, USA
</address>
</li>
</ol>
<ol class="corresp-list">
<li class="corresp" id="corresp-1">Helané Wahbeh, ND, MCR, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road CR120, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
Email: <a href="mailto:wahbehh@ohsu.edu">wahbehh@ohsu.edu</a>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1" itemprop="description">
<h2>
Abstract</h2>
<div class="subsection" id="sec-1">
<div id="p-1">
<strong>Objectives.</strong> To (1)
characterize complementary and alternative medicine studies for
posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, (2) evaluate
the quality of these studies, and (3)
systematically grade the scientific evidence for individual CAM
modalities for posttraumatic
stress disorder.
</div>
</div>
<div class="subsection" id="sec-2">
<div id="p-2">
<strong>Design.</strong> Systematic
review. Eight data sources were searched. Selection criteria included
any study design assessing posttraumatic
stress disorder outcomes and any complementary
and alternative medicine intervention. The body of evidence for each
modality
was assessed with the Natural Standard
evidence-based, validated grading rationale.
</div>
</div>
<div class="subsection" id="sec-3">
<div id="p-3">
<strong>Results and Conclusions.</strong>
Thirty-three studies (n = 1329) were reviewed. Scientific evidence of
benefit for posttraumatic stress disorder was strong
for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
and good for acupuncture, hypnotherapy, meditation, and visualization.
Evidence
was unclear or conflicting for biofeedback,
relaxation, Emotional Freedom and Thought Field therapies, yoga, and
natural products.
Considerations for clinical applications and
future research recommendations are discussed.
</div>
</div>
</div>
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-76393602970068599072014-03-27T14:04:00.001-07:002014-03-27T14:04:17.409-07:00Acupuncture enhances antidepressant effect of SeroxatAcupuncture is more effective than oral antidepressants in improving depressive symptoms, and produces fewer side effects than tricyclic antidepressants. Despite the continued development of antidepressants and alternative/synergistic therapies, major depressive disorder has not been comprehensively recognized and treatment outcome is often insufficient. An epidemiological study addressing depression showed that poor recognition and treatment are largely linked to the lack of an accurate assessment tool and to patients' economic situation.<br />
<br />
Prof. Yong Huang and team from Southern Medical University in China compared the clinical efficacy of acupuncture/electroacupuncture combined with an antidepressant drug, with that of an antidepressant drug alone, using the Symptom Checklist-90. Researchers found that administration of Seroxat alone or in combination with acupuncture/electroacupuncture can produce a significant effect in patients with primary unipolar depression. Furthermore, acupuncture/electroacupuncture has a rapid onset of therapeutic effect and produces a noticeable improvement in obsessive-compulsive, depressive and anxiety symptoms. These findings have been published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 2, 2014).<br /><br />###<br />Article: "Acupuncture/electroacupuncture enhances anti-depressant effect of Seroxat: the Symptom Checklist-90 scores " by Junqi Chen1, Weirong Lin2, Shengxu Wang3, Chongqi Wang3, Ganlong Li1, Shanshan Qu3, Yong Huang3, Zhangjin Zhang4, Wei Xiao3 (1 The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 2 The Shenzhen TCM hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; 3 School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 4 School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China)<br /><br />Chen JQ, Lin WR, Wang SX, Wang CQ, Li GL, Qu SS, Huang Y, Zhang ZJ, Xiao W. Acupuncture/electroacupuncture enhances anti-depressant effect of Seroxat: the Symptom Checklist-90 scores. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(2):213-222.Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-22449111076990160542014-03-12T05:53:00.001-07:002014-03-12T05:53:25.559-07:00Yoga-based interventions hold promise for smoking cessation<h2 class="subtitle">
<br /></h2>
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1" itemprop="description">
<div id="p-1">
<a href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/02/25/2156587214524580.full.pdf+html">This study</a> provided a review of
evidence-based yoga interventions’ impact on smoking cessation. The
researchers reviewed
articles obtained from MEDLINE (PubMed), EBSCOHOST,
PROQUEST, MEDINDIA, CINAHL, Alt HealthWatch, and AMED databases.
Inclusion
criteria were as follows: (<em>a</em>) study published between 2004 and 2013, (<em>b</em>) study published in English language, (<em>c</em>) study used yoga-based interventions, (<em>d</em>) study involved smokers with varying level of smoking, (<em>e</em>) study used any quantitative design, and (<em>f</em>)
study had physiological and/or psychological outcomes. </div>
<div id="p-1">
<br /></div>
<div id="p-1">
A total of 10
studies met the inclusion criteria. Designs were 2
pre–post tests and 8 randomized controlled trials. </div>
<div id="p-1">
<br /></div>
<div id="p-1">
A majority of the interventions were able to enhance quitting smoking
rates
in the participants under study. </div>
</div>
<br />Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-6233843652582753682014-03-11T07:26:00.002-07:002014-03-11T07:26:39.127-07:00Adequate Doses of Massage Treatment Necessary for Relief of Neck Pain<br /><br />Neck pain is a common and debilitating condition, and massage therapy is commonly used to treat it, yet there is little quality research on the optimal dose of therapeutic massage for neck pain. Randomizing 228 patients with chronic neck pain to five different groups receiving various doses of massage for a five-week period, researchers found the benefits of massage treatments for chronic neck pain increase with dose. Specifically, they found that patients who received 30-minute treatments two or three times weekly were not significantly better than a wait-listed control group in terms of achieving a clinically meaningful improvement in neck dysfunction or pain. In contrast, patients who received 60-minute treatments two or three times weekly showed significant improvement in neck dysfunction and pain intensity compared to the control group. Compared with their control counterparts, massage participants were three times more likely to have clinically meaningful improvement in neck function if they received 60 minutes of massage twice a week and five times more likely if they received 60 minutes of massage three times a week. The authors conclude patients who receive massage treatment for chronic neck pain may not be realizing benefits from treatment because they are not receiving an effective treatment dose.Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-47708982961862231172014-03-06T05:56:00.003-08:002014-03-06T05:56:53.118-08:00Yoga regulates stress hormones and improves quality of life for women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy<br />For women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.<br /><br />The preliminary findings were first reported in 2011 by Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., professor and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson, and are now published in the <i>Journal of Clinical Oncolog</i>y. This research is part of an ongoing effort to scientifically validate mind-body interventions in cancer patients and was conducted in collaboration with India's largest yoga research institution, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore, India.<br /><br />Researchers found that while simple stretching exercises counteracted fatigue, patients who participated in yoga exercises that incorporated controlled breathing, meditation and relaxation techniques into their treatment plan experienced improved ability to engage in their daily activities, better general health and better regulation of cortisol (stress hormone). Women in the yoga group were also better equipped to find meaning in the illness experience, which declined over time for the women in the other two groups.<br /><br />The study also assessed, for the first time, yoga benefits in cancer patients by comparing their experience with patients in an active control group who integrated simple, generic stretching exercises into their lives.<br /><br />"Combining mind and body practices that are part of yoga clearly have tremendous potential to help patients manage the psychosocial and physical difficulties associated with treatment and life after cancer, beyond the benefits of simple stretching," said Cohen.<br /><br />To conduct the study, 191 women with breast cancer (stage 0-3) were randomized to one of three groups: 1) yoga; 2) simple stretching; or 3) no instruction in yoga or stretching. Participants in the yoga and stretching groups attended sessions specifically tailored to breast cancer patients for one-hour, three days a week throughout their six weeks of radiation treatment.<br /><br />Participants were asked to report on their quality of life, including levels of fatigue and depression, their daily functioning and a measure assessing ability to find meaning in the illness experience. Saliva samples were collected and electrocardiogram tests were administered at baseline, end of treatment, and at one, three and six months post-treatment.<br /><br />Women who practiced yoga had the steepest decline in their cortisol levels across the day, indicating that yoga had the ability to help regulate this stress hormone. This is particularly important because higher stress hormone levels throughout the day, known as a blunted circadian cortisol rhythm, have been linked to worse outcomes in breast cancer.<br /><br />Additionally, after completing radiation treatment, only the women in the yoga and stretching groups reported a reduction in fatigue. At one, three and six months after radiation therapy, women who practiced yoga during the treatment period reported greater benefits to physical functioning and general health. They were more likely to find life meaning from their cancer experience than the other groups.<br /><br />According to Cohen, research shows that developing a yoga practice also helps patients after completing cancer treatment.<br /><br />"The transition from active therapy back to everyday life can be very stressful as patients no longer receive the same level of medical care and attention. Teaching patients a mind-body technique like yoga as a coping skill can make the transition less difficult."<br /><br />Through a grant from the National Cancer Institute, Cohen and his team are now conducting a Phase III clinical trial in women with breast cancer to further determine the mechanisms of yoga that lead to improvement in physical functioning, quality of life and biological outcomes during and after radiation treatment. A secondary aim of the trial, but one of great importance, stressed Cohen, is assessing cost efficiency analysis for the hospital, health care usage costs in general and examining work productivity of patients.<br /><br />Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-8452352549557155782014-03-06T04:18:00.004-08:002014-03-06T04:18:56.234-08:00 New therapy helps to improve audio and visual perception in stroke patients <br />A stroke can cause permanent damage to important parts of the brain, with the result that many stroke survivors require lifelong care and support. 'It is not uncommon for stroke patients to suffer from an awareness deficit or a reduced response to stimuli on one side of their body. This condition, known as hemispatial neglect, can mean that patients are unable to properly perceive people, images or sounds on that side,' explains Professor Georg Kerkhoff from the Department of Clinical Neuropsychology at Saarland University. 'These phenomena tend to be observed when the right side of the brain is damaged, in which case, the left side of the body is affected.' Another factor that complicates the situation is that patients are often unable to correctly assess their own state of health or even deny that they have a deficit in this area. Experts refer to this aspect of hemispatial neglect as patient unawareness. 'This lack of awareness reduces the chances of therapeutic success and makes treatment more difficult,' says Kerkhoff. 'So far there have only been limited therapeutic options for this group of patients.'<br /><br />The team of neuropsychologists at Saarbrücken have developed a novel therapeutic approach that has now been tested in two separate studies. In optokinetic stimulation therapy (OKS), patients are shown a cloud of dots on a large screen in which one of the dots is highlighted in a different colour. The dots move horizontally at a constant speed from one side of the screen to the other. Patients must follow the movement of the dots with their eyes. The direction of motion depends on which side of the patient's body is affected. 'If the left side is affected, the dots move from the right side of the screen to the left,' explains Professor Kerkhoff. The dots therefore move from the healthy side of the body to the neglected side. 'This effectively forces the patient to become aware of his neglected side,' says Kerkhoff. Once the dot has reached the edge of the screen, the patient has to move his or her eyes back to the initial fixation point and the exercise begins again.<br /><br />In order to check how efficient this new method is, the research team ran a study with 50 subjects in which they compared OKS with visual exploration training (VET), which is currently the most commonly used therapeutic procedure for patients with neglect. 'Up until now, patients using VET therapy have only been shown rigid patterns, but patients are generally better able to perceive motion,' explains Kerkhoff. The use of visual motion stimuli activates areas of the stroke patient's brain that are involved in eye movements and that facilitate attention towards the neglected side. 'After five OKS sessions, the subjects had measurably improved perception of sounds and images on the neglected side,' says Professor Kerkhoff. 'And the effect was sustained at follow-up.' In contrast, there was no improvement in symptoms using VET.<br /><br />In a further study, the research team was able to show that OKS not only trains the senses, but also makes patients better able to deal with day-to-day problems such as locating objects and helps to improve their spatial orientation. After undergoing OKS therapy, patients were also better able to assess their own state of health and were no longer in denial about their functional impairments.<br /><br />'OKS has been shown to be a very effective method of treatment,' says Kerkhoff, summarizing the results of the two studies. 'OKS speeds up recovery and can be deployed early on in stroke rehabilitation programmes, particularly in the case of patients with a severe lack of awareness.'<br /><br />Details of the studies have recently been published in the following papers:<br /><br />Kerkhoff et al, Smooth pursuit eye movement training. Neurorehabilitation & Neural Repair, 2013, DOI: 10.1177/1545968313491012<br /><br />Kerkhoff et al, Smooth pursuit „bedside" training. Neurorehabilitation & Neural Repair, 2014, DOI: 10.1177/1545968313517757Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-90594922133872379782014-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:002014-02-24T13:56:12.673-08:00 Acupuncture holds promise for treating inflammatory disease <br />
When acupuncture first became popular in the western hemisphere it had its doubters. It still does. But over time, through detailed observation, scientists have produced real evidence that ancient Chinese practitioners of the medical arts were onto something.<br />
<br />
Now new research documents a direct connection between the use of acupuncture and physical processes that could alleviate sepsis, a condition that often develops in hospital intensive care units, springs from infection and inflammation, and takes an estimated 250,000 lives in the United States every year.<br />
<br />
"Sepsis is the major cause of death in the hospital," says Luis Ulloa, an immunologist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School who led the study, which has been published by the journal Nature Medicine. "But in many cases patients don't die because of the infection. They die because of the inflammatory disorder they develop after the infection. So we hoped to study how to control the inflammatory disorder."<br />
<br />
The researchers already knew that stimulation of one of the body's major nerves, the vagus nerve, triggers processes in the body that reduce inflammation, so they set out to see whether a form of acupuncture that sends a small electric current through that and other nerves could reduce inflammation and organ injury in septic mice. Ulloa explains that increasing the current magnifies the effect of needle placement, and notes that electrification is already FDA-approved for treating pain in human patients.<br />
<br />
When the electroacupuncture was applied to mice with sepsis, molecules called cytokines that help limit inflammation were stimulated as predicted, and half of those mice survived for at least a week. There was zero survival among mice that did not receive acupuncture.<br />
<br />
Ulloa and his team then probed further, to figure out exactly why the acupuncture treatments had succeeded. And they made a discovery that, on its face, was very disappointing. They found that when they removed adrenal glands – which produce hormones in the body – the electroacpuncture stopped working. That discovery, on its face, presented a big roadblock to use of acupuncture for sepsis in humans, because most human cases of sepsis include sharply reduced adrenal function. In theory, electroacupuncture might still help a minority of patients whose adrenal glands work well, but not many others.<br />
<br />
So the researchers dug even deeper – to find the specific anatomical changes that occurred when electroacupuncture was performed with functioning adrenal glands. Those changes included increased levels of dopamine, a substance that has important functions within the immune system. But they found that adding dopamine by itself did not curb the inflammation. They then substituted a drug called fenoldopam that mimics some of dopamine's most positive effects, and even without acupuncture they succeeded in reducing sepsis-related deaths by 40 percent.<br />
<br />
Ulloa considers the results a double triumph.<br />
<br />
On the one hand, he says, this research shows physical evidence of acupuncture's value beyond any that has been demonstrated before. His results show potential benefits, he adds, not just for sepsis, but treating other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and Crohn's disease.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, by also establishing that a drug reduced sepsis deaths in mice, he has provided an innovative roadmap toward developing potential drugs for people. That roadmap may be crucial, because no FDA-approved drug to treat sepsis now exists.<br />
<br />
"I don't even know whether in the future the best solution for sepsis will be electroacupuncture or some medicine that will mimic electroacupuncture," Ulloa concludes. The bottom line, he says, is that this research has opened the door to both.<br />
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-84537717619089118042014-01-13T08:18:00.003-08:002014-01-13T08:18:36.637-08:00Complementary Medicine Widely Used to Treat Children With Autism, Developmental Delay<br />
In a study of the range of treatments being employed for young children with autism and other developmental delays, UC Davis MIND Institute researchers have found that families often use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments and that the most frequent users of both conventional and complementary approaches are those with higher levels of parental education and income.<br />
<br />
There is no Food and Drug Administration-approved medical treatment for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition whose hallmarks are deficits in social relatedness, repetitive thoughts and behaviors and, often, intellectual disability.<br />
<br />
In the search for treatments to help their children, families may turn to unconventional approaches such as mind-body medicine (e.g. meditation or prayer), homeopathic remedies, probiotics, alternative diets or more invasive therapies such as vitamin B-12 injections, intravenous immunoglobulin or chelation therapy -- some of which carry significant risks.<br />
<br />
The research is published online in the <i>Journal of Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics</i>. It was led by Robin Hansen, director of the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the MIND Institute and chief of the Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics in the UC Davis School of Medicine.<br />
<br />
"In our Northern California study population, it does not appear that families use complementary and alternative treatments due to the lack of availability of conventional services, as has been suggested by other research," Hansen said. "Rather, they use the treatments in addition to conventional approaches."<br />
<br />
The cause or causes of most neurodevelopmental disorders are not known, and the conditions have no cure. Many children suffer from a wide array of associated symptoms that may not be directly associated with their condition and that make their daily lives and those of their families stressful. Such symptoms include irritability, hyperactivity, gastrointestinal problems and sleep disorders.<br />
<br />
The study included nearly 600 diverse children between 2 and 5 years with autism and developmental delay who were enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study. Of the participants, 453 were diagnosed with autism and 125 were diagnosed with developmental delay.<br />
<br />
CAM use was more common among children with autism than children diagnosed with other types of developmental delay, 40 percent versus 30 percent respectively. Nearly 7 percent of children with autism were on the gluten-free/casein-free diet, particularly children with frequent gastrointestinal problems.<br />
<br />
"We were pleased to find that most families utilizing CAM therapies were choosing ones that were low risk," said Kathleen Angkustsiri, assistant professor of developmental and behavioral pediatrics and a study co-author.<br />
<br />
However, a small but statistically significant number -- about 4 percent -- were found to use alternative treatments classified by the study as potentially unsafe, invasive or unproven, such as antifungal medications, chelation therapy and vitamin B-12 injections.<br />
<br />
"Our study suggests that pediatricians and other providers need to ask about CAM use in the context of providing care for children with autism and other developmental disorders, and take a more active role in helping families make decisions about treatment options based on available information related to potential benefits and risks," said Roger Scott Akins, lead author and a former postdoctoral fellow at the MIND Institute, who now is chairman of the Division of Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va.<br />
<br />
Irva Hertz-Picciotto, professor of public health sciences and principal investigator for the CHARGE study, said the research supports the emergent need for identifying validated treatments for neurodevelopmental conditions.<br />
<br />
"These findings emphasize the enormous and urgent need for effective treatments and for rigorous research that can identify them and verify their effectiveness and safety," Hertz-Picciotto said. "Of course it is reasonable for parents to keep searching for ways to help their children, when there are few effective treatments and none that can help every child."<br />
<br />
<br />
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-69374772861853243002013-03-16T08:02:00.003-07:002013-03-16T08:02:59.065-07:00Series of studies first to examine acupuncture's mechanisms of action<br />
<i><b><br />
Understanding the molecular underpinnings of an ancient Chinese therapy's success could increase its acceptance by mainstream medicine</b></i><br />
<br />
<br />
While acupuncture is used widely to treat chronic stress, the mechanism of action leading to reported health benefits are not understood. In a series of studies at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), researchers are demonstrating how acupuncture can significantly reduce the stress hormone response in an animal model of chronic stress.<br />
<br />
The latest study was published today in the April issue of Journal of Endocrinology.<br />
<br />
"Many practitioners of acupuncture have observed that this ancient practice can reduce stress in their patients, but there is a lack of biological proof of how or why this happens," says the study's lead author, Ladan Eshkevari, PhD, an associate professor of nursing at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, a part of GUMC. "We're starting to understand what's going on at the molecular level that helps explain acupuncture's benefit."<br />
<br />
Eshkevari, a physiologist, nurse anesthetist and certified acupuncturist, designed a series of studies in rats to test the effect of electronic acupuncture on levels of proteins and hormones secreted by biologic pathways involved in stress response.<br />
<br />
Eshkevari used rats because these animals are often used to research the biological determinants of stress. They mount a stress response when exposed to winter-like temperatures for an hour a day.<br />
<br />
"I used electroacupuncture because I could make sure that each animal was getting the same treatment dose," she explains.<br />
<br />
The spot used for the acupuncture needle is called "Zusanli," which is reported to help relieve a variety of conditions including stress. As with rats, that acupuncture point for humans is on the leg below the knee.<br />
<br />
The study utilized four groups of rats for a 10-day experiment: a control group that was not stressed and received no acupuncture; a group that was stressed for an hour a day and did not receive acupuncture; a group that was stressed and received "sham" acupuncture near the tail; and the experimental group that were stressed and received acupuncture to the Zusanli spot on the leg.<br />
<br />
The researchers then measured blood hormone levels secreted by the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, which includes the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland. The interactions among these organs control reactions to stress and regulate digestion, the immune system, mood and emotions, sexuality and energy storage and expenditure.<br />
<br />
They also measured levels of NPY, a peptide secreted by the sympathetic nervous system in rodents and humans. This system is involved in the "flight or fight" response to acute stress, resulting in constriction of blood flow to all parts of the body except the heart, lungs and brain (the organs most needed to react to danger). Chronic stress, however, can cause elevated blood pressure and cardiac disease.<br />
<br />
"We found that electronic acupuncture blocks the chronic, stress-induced elevations of the HPA axis hormones and the sympathetic NPY pathway," Eshkevari says. She adds that the rats receiving the sham electronic acupuncture had elevation of the hormones similar to that of the stress-only animals.<br />
<br />
Eshkevari says this research complements her earlier reported work that focused only on NPY. In that study, Eshkevari and her team found that NPY levels were reduced in the experimental group almost to the level of the control group, while the rats that were stressed and not treated with Zusanli acupuncture had high levels of NPY (Experimental Biology and Medicine Dec. 2011).<br />
<br />
"Our growing body of evidence points to acupuncture's protective effect against the stress response," she continues. Eshkevari says additional research is needed to examine if acupuncture would be effective in reducing hormone levels after the animals are exposed to the stress of cold temperatures, and whether a similar observation can be made in humans.<br />
<br />
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-85662076481634257362013-01-25T12:29:00.003-08:002013-01-25T12:29:41.531-08:00The effects of yoga on major psychiatric disorders<br />
The 5,000-year-old Indian practice may have positive effects on major psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, ADHD and sleep complaints<br />
<br />
Yoga has positive effects on mild depression and sleep complaints, even in the absence of drug treatments, and improves symptoms associated with schizophrenia and ADHD in patients on medication, according to a systematic review of the exercise on major clinical psychiatric disorders.<br />
<br />
Published in the open-access journal, Frontiers in Psychiatry, on January 25th, 2013, the review of more than one hundred studies focusing on 16 high-quality controlled studies looked at the effects of yoga on depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, sleep complaints, eating disorders and cognition problems.<br />
<br />
Yoga in popular culture<br />
<br />
Yoga is a popular exercise and is practiced by 15.8 million adults in the United States alone, according to a survey by the Harris Interactive Service Bureau, and its holistic goal of promoting psychical and mental health is widely held in popular belief.<br />
<br />
"However, yoga has become such a cultural phenomenon that it has become difficult for physicians and patients to differentiate legitimate claims from hype," wrote the authors in their study. "Our goal was to examine whether the evidence matched the promise."<br />
<br />
Benefits of the exercise were found for all mental health illnesses included in the review, except for eating disorders and cognition problems as the evidence for these was conflicting or lacking.<br />
<br />
Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center, US, and author of the study, explained that the emerging scientific evidence in support of the 5,000 year old Indian practice on psychiatric disorders is "highly promising" and showed that yoga may not only help to improve symptoms, but also may have an ancillary role in the prevention of stress-related mental illnesses.<br />
<br />
The review found evidence from biomarker studies showing that yoga influences key elements of the human body thought to play a role in mental health in similar ways to that of antidepressants and psychotherapy. One study found that the exercise affects neurotransmitters, inflammation, oxidative stress, lipids, growth factors and second messengers.<br />
<br />
Unmet need among mental health patients<br />
<br />
Depression alone affects more than 350 million people globally and is the leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). On World Mental Health Day last year, the WHO called for improved access to treatments.<br />
<br />
While there has been an increase in the number of medications available for mental health disorders, many of which can be life saving for patients, there remains "a considerable unmet need," according to Dr. Meera Balasubramaniam, lead author of the study, who is also based at Duke University, US.<br />
<br />
Poor compliance and relapse as well as treatment resistance are growing problems, and medications are expensive and can leave patients with significant side effects.<br />
<br />
The Primary Care study, carried out by WHO, found that 60% of patients were still depressed after a year of being treated with an anti-depressant and a National Institute of Mental Health funded research showed remission in only one-third of patients.<br />
<br />
"The search for improved treatments, including non-drug based, to meet the holistic needs of patients is of paramount importance and we call for more research into yoga as a global priority," said Doraiswamy. "If the promise of yoga on mental health was found in a drug, it would be the best selling medication world-wide," he added.<br />
<br />
There are many benefits associated with practicing yoga for improving mental health, including, fewer side effects, relatively low cost, generally good access and the improvement of physical fitness, added the authors.<br />
<br />
The authors also note that while the results are promising, the findings should be viewed as preliminary because all studies of yoga to date have consisted of small samples, and more rigorous research will be needed before the exercise can be applied to help patients with mental health disorders.Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-40587726883310061142013-01-17T06:51:00.001-08:002013-01-17T06:51:05.833-08:00Mindfulness Meditation May Relieve Chronic Inflammation<br />
People suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma -- in which psychological stress plays a major role -- may benefit from mindfulness meditation techniques, according to a study by University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientists with the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center.<br />
<br />
Mindfulness-based stress reduction, originally designed for patients with chronic pain, consists of continuously focusing attention on the breath, bodily sensations and mental content while seated, walking or practicing yoga.<br />
<br />
While interest in meditation as a means of reducing stress has grown over the years, there has been little evidence to support benefits specific to mindfulness meditation practice. This was the first study designed to control for other therapeutic mechanisms, such as supportive social interaction, expert instruction, or learning new skills.<br />
<br />
A class in stress reduction can be beneficial in many ways, some of which have little to do with mindfulness, according to Melissa Rosenkranz, assistant scientist at the center and lead author on the paper, which was published recently in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. For example, learning to manage stress by engaging in regular physical activity may be therapeutic.<br />
<br />
"We wanted to develop an intervention that was meant to produce positive change and compare the mindfulness approach to an intervention that was structurally equivalent," Rosenkranz says.<br />
<br />
The study compared two methods of reducing stress: a mindfulness meditation-based approach, and a program designed to enhance health in ways unrelated to mindfulness.<br />
<br />
The comparison group participated in the Health Enhancement Program, which consisted of nutritional education; physical activity, such as walking; balance, agility and core strengthening; and music therapy. The content of the program was meant to match aspects of the mindfulness instruction in some way. For example, physical exercise was meant to match walking meditation, without the mindfulness component. Both groups had the same amount of training, the same level of expertise in the instructors, and the same amount of home practice required by participants.<br />
<br />
"In this setting, we could see if there were changes that we could detect that were specific to mindfulness," Rosenkranz explains.<br />
<br />
Using a tool called the Trier Social Stress Test to induce psychological stress, and a capsaicin cream to produce inflammation on the skin, immune and endocrine measures were collected before and after training in the two methods. While both techniques were proven effective in reducing stress, the mindfulness-based stress reduction approach was more effective at reducing stress-induced inflammation.<br />
<br />
The results show that behavioral interventions designed to reduce emotional reactivity are beneficial to people suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions.<br />
<br />
The study also suggests that mindfulness techniques may be more effective in relieving inflammatory symptoms than other activities that promote well-being.<br />
<br />
Rosenkranz emphasizes that the mindfulness-based approach is not a magic bullet.<br />
<br />
"This is not a cure-all, but our study does show that there are specific ways that mindfulness can be beneficial, and that there are specific people who may be more likely to benefit from this approach than other interventions."<br />
<br />
Significant portions of the population do not benefit from available pharmaceutical treatment options, for example. Some of these patients suffer from negative side effects of the drugs, or simply do not respond to the standard-of-care for treatment of the disorder.<br />
<br />
"The mindfulness-based approach to stress reduction may offer a lower-cost alternative or complement to standard treatment, and it can be practiced easily by patients in their own homes, whenever they need," Rosenkranz says.<br />
<br />
Scientists at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds conduct rigorous research on the physiological effects of meditation on the brain, and the power of the brain to influence human health. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge concerning the mechanisms of mindfulness and how it affects the body.<br />
<br />
Co-authors on the paper were Richard J. Davidson, Donal G. MacCoon, John F. Sheridan, Ned H. Kalin and Antoine Lutz.<br />
<br />
This work was supported by grants from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (U01AT002114-01A1 to Antoine Lutz; and P01-AT004952 to Richard J. Davidson), the National Institute of Mental Health (P50-MH069315 to Richard J. Davidson), and a core grant from the National Institutes of Health to the Waisman Center (P30-HD003352, to Marsha Selzer), the Fetzer Institute, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Mental Insight Foundation.Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-79951909321184716112013-01-14T13:51:00.003-08:002013-01-14T13:51:48.643-08:00Alternative medicine use high among children with chronic conditions: UAlberta medical research<br />
<br />
Children who regularly see specialists for chronic medical conditions are also using complementary medicine at a high rate, demonstrates recently published research from the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa.<br />
<br />
About 71 per cent of pediatric patients attending various specialty clinics at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton used alternative medicine, while the rate of use at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa was 42 per cent. Nearly 20 per cent of the families who took part in the study said they never told their physician or pharmacist about concurrently using prescription and alternative medicine.<br />
<br />
Sunita Vohra, a researcher with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the U of A, was the lead investigator on the study, which was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics. Her co-investigator was W James King from the University of Ottawa.<br />
<br />
"The children in this study are often given prescription medicines," says Vohra, a pediatrician who works in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Public Health at the U of A.<br />
<br />
"And many of these children used complementary therapies at the same time or instead of taking prescription medicine. We asked families if they would like to talk about the use of alternative medicine, more than 80 per cent of them said, 'yes, please.'<br />
<br />
"Right now, these families are getting information about alternative medicine from friends, family and the Internet, but a key place they should be getting this information from is their doctor or another member of their health-care team, who would know about possible drug interactions with prescription medicines." Vohra said the study "identified a gap in communications" in dealing with pediatric patients and their families.<br />
<br />
"It's important to get these conversations going with every patient, especially when you consider it's not widely recognized how common it is for children with chronic illnesses to use alternative medicine," says the Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions scholar.<br />
<br />
"We need to make sure these families are comfortable telling their specialists they are taking other therapies," she said. Right now, Vohra and her colleagues at the U of A have developed curricula for undergraduate medical students about the use of alternative medicine by pediatric patients, which is considered innovative and novel. Ensuring medical students receive information about alternative medicine is key because it arms them with more knowledge about potential interactions with prescription medicine, says Vohra.<br />
<br />
"Considering parents are saying they want this information, we have an obligation to ensure future physicians have the education and resources they need for these conversations," Vohra says.<br />
<br />
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-28737342739925152372013-01-14T13:47:00.005-08:002013-01-14T13:47:52.691-08:00Can Acupuncture Improve Exercise Performance and Post-Exercise Recovery?<br />
<br />
The effects of acute acupuncture applied during exercise on performance factors such as power and blood pressure and on the body's ability to recover post-exercise were evaluated in a review article published in <i>The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine</i>, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal website.<br />
<br />
A review of the literature uncovered four studies designed to test whether a person receiving acupuncture while exercising would have enhanced exercise performance and/or recover more quickly from an exercise session. In their systematic review article, Paola Urroz, Ben Colagiuri, Caroline Smith, and Birinder Singh Cheema, University of Western Sydney (Campbelltown), and University of Sydney, Australia, suggest that based on these four published studies, acupuncture may have a positive effect. <br />
<br />
They caution, however, that additional trials, with larger numbers of participants and randomized, controlled study designs, as well as standardized reporting of research methods and results, are needed to confirm and more thoroughly explore the effects of acupuncture on exercise performance and recovery.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-44135027896216156122012-11-14T05:28:00.000-08:002012-11-14T05:40:31.734-08:00Reflexology: Ancient Foot Massage Technique May Ease Cancer SymptomsA study led by a Michigan State University researcher offers the strongest evidence yet that reflexology -- a type of specialized foot massage practiced since the age of pharaohs -- can help cancer patients manage their symptoms and perform daily tasks. Funded by the National Cancer Institute and published in the latest issue of Oncology Nursing Forum, it is the first large-scale, randomized study of reflexology as a complement to standard cancer treatment, according to lead author Gwen Wyatt, a professor in the College of Nursing. <br />
<br />
"It's always been assumed that it's a nice comfort measure, but to this point we really have not, in a rigorous way, documented the benefits," Wyatt said. "This is the first step toward moving a complementary therapy from fringe care to mainstream care." <br />
<br />
Reflexology is based on the idea that stimulating specific points on the feet can improve the functioning of corresponding organs, glands and other parts of the body. The study involved 385 women undergoing chemotherapy or hormonal therapy for advanced-stage breast cancer that had spread beyond the breast. The women were assigned randomly to three groups: Some received treatment by a certified reflexologist, others got a foot massage meant to act like a placebo, and the rest had only standard medical treatment and no foot manipulation. Wyatt and colleagues surveyed participants about their symptoms at intake and then checked in with them after five weeks and 11 weeks. <br />
<br />
They found that those in the reflexology group experienced significantly less shortness of breath, a common symptom in breast cancer patients. Perhaps as a result of their improved breathing, they also were better able to perform daily tasks such as climbing a flight of stairs, getting dressed or going grocery shopping. Wyatt said she was surprised to find that reflexology's effects appeared to be primarily physical, not psychological. <br />
<br />
"We didn't get the change we might have expected with the emotional symptoms like anxiety and depression," she said. "The most significant changes were documented with the physical symptoms." <br />
<br />
Also unexpected was the reduced fatigue reported by those who received the "placebo" foot massage, particularly since the reflexology group did not show similarly significant improvement. Wyatt is now researching whether massage similar to reflexology performed by cancer patients' friends and family, as opposed to certified reflexologists, might be a simple and inexpensive treatment option. Reflexology did not appear to reduce pain or nausea, but Wyatt said that could be because the drugs for combating those symptoms are generally quite effective, so the women may not have reported them to begin with. <br />
<br />
Although health researchers only recently have begun studying reflexology in a scientifically rigorous way, it's widely practiced in many parts of the world and dates back thousands of years. <br />
<br />
"Reflexology comes out of the Chinese tradition and out of Egypt," Wyatt said. "In fact, it's shown in hieroglyphics. It's been around for a very long time." Wyatt's co-authors include MSU statistics and probability professor Alla Sikorskii and College of Nursing research assistant Mei You, along with colleagues from Northwestern University and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-87709678163937423812012-11-13T13:41:00.001-08:002012-11-14T05:36:15.083-08:00Meditation may reduce death, heart attack and stroke in heart patients<br />
<br />
African Americans with heart disease who practiced Transcendental Meditation regularly were 48 percent less likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die from all causes compared with African Americans who attended a health education class over more than five years, according to new research published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.<br />
<br />
Those practicing meditation also lowered their blood pressure and reported less stress and anger. And the more regularly patients meditated, the greater their survival, said researchers who conducted the study at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.<br />
<br />
"We hypothesized that reducing stress by managing the mind-body connection would help improve rates of this epidemic disease," said Robert Schneider, M.D., lead researcher and director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention in Fairfield, Iowa. "It appears that Transcendental Meditation is a technique that turns on the body's own pharmacy — to repair and maintain itself."<br />
<br />
For the study, researchers randomly assigned 201 people to participate in a Transcendental Meditation stress-reducing program or a health education class about lifestyle modification for diet and exercise.<br />
<br />
*Forty-two percent of the participants were women, average age 59, and half reported earning less than $10,000 per year.<br />
*Average body mass index was about 32, which is clinically obese.<br />
*Nearly 60 percent in both treatment groups took cholesterol-lowering drugs; 41 percent of the meditation group and 31 percent of the health education group took aspirin; and 38 percent of the meditation group and 43 percent of the health education group smoked.<br />
<br />
Those in the meditation program sat with eyes closed for about 20 minutes twice a day practicing the technique, allowing their minds and bodies to rest deeply while remaining alert.<br />
<br />
Participants in the health education group were advised, under the instruction of professional health educators, to spend at least 20 minutes a day at home practicing heart-healthy behaviors such as exercise, healthy meal preparation and nonspecific relaxation.<br />
<br />
Researchers evaluated participants at the start of the study, at three months and every six months thereafter for body mass index, diet, program adherence, blood pressure and cardiovascular hospitalizations. They found:<br />
<br />
*There were 52 primary end point events. Of these, 20 events occurred in the meditation group and 32 in the health education group.<br />
*Blood pressure was reduced by 5 mm Hg and anger decreased significantly among *Transcendental Meditation participants compared to controls.<br />
*Both groups showed beneficial changes in exercise and alcohol consumption, and the meditation group showed a trend towards reduced smoking. Although, there were no significant differences between the groups in weight, exercise or diet.<br />
*Regular meditation was correlated with reduced death, heart attack and stroke.<br />
<br />
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Death from heart disease is about 50 percent higher in black adults compared to whites in the United States. Researchers focused on African Americans because of health disparities in America.<br />
<br />
"Transcendental Meditation may reduce heart disease risks for both healthy people and those with diagnosed heart conditions," said Schneider, who is also dean of Maharishi College of Perfect Health in Fairfield, Iowa.<br />
<br />
"The research on Transcendental Meditation and cardiovascular disease is established well enough that physicians may safely and routinely prescribe stress reduction for their patients with this easy to implement, standardized and practical program," he said.<br />
<br />
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-56842810088876519972012-11-13T07:15:00.001-08:002012-11-14T05:37:12.704-08:00Meditation Produces Enduring Changes in Emotional Processing in the Brain<br />
<br />
A new study has found that participating in an 8-week meditation training program can have measurable effects on how the brain functions even when someone is not actively meditating. In their report in the November issue of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston University (BU), and several other research centers also found differences in those effects based on the specific type of meditation practiced. <br />
<br />
"The two different types of meditation training our study participants completed yielded some differences in the response of the amygdala -- a part of the brain known for decades to be important for emotion -- to images with emotional content," says Gaëlle Desbordes, PhD, a research fellow at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at MGH and at the BU Center for Computational Neuroscience and Neural Technology, corresponding author of the report. "This is the first time that meditation training has been shown to affect emotional processing in the brain outside of a meditative state." <br />
<br />
Several previous studies have supported the hypothesis that meditation training improves practitioners' emotional regulation. While neuroimaging studies have found that meditation training appeared to decrease activation of the amygdala -- a structure at the base of the brain that is known to have a role in processing memory and emotion -- those changes were only observed while study participants were meditating. The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that meditation training could also produce a generalized reduction in amygdala response to emotional stimuli, measurable by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). <br />
<br />
Participants had enrolled in a larger investigation into the effects of two forms of meditation, based at Emory University in Atlanta. Healthy adults with no experience meditating participated in 8-week courses in either mindful attention meditation -- the most commonly studied form that focuses on developing attention and awareness of breathing, thoughts and emotions -- and compassion meditation, a less-studied form that includes methods designed to develop loving kindness and compassion for oneself and for others. A control group participated in an 8-week health education course. <br />
<br />
Within three weeks before beginning and three weeks after completing the training, 12 participants from each group traveled to Boston for fMRI brain imaging at the Martinos Center's state-of-the-art imaging facilities. Brain scans were performed as the volunteers viewed a series of 216 different images -- 108 per session -- of people in situations with either positive, negative or neutral emotional content. Meditation was not mentioned in pre-imaging instructions to participants, and investigators confirmed afterwards that the volunteers had not meditated while in the scanner. Participants also completed assessments of symptoms of depression and anxiety before and after the training programs. <br />
<br />
In the mindful attention group, the after-training brain scans showed a decrease in activation in the right amygdala in response to all images, supporting the hypothesis that meditation can improve emotional stability and response to stress. In the compassion meditation group, right amygdala activity also decreased in response to positive or neutral images. But among those who reported practicing compassion meditation most frequently outside of the training sessions, right amygdala activity tended to increase in response to negative images -- all of which depicted some form of human suffering. No significant changes were seen in the control group or in the left amygdala of any study participants. <br />
<br />
"We think these two forms of meditation cultivate different aspects of mind," Desbordes explains. "Since compassion meditation is designed to enhance compassionate feelings, it makes sense that it could increase amygdala response to seeing people suffer. Increased amygdala activation was also correlated with decreased depression scores in the compassion meditation group, which suggests that having more compassion towards others may also be beneficial for oneself. Overall, these results are consistent with the overarching hypothesis that meditation may result in enduring, beneficial changes in brain function, especially in the area of emotional processing." Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-11243308946077365412012-11-01T13:35:00.004-07:002012-11-14T05:38:32.344-08:00Complementary and alternative therapy improved lives of arthritis patients Nearly a quarter of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis used complementary and alternative therapy (CAT) to help manage their condition, according to a study in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. <br />
<br />
Researchers interviewed 250 patients aged between 20 and 90 years of age. More than two-thirds (67%) had rheumatoid arthritis and the remainder had osteoarthritis. They found that 23% used CAT in addition to prescribed drugs and that just under two-thirds of those (64%) felt that the therapy was beneficial, reporting improvements in pain intensity, sleeping patterns and activity levels. <br />
<br />
"Our study underlines the importance of healthcare professionals being knowledgeable about the potential use of CAT when providing medical care to patients with arthritis" says lead author Professor Nada Alaaeddine, Head of the Regenerative and Inflammation Lab in the Faculty of Medicine, University of St Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon. <br />
<br />
"Although CAT might have beneficial effects in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, patients should be cautious about their use and should tell their healthcare providers that they are using them to make sure they don't conflict with their existing treatment." <br />
<br />
Key findings of the survey included: <br />
*CAT users had an average age of 45 years, significantly younger than the average non CAT user, who was aged 57 years. <br />
*CAT use was higher in patients with osteoarthritis (29%) than rheumatoid arthritis (20%). <br />
*The most common CAT used was herbal therapy (83%), followed by exercise (22%), massage (12%), acupuncture (3%), yoga and meditation (3%) and dietary supplements (3%). <br />
*Just under a quarter of the patients using CAT (24%) sought medical care because of possible side effects, but they were not serious and were reversible. The most common side effects included skin problems (16%) and gastrointestinal problems (9%). <br />
*Just under a quarter of the patients using CAT (24%) sought medical care because of possible side effects, but they were not serious and were reversible. The most common side effects included skin problems (16%) and gastrointestinal problems (9%). <br />
*The majority did not tell their healthcare provider about their CAT use (59%). <br />
*CAT users were asked to rate the amount of pain they felt and the percentage who said that they experienced no pain rose from 12% to 43% after CAT use. The number who slept all night rose from 9% to 66%. <br />
*CAT users also reported an improvement in daily activities. The percentage who said that their pain did not limit them at all rose from 3% to 12% and the percentage who said they could do everything, but with pain, rose from 26% to 52%. <br />
<br />
"CAT use is increasing and this study shows that it provided self-reported benefits for patient with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis" says Professor Alaaeddine. "It is, however, important that patients discuss CAT use with their healthcare practitioner and that they are made aware of possible side effects, in particular the possible interactions between herbal and prescribed drugs." Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-10706365083903005212012-10-23T08:03:00.003-07:002012-10-23T08:03:12.161-07:00More Evidence Acupuncture Can Ease Chronic Pain
When it comes to the relief of chronic pain, acupuncture is indeed effective, a sweeping review of previous research finds.
The conclusion stems from a fresh analysis of initial raw data that had been collected by 29 studies previously conducted in Germany, Spain, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom. Collectively, these past investigations had involved nearly 18,000 patients.
"We looked at only the best-quality studies," said study author Andrew Vickers, an attending research methodologist and statistician at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City. "So I can say with confidence that what we found is the strongest evidence to date supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture."
The study appeared online Sept. 10 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Acupuncture is age-old Chinese medicinal practice of carefully targeted needle insertion and stimulation at specific points of the body. The review authors acknowledge that although 3 million Americans now undergo acupuncture each year, it's still the subject of a great deal of debate among Western medicine practitioners with respect to its true therapeutic value.
Many experts theorize that patients who attest to notable pain relief following an acupuncture procedure are simply deriving the benefits of deeply wishful thinking (otherwise known as the "placebo effect"), rather than any true physiological improvements.
The authors of the new study looked at acupuncture's potential impact on four distinct types of chronic pain that each patient had endured for at least one month: back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache (including migraines) and shoulder pain.
All studies included in the review were randomized controlled trials, considered the gold standard of research. As well, all involved a comparison between acupuncture and either "usual care" involving no acupuncture at all or the use of so-called "sham acupuncture."
Sham acupuncture involved the use of retractable or superficially inserted needles in some instances, or nonworking electrical or laser-based stimulation in others.
The result: When compared against sham interventions or no acupuncture at all, true acupuncture appeared to be "superior" at relieving all four types of pain in question.
Acupuncture was seen to provide more or less equivalent degrees of greater pain relief across all pain types.
How much greater? Vickers and his associates explained that, generally speaking, if a patient was to go on to experience a 30 percent drop in pain while undergoing standard care with no acupuncture intervention, those undergoing "sham acupuncture" seemed to experience about a 43 percent drop, while true acupuncture patients experienced a 50 percent fall-off.
The authors stressed that although the superiority of true acupuncture over sham acupuncture appeared to be relatively small, the real-world choice patients face is not between acupuncture or fake acupuncture but rather between acupuncture or no acupuncture at all. And in that context they suggested that their findings are "of major importance for clinical practice."
"Basically what we see here is that the pain relief difference from acupuncture versus no acupuncture is notable, and important, and difficult to ignore," Vickers said.
However, he cautioned that though the analysis suggests that acupuncture is a "reasonable" pain relief option, interested patients should make sure to seek out a qualified practitioner, perhaps by getting a reliable referral from their general practitioner.
For his part, Dr. Ed Ross, director of the pain management center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, suggested that while acupuncture may work for some it may not work for all.
"There is clearly a response to acupuncture among a selected patient population," he said. "And for this seemingly small subset I think it's a viable treatment for chronic pain. However, in general, the studies that have looked into this have not been considered to be particularly scientifically rigorous. So it's been really difficult to say who will be in that subset that will benefit."
"So I would say try it, and if it works, great," Ross added. "But I also believe in an interdisciplinary approach to pain management. So acupuncture should be considered as only one part of a whole treatment plan."
Because costs for an acupuncture session vary so widely, neither expert could offer a price estimate. At present, most insurance does not cover acupuncture.
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-54093289035913275362012-10-17T13:02:00.003-07:002012-10-17T13:02:57.297-07:00Hard evidence grows for including meditation in government-sponsored health programs
More people still die from cardiovascular disease than any other illness. Dubbed the number one killer and the silent killer, modern medicine has been researching and incorporating complementary and alternative approaches to help treat and in some cases reverse and hopefully prevent this health problem at an earlier stage of the disease. One of those modalities is meditation.
A new research review paper on the effects of the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on the prevention and treatment of heart disease among youth and adults provides the hard evidence needed to include such evidence-based alternative approaches into private- and government-sponsored wellness programs aimed at preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.
The paper, "Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents and Adults through the Transcendental Meditation® Program: A Research Review Update" is published in Current Hypertension Reviews, 2012, Vol. 8, No. 3.
In teens, the TM technique has been found to reduce blood pressure, improve heart structure and improve school behavior. According to the paper, the technique has been shown to be a safe alternative. The NIH-sponsored clinical trials conducted with TM mentioned in this review did not observe any adverse effects from TM practice.
In adults the technique reduced stress hormones and other physiological measures of stress and produced more rapid recovery from stress, decreased blood pressure and use of blood pressure medication, decreased heart pain in angina patients, cleared the arteries, reducing the risk of stroke, improved distance walked in patients with congestive heart failure, and decreased alcohol and tobacco use, anxiety, depression, and medical care usage and expenditures. The technique also decreased risk of death from heart disease, cancer, and all causes.
"These findings have important implications for inclusion of the Transcendental Meditation program in medical efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Vernon Barnes, lead author and research scientist at Georgia Health Sciences University, in Augusta, Georgia.
"This review is potentially more important than individual research papers because it shows that TM has an integrated, holistic effect on all levels of cardiovascular disease," says co-author, Dr. David Orme-Johnson.
Orme-Johnson says that no other meditation technique has been shown to produce this constellation of changes, especially when it comes to hard measures of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Barnes said it was important to start preventing heart disease with adolescents before the disease sets. "Adding Transcendental Meditation at a young age could prevent future cardiovascular disease and save many lives, not to mention reduce the national medical bill by billions of dollars."
<b>Uniqueness of the Transcendental Meditation technique</b>
The uniqueness of the outcomes of the TM technique may have something to do with the mechanics of the practice of the technique itself says Dr. Barnes. "Meditation practices are different from each other and therefore produce different results. And this is a very important consideration when evaluating the application of meditation as an alternative and complementary medical approach."
A paper in Consciousness and Cognition discusses three categories to organize and better understand meditation. See Are all meditation techniques the same?
The two common categories are focused attention, concentrating on an object or an emotion, like compassion; and open monitoring, being mindful of one's breath or thoughts, either contemplating the meaning of them, or just observing them.
Transcendental Meditation uses a different approach and comes under the third category of automatic self-transcending, meditations that transcend their own activity.
The TM technique does not employ any active form of concentration or contemplation, but allows the mind to effortlessly experience the thought process at more refined levels until thinking comes to a quiet settled state without any mental activity. The mind is awake inside and the body is resting deeply, a level of rest much deeper than deep sleep. It is this state of restful alertness that allows the body to make the necessary repairs to rebalance its normal functioning. This cumulative process resets the physiology and shows up as reduced symptoms of cardiovascular disease and improved health.
Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-18058785415221295022012-08-08T13:47:00.000-07:002012-08-08T13:47:11.043-07:00Yoga proves to reduce depression in pregnant women, boost maternal bonding<br><b>University of Michigan study the first to show evidence that mindfulness yoga may offer effective treatment for depressed new mothers to be</b>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Prenatal yoga may help women cope with depression
<br>
<br>It’s no secret that pregnancy hormones can dampen moods, but for some expectant moms, it’s much worse: 1 in 5 experience major depression.
<br>
<br>Now, new research shows that an age-old recommended stress-buster may actually work for this group of women: yoga.
<br>
<br>Pregnant women who were identified as psychiatrically high risk and who participated in a 10-week mindfulness yoga intervention saw significant reductions in depressive symptoms, according to a University of Michigan Health System pilot feasibility study. Mothers-to-be also reported stronger attachment to their babies in the womb.
<br>
<br>The findings were published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
<br>
<br>“We hear about pregnant women trying yoga to reduce stress but there’s no data on how effective this method is,” says lead author Maria Muzik, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of psychiatry and assistant research scientist at the Center for Human Growth and Development. “Our work provides promising first evidence that mindfulness yoga may be an effective alternative to pharmaceutical treatment for pregnant women showing signs of depression.
<br>
<br>“This promotes both mother and baby wellbeing.”
<br>
<br>Mental health disorders during pregnancy, including depression and anxiety, have become a serious health concern. Hormonal changes, genetic predisposition and social factors set the stage for some expectant moms to experience persistent irritability, feelings of being overwhelmed and inability to cope with stress.
<br>
<br>Untreated, these symptoms bear major health risks for both the mom and baby, including poor weight gain, preeclampsia, premature labor and trouble bonding with the new baby.
<br>
<br>While antidepressants have proven to effectively treat these mood disorders, Muzik says, previous studies show that many pregnant women are reluctant to take these drugs out of concern for their infant’s safety.
<br>
<br>“Unfortunately, few women suffering from perinatal health disorders receive treatment, exposing them and their child to the negative impact of psychiatric illness during one of the most vulnerable times,” Muzik says. “That’s why developing feasible alternatives for treatment is critical.”
<br>
<br>Evidence suggests women are more comfortable with nontraditional treatments, including herbal medicine, relaxation techniques and mind-body work.
<br>
<br>Yoga continues to grow in popularity but in the United States, many classes concentrate on yoga as “exercise,” omitting the practice of being fully present in the moment and aware, authors say.
<br>
<br>Meanwhile, mindfulness yoga – which combines meditative focus with physical poses – has proven to be a powerful method to fight stress and boost energy.
<br>
<br>For the U-M research study, women who showed signs of depression and who were between 12-26 weeks pregnant participated in 90-minute mindfulness yoga sessions that focused on poses for the pregnant body, as well as support in the awareness of how their bodies were changing to help their babies grow.
<br>
<br>Funding for follow up work on this subject was recently provided by a grant from the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
<br>
<br>“Research on the impact of mindfulness yoga on pregnant women is limited but encouraging,” Muzik says. “This study builds the foundation for further research on how yoga may lead to an empowered and positive feeling toward pregnancy.”
<br>
<br>Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-33111955652877508002012-07-28T05:24:00.004-07:002012-07-28T05:24:56.005-07:00Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Loneliness in Older Adults<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OWpsZvOsZDA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br><i><b>
Mindfulness Meditation Training Also Lowers Inflammation Levels and Alters Gene Expression</b></i><br><br>
For older adults, loneliness is a major risk factor for health problems — such as cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's — and death. Attempts to diminish loneliness with social networking programs like creating community centers to encourage new relationships have not been effective.<br>
<br>
However, a new study led by Carnegie Mellon University's J. David Creswell offers the first evidence that mindfulness meditation reduces loneliness in older adults. Published in "Brain, Behavior & Immunity," the researchers also found that mindfulness meditation — a 2,500-year-old practice dating back to Buddha that focuses on creating an attentive awareness of the present moment — lowered inflammation levels, which is thought to promote the development and progression of many diseases. These findings provide valuable insights into how mindfulness meditation training can be used as a novel approach for reducing loneliness and the risk of disease in older adults.<br>
<br>
"We always tell people to quit smoking for health reasons, but rarely do we think about loneliness in the same way," said Creswell, assistant professor of psychology within CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. "We know that loneliness is a major risk factor for health problems and mortality in older adults. This research suggests that mindfulness meditation training is a promising intervention for improving the health of older adults."<br>
<br>
For the study, the research team recruited 40 healthy adults aged 55-85 who indicated an interest in learning mindfulness meditation techniques. Each person was assessed at the beginning and end of the study using an established loneliness scale. Blood samples also were collected.<br>
<br>
The participants were randomly assigned to receive either the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or no treatment. The MBSR program consisted of weekly two-hour meetings in which participants learned body awareness techniques — noticing sensations and working on breathing — and worked their way toward understanding how to mindfully attend to their emotions and daily life practices. They also were asked to practice mindfulness meditation exercises for 30 minutes each day at home and attended a daylong retreat.<br>
<br>
The researchers found that eight weeks of the mindfulness meditation training decreased the participants' loneliness. Using the blood samples collected, they found that the older adult sample had elevated pro-inflammatory gene expression in their immune cells at the beginning of the study, and that the training reduced this pro-inflammatory gene expression, as well as a measure of C-Reactive Protein (CRP). These findings suggest that mindfulness meditation training may reduce older adults' inflammatory disease risk.<br>
<br>
"Reductions in the expression of inflammation-related genes were particularly significant because inflammation contributes to a wide variety of the health threats including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases," said study collaborator Steven Cole, professor of medicine and psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the UCLA School of Medicine.<br>
<br>
While the health effects of the observed gene expression changes were not directly measured in the study, Cole noted that "these results provide some of the first indications that immune cell gene expression profiles can be modulated by a psychological intervention."<br>
<br>
Creswell added that while this research suggests a promising new approach for treating loneliness and inflammatory disease risk in older adults, more work needs to be done. "If you're interested in using mindfulness meditation, find an instructor in your city," he said. "It's important to train your mind like you train your biceps in the gym<br><br>Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-47437293595413578862012-07-27T14:52:00.002-07:002012-07-27T14:52:05.289-07:00Yoga reduces stress; now it's known why<br>
Six months ago, researchers at UCLA published a study that showed using a specific type of yoga to engage in a brief, simple daily meditation reduced the stress levels of people who care for those stricken by Alzheimer's and dementia. Now they know why.<br>
<br>
As previously reported, practicing a certain form of chanting yogic meditation for just 12 minutes daily for eight weeks led to a reduction in the biological mechanisms responsible for an increase in the immune system's inflammation response. Inflammation, if constantly activated, can contribute to a multitude of chronic health problems.<br>
<br>
Reporting in the current online edition of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, Dr. Helen Lavretsky, senior author and a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and colleagues found in their work with 45 family dementia caregivers that 68 of their genes responded differently after Kirtan Kriya Meditation (KKM), resulting in reduced inflammation.<br>
<br>
Caregivers are the unsung heroes for their yeoman's work in taking care of loved ones that have been stricken with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, said Lavretsky, who also directs UCLA's Late-Life Depression, Stress and Wellness Research Program. But caring for a frail or demented family member can be a significant life stressor. Older adult caregivers report higher levels of stress and depression and lower levels of satisfaction, vigor and life in general. Moreover, caregivers show higher levels of the biological markers of inflammation. Family members in particular are often considered to be at risk of stress-related disease and general health decline.<br>
<br>
As the U.S. population continues to age over the next two decades, Lavretsky noted, the prevalence of dementia and the number of family caregivers who provide support to these loved ones will increase dramatically. Currently, at least five million Americans provide care for someone with dementia.<br>
<br>
"We know that chronic stress places caregivers at a higher risk for developing depression," she said "On average, the incidence and prevalence of clinical depression in family dementia caregivers approaches 50 percent. Caregivers are also twice as likely to report high levels of emotional distress." What's more, many caregivers tend to be older themselves, leading to what Lavretsky calls an "impaired resilience" to stress and an increased rate of cardiovascular disease and mortality.<br>
<br>
Research has suggested for some time that psychosocial interventions like meditation reduce the adverse effects of caregiver stress on physical and mental health. However, the pathways by which such psychosocial interventions impact biological processes are poorly understood.<br>
<br>
In the study, the participants were randomized into two groups. The meditation group was taught the 12-minute yogic practice that included Kirtan Kriya, which was performed every day at the same time for eight weeks. The other group was asked to relax in a quiet place with their eyes closed while listening to instrumental music on a relaxation CD, also for 12 minutes daily for eight weeks. Blood samples were taken at the beginning of the study and again at the end of the eight weeks.<br>
<br>
"The goal of the study was to determine if meditation might alter the activity of inflammatory and antiviral proteins that shape immune cell gene expression," said Lavretsky. "Our analysis showed a reduced activity of those proteins linked directly to increased inflammation.<br>
<br>
"This is encouraging news. Caregivers often don't have the time, energy, or contacts that could bring them a little relief from the stress of taking care of a loved one with dementia, so practicing a brief form of yogic meditation, which is easy to learn, is a useful too."<br>
<br>
Lavretsky is a member of UCLA's recently launched Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program, which provides comprehensive, coordinated care as well as resources and support to patients and their caregivers. Lavretsky has incorporated yoga practice into the caregiver program.<br>
<br>Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456471407084439610.post-73556218252068892912012-07-27T14:24:00.002-07:002012-07-27T14:24:59.037-07:00Group yoga improves motor function and balance long after stroke<br>
Group yoga can improve motor function and balance in stroke survivors, even if they don't begin yoga until six months or more after the stroke, according to "Post-Stroke Balance Improves With Yoga: A Pilot Study," published online July 26 in the journal Stroke.<br>
<br>
Forty-seven older adults, three-quarters of whom were male, participated in the study. They were divided into three sections: One section engaged in twice-weekly group yoga for eight weeks; the second section met twice weekly for group yoga and was provided with a relaxation audio recording to use at least three times weekly; and the third section received usual medical care that included no rehabilitation.<br>
<br>
The yoga classes, taught by a registered yoga therapist, included modified yoga postures, relaxation and meditation. Classes grew more challenging each week.<br>
<br>
Improvement in balance was statistically significant and clinically meaningful. It was also greater than previously found by other post-stroke exercise trials. Study participants reported they increasingly attempted new activities in different, more challenging environments and, while aware of potential fall risk, grew confident in maintaining their balance.<br>
<br>
"For patients, like those in our study, natural recovery and acute rehabilitation therapy typically ends after six or, less frequently, 12 months," said Regenstrief Institute investigator Arlene Schmid, Ph.D., OTR, a rehabilitation research scientist with the Center of Excellence on Implementing Evidence-Based Practice at the Richard Roudebush VA Medical Center and assistant professor of occupational therapy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, who led the study. "We found that yoga exercises significantly extended rehabilitation beyond the first year after stroke."<br>
<br>
Yoga may be more therapeutic than traditional exercise because the combination of postures, breathing and meditation may produce different effects than simple exercise, according to Dr. Schmid, who plans to further study the effectiveness of group yoga to improve balance, quality of life and participation in everyday activities. She notes that yoga's mind-body connection may be what makes it more powerful and engaging than other strengthening exercise.<br>
<br>Jonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.com0