Improving quality of life using compound mind-body therapies: evaluation of a course intervention with body movement and breath therapy, guided imagery, chakra experiencing and mindfulness meditation

Effect of Guided Imagery Meditation During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy on Reducing Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Up to 90% of patients still experience pain after abdominal surgery, which also affects their physical recovery and psychological anxiety.

AIM

To evaluate the effects of guided imagery meditation on ameliorating anxiety, improving the quality of sleep, and relieving postoperative pain in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery.

METHOD

In the general surgical ward of a teaching hospital, patients were randomly assigned to usual care (n = 34) and guided imagery meditation intervention (n = 34) groups, using the method. The measuring outcomes included their anxiety score, quality of sleep, and pain control.

RESULTS

In terms of the anxiety difference, the experimental group scored 0.42 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.97), while the control group scored 4.79 (SD = 7.56), which indicates a statistically significant difference (F = 8.04, p = .01, partial eta² = 0.11). In terms of quality of sleep, the mean score of the experimental group was 2.67 (SD = 1.96), while the control group scored 7.55 (SD = 3.81), which indicates a significant difference (F = 39.99, p = .001, partial eta² = 0.39). The mean of the degree of postoperative pain was 2.11 points (SD = 1.39), and the score of the control group was 4.00 points (SD = 1.62), which indicates a significant difference (p = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Guided imagery meditation is a simple, non-invasive, non-pharmacologic intervention measure. It can reduce anxiety and postoperative pain, and improve the quality of sleep. Thus, it should be promoted in clinical practice.

Embodied Learning for Well-Being, Self-Awareness, and Stress Regulation: A Randomized Trial with Engineering Students Using a Mixed-Method Approach

The continuous changes in our society require adapted training that encompasses both technical and competency knowledge. There is a high level of demand, especially in areas such as engineering, which can affect the mental health of students, producing high levels of stress and psychological distress, hindering self-efficacy and academic performance. Embodied learning working on self-awareness, stress reduction and self-knowledge can help to generate healthier environments. Creative therapies can be a tool to promote the prevention of health problems in this group of the population. In particular, Dance Movement Therapy has demonstrated its effectiveness in improving health in clinical and non-clinical settings. In this work, a body awareness program based on Dance Movement Therapy is developed and implemented in engineering students. Through a mixed pre-post methodology, its impact is evaluated and analyzed in an experimental group of engineering students. Psychometric tests, physiological variables and reflective diaries are used as data sources. The results show that the experimental group, compared with the control group, increased their levels of body awareness and connectedness, well-being and life satisfaction and reduced their stress levels. The results were supported by cortisol measures. Likewise, the students acknowledged having increased their levels of self-awareness and self-knowledge and considered the inclusion of these bodily approaches in higher education to be necessary.

Finding "Zen" in Aphasia: The Benefits of Yoga as Described by Key Stakeholders

PURPOSE

Recently, the literature has witnessed a surging interest regarding the use of mind-body approaches with people who have aphasia, generating a plethora of possible outcome measures. During this same time, a core outcome set for aphasia has been recommended. The purpose of this clinical focus article is to give our survivor, co-survivor, and clinician stakeholder coauthors a platform to share their personal narrative regarding their yoga journey, with the goal of identifying primary outcome domains central to capturing the impact of yoga on the recovery process for people with poststroke aphasia. Ultimately, we hope this clinical focus article helps clinicians understand how yoga might benefit their patients and draws attention to potential outcome measures, while also highlighting the important fact that traditional aphasia assessments do not capture the improvements stakeholders pinpoint as crucial to the essence of mind-body interventions.

METHOD

This clinical focus article summarizes the case reports of Terri's and Chase's poststroke yoga journeys using the power of personal narrative and an adapted photovoice method. Additional stakeholders share in this storytelling process, using a variety of narrative tools. As this story is unveiled, several patient-identified outcome domains are highlighted as essential to document the impact of yoga on survivors.

RESULTS

Terri's and Chase's yoga journeys revealed the multifaceted impact of yoga on five domains: (a) feelings of wholeness and "zen," (b) increased attentional capacity for language tasks, (c) increased verbal fluency, (d) decreased pain, and (e) relationship mutuality.

CONCLUSION

Team Yoga realized that the practice of yoga-whether as a stand-alone practice or integrated into therapy sessions-fosters feelings of wholeness or "zen," which likely correlates with decreased pain with a simultaneous increase in resilience and flexibility of coping strategies to manage the host of chronic poststroke challenges. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.17003464.

Will Happiness-Trainings Make Us Happier? A Research Synthesis Using an Online Findings-Archive

Most people want to be happy and many look out for opportunities to achieve a more satisfying life. Following a happiness training is an option, but the effectiveness of such training is being questioned. In this research synthesis we assessed: (1) whether happiness training techniques add to the happiness of their users, (2) how much happiness training techniques add to happiness, (3) how long the effect of happiness training lasts, (4) what kinds of training techniques work best, and (5) what types of groups of people profit from taking happiness training. We took stock of the available research and found 61 reports of effect studies on training techniques, which together yielded 179 findings. These findings are available in an online "findings archive," the World Database of Happiness. Using links to this source allows us to condense information in tabular overviews, while providing the reader with access to much detail. Happiness training techniques seem to do what they are designed to do: 96% of the studies showed a gain in happiness post intervention and at follow-up, about half of the positive results were statistically significant. Studies with cross-sectional designs and studies that used control groups showed more mixed results. The average effect of happiness training was approximately 5% of the scale range. We conclude that taking a form of happiness training is advisable for individuals looking for a more satisfying life. Since happier workers tend to be more productive, organizations would be wise to provide such training techniques for their workforce.

Effects of mindfulness-based health education practice on health behaviors and quality of life among hypertensive patients

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of mindfulness practice on health behaviors and quality of life (QOL) among hypertensive patients.

Design/methodology/approach

A quasi-experimental research was designed by before, after and a follow-up phase (i.e. on the 0th, 6th and 12th weeks). Two primary health care units (PCU) were selected as control and experiment groups. Samples included patients 35–59 years old who had been diagnosed with stage I hypertension. Both groups received treatment according to standard hypertension guidelines. The experimental group was added as a drill for the purpose of a mindfulness-based health education (MBHE) practice that would emphasize behavior skills (in diet, exercise and mental function) and instill a feeling of adaptation to everyday life.

Findings

The total mean score of the prevention and promotional hypertension behaviors (PPHB), QOL, perceived in mindfulness (MF) and self-efficacy (SE) in the experiment group showed a significant statistical difference when compared to the control group in the 6th week in PPHB and SE (p<0.001), QOL and MF (p=0.001). Similar results were found in the 12th week in PPHB, QOL, SE (p<0.001) and MF (p=0.023), respectively.

Research limitations/implications

However, finished implementation in experiment group, during the follow-up phase on the 12th week, ten participants in the control group were excluded (Figure 1). It may be no active intervention or as usual in the control group. Thus, the authors controlled missing data using intention-to-treat analysis comparison and the data distribution was successfully tested by a normality plot before the use of statistical data. Based on the results of this study, the following recommendations can be made: patients should practice in mindfulness in lifestyle modification continued for intensive skill practice over the long term in order to promote sustainability in behavior and in QOL.

Practical implications

Mindfulness trainer should drill and faith in the value of mindfulness corporation owner with patients learning all of the times; and for health practitioner, it should add MBHE for patients.

Social implications

Education institution should add mindfulness in educational programs all of graduates.

Originality/value

The mindfulness practice-based health education training should be in counterpart with modern medicine in order to promote sound health behaviors and an improved QOL for stage I hypertensive patients and to forestall cardiovascular and blood-pressure diseases.

The Relationship Between Focused Attention Meditation Practice Habits, Psychological Symptoms, and Quality of Life

This study examined the relationship between focused attention meditation practice habits, psychological symptoms, and quality of life. The participants were 30 adults from New York, NY, practicing Ananda Marga spirituality. They were administered the Symptom Check List-90-R and the Quality of Life Index. The findings pointed out while Ananda Marga meditation practice habits were not associated with improvements in psychological symptoms, longer years in meditation practice was associated with improvements in overall, social and psychological/spiritual quality of life. Longer periods of meditation practice per session were related to lower levels of overall quality of life and economic quality of life.

Effects of psychological interventions and patients' affect on short-term quality of life in patients undergoing colorectal surgery

Psychological interventions can improve Quality of Life (QoL). Object of interest was if different psychological interventions influence short-term QoL after colonic resection for carcinoma. Furthermore, we wanted to see if there is a correlation between patients` preoperative affect and postoperative QoL. Sixty patients that underwent colorectal surgery were divided into three groups. Group one (n = 20) received Guided Imagery and group 2 (n = 22) Progressive Muscle Relaxation. The third group (Control, n = 18) had no intervention. Quality of Life (QoL) was measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the Gastrointestinal Quality of life Index (GIQLI). Patients' affect was measured by the PANAS questionnaire. The higher the preoperative Negative Affect was, the lower were the scores for QoL on the 30th postoperative day. Patients' QoL was highest preoperatively and lowest on the third postoperative day. On the 30th postoperative day scores for QoL were almost as high as preoperative without difference between the three groups. Neither Guided Imagery nor Progressive Relaxation was influencing short-term QoL measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the GIQLI questionnaire after colorectal surgery for cancer. Screening patients' with the PANAS questionnaire might help to identify individuals that are more likely to have a worse QoL postoperatively.

Postural Sway and Clinical Characteristics in Patients with Psychotic Disorders: A Review

Postural instability is a feature that is frequently observed in patients with psychotic disorders. Previous studies applied rating scales or behavioral test to assess postural instabilities. Recently, a pressure-sensitive platform has been used to study detailed characteristics of postural sway and regulation. However, characteristics of posturography indices in patients with psychotic disorders have not been well documented. To integrate the findings from studies that assessed postural sway using posturography in patients with psychotic disorders, we conducted a systematic review. Following database literature search, we identified nine eligible articles. Assessment conditions and indices of postural stability varied between studies. Postural control was associated with negative and general psychopathology in two studies. Two studies reported associations between posturographic variables and medication dose, whereas four studies reported no associations. This review identified the need to develop standards to assess postural sway in patients with psychiatric disorders. Further studies need to report associations between postural sway and confounding factors.

The impact of a self-development coaching programme on medical and dental students' psychological health and academic performance: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Psychological distress is well-documented worldwide among medical and dental students. Few studies have assessed the impact of self-development coaching programs on the students' psychological health. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a self-development coaching programme on the psychological health and academic performance of preclinical medical and dental students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

Four-hundred and twenty-two participants (n = 422, 20-22 years) fulfilled the study requirements and were invited into a parallel-randomised controlled trial that was partially blinded. Participants were stratified by faculty, gender, and academic year, and then randomised. A total of 156 students participated in the intervention group (IG) and 163 students participated in the control group (CG). The IG received the selfdevelopment programme, involving skills and strategies aimed to improve students' psychological health and academic performance, through a two-day workshop. Meanwhile, the CG attended an active placebo programme focussing on theoretical information that was delivered through a five-hour workshop. Both programmes were conducted by the same presenter during Week 1 of the second semester of the 2012-2013 academic year. Data were gathered immediately before (T1), one week after (T2) and five weeks (T3) after the intervention. Psychological health was measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the General Self-Efficacy (GSE), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Academic performance was measured using students' academic weighted grades (WG). Student cognitive and emotional perceptions of the intervention were measured using the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ).

RESULTS

Data from 317 students, who completed the follow ups, were analysed across the three time periods (IG, n = 155; CG, n = 162). The baseline variables and demographic data of the IG and CG were not significantly different. The IG showed short-term significant reductions in depression and anxiety in compared to CG from T1 to T2. The short-term changes in stress, GSE and SWLS of the IG were not significantly different from those of the CG. While both groups showed a significant change on most of the psychological variables from T1 to T3, no significant differences were found between the groups in this period. In addition, no significant difference was found in WG between the IG and CG after the intervention. No harms relevant to the intervention were reported.

CONCLUSION

The investigated self-development coaching programme showed only a short-term improvement on depression and anxiety compared with an active control. There was no effect of the intervention on academic performance.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ACTRN12614000896673.

A unifying neuro-fasciagenic model of somatic dysfunction - Underlying mechanisms and treatment - Part II

This paper offers an extensive review of the main fascia-mediated mechanisms underlying various therapeutic processes of clinical relevance for manual therapy. The concept of somatic dysfunction is revisited in light of the several fascial influences that may come into play during and after manual treatment. A change in perspective is thus proposed: from a nociceptive model that for decades has viewed somatic dysfunction as a neurologically-mediated phenomenon, to a unifying neuro-fascial model that integrates neural influences into a multifactorial and multidimensional interpretation of manual therapeutic effects as being partially, if not entirely, mediated by the fascia. By taking into consideration a wide spectrum of fascia-related factors - from cell-based mechanisms to cognitive and behavioural influences - a model emerges suggesting, amongst other results, a multidisciplinary-approach to the intervention of somatic dysfunction. Finally, it is proposed that a sixth osteopathic 'meta-model' - the connective tissue-fascial model - be added to the existing five models in osteopathic philosophy as the main interface between all body systems, thus providing a structural and functional framework for the body's homoeostatic potential and its inherent abilities to heal.

Measuring possible effect on health-related quality of life by tactile massage or relaxation in patients with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to study the effect of tactile massage versus relaxation exercises on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with type 2 diabetes, at primary-health-care centres in Stockholm county.

DESIGN

The study was carried out as a parallel-arm clinical trial. Patients with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c of 6-8%, aged 35-75, with oral anti-diabetic treatment were included. In all, 26 and 27 attendants in the TM and relaxation group, respectively, entered the study and were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The attendants were offered one weekly session of TM or the use of relaxation exercises at least once weekly for a total of 10 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

HRQoL was measured using the SF-36 questionnaire at baseline, after 10 weeks of therapy and 3 months after the completion of the study. Owing to multiple comparisons the level of statistical significance was set at p<0.01, and values of p>0.01 and <0.05 were regarded as borderline values.

RESULTS

One difference over time between the groups was reaching a borderline value in favour of the relaxation group, i.e. the scale of "Role functioning, physical" (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the findings in this study, we conclude that stress-relieving techniques with TM or relaxation CD have limited, if any, beneficial effects on health-related quality of life in Swedish-born patients with type 2 diabetes. We cannot, however, rule out that specific patient groups with higher levels of perceived stress could show benefits with this kind of treatment.

Psychological trauma and substance abuse: the need for an integrated approach

There is consensus that an integrated approach which addresses the clinical needs of individuals who have histories of substance abuse and psychological trauma concurrently is an acceptable and preferred approach to treatment. Several integrated models have emerged in recent years. In this paper we first define the concepts of substance abuse and psychological trauma, investigate the relationship between both and proceed to discuss why an integrated approach is most compelling. Finally, we review and critically examine the different integrated models that have been developed in terms of efficacy, effectiveness and empirical evidence. The paper concludes with suggestions on how the field can be improved.

Meta-analysis of positive effects, side effects and adverse events of holistic mind-body medicine (clinical holistic medicine): experience from Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom and Germany

About 50% of the general population has a chronic disease not cured by biomedicine.

OBJECTIVES

Meta-analysis of holistic clinical medicine for which chronic patients were treated and outcomes were, 1) global quality of life, 2) self-rated physical/mental health, quality of life or ability of functioning, or 3) patients felt cured for a specific disease of dysfunction.

METHOD

MEDLINE and PsycLNFO and specific journals were searched in January 2009.

RESULTS

Eleven clinical studies (18,500 participants) were identified. Positive effects: Quality of life Number Needed to Treat (NNT) = 2, physical health problems NNT = 3, mental health problems NNT = 2, sexual dysfunctions NNT = 2, self esteem NNT = 2, working/studying ability NNT = 2, anorgasmia NNT = 1, other specific sexual dysfunctions NNT = 2. Of 791 patients treated was 617, or 78.0% cured (NNT = 1). Side effects and adverse events: re-traumatization Number Needed to Harm (NNH) > 18,500; brief reactive psychosis (if mentally ill) NNH = 4,625; brief reactive psychosis (if not mentally ill) NNH > 9,250; brief reactive psychosis, all patients NNH = 9,250; depression NNH > 18,500; depersonalization and derealization NNH > 18,500; iatrogenic disturbances NNH > 18,500; minor bone fractures (ribs, hand) NNH = 4,625; serious bone fractures (spine, scull, pelvis) NNH > 18,500; suicides during or less than three month after therapy NNH > 18,500; suicide attempts during or less than three month after therapy NNH > 18,500. Suicide was prevented NNT = 1. Therapeutic value TV = NNH/NNT = 9,250.

CONCLUSIONS

Holistic clinical medicine is an efficient complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment for chronic illnesses and health related problems. Every second patient with physical and mental disorders, sexual dysfunctions, and existential problems were healed. Holistic clinical medicine had no significant side effects or adverse events.

The effect of meditation on physical and mental health in junior college students: a quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Physical stress and mental stress are increasingly common phenomena in our rapidly changing and stressful modern society. Research has found meditation to produce positive and demonstrable stress reduction effects on brain and immune functions. This study is grounded in traditional Chinese philosophical mores that teach a process summarized by the keynote activities of "calm, still, quiet, consider, and get" and the potential of this process to reduce stress in adolescents.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of meditation on the physical and mental health of junior college students.

METHODS

This research employed a quasi-experimental design. Participants included 242 freshmen from a junior college in Taiwan selected using a convenience sampling technique. Participants were then randomly separated into experimental (n = 119) and control (n = 123) groups. The project duration was 18 weeks, during which the experimental group received 2 hours of meditation treatment per week, for a total of 36 hours. Both groups completed pretest and posttest Life Adaptation Scale forms, which included questionnaires addressing information on physical and mental distress and positive and negative coping strategies. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance.

RESULTS

Findings showed that the effect of the experiment treatment was significant when student physical and mental distress pretest scores were controlled. Physical and mental symptoms in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Meditation can help students to adapt to life stressors. This study also provides support for traditional Chinese wisdom, which promotes meditation as one way to improve health.

Adolescent volunteerism in Hong Kong after 1997: a critical review

Adolescent volunteerism is an integral part of positive youth development. Since the reunification of Hong Kong to the PRC in 1997, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been promoting adolescent volunteerism actively. In this review, both government agencies heavily involved in the volunteerism movement and non-governmental organizations providing volunteer services are discussed. The profiles and characteristics of adolescent volunteerism in the local contexts are also examined. The present review identified several problems in adolescent volunteerism in Hong Kong, including service overlap and neglect, truncated service provision among agencies and poor coordination, inflexible resource allocation, lack of long-term planning and lack of evidence-based practice for adolescent volunteerism.