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Lee HS, Earm YE. Are Hodgkin cycles everywhere? J Physiol 2023; 601:1309. [PMID: 36893314 DOI: 10.1113/jp284378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ho Sub Lee
- School of Korean Traditional Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, South Korea
| | - Yung E Earm
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
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Abstract
Bereavement is an extremely personal feeling, but Japanese society tends to disapprove of displays of negative personal emotion or weakness. For ages, mourning rituals like funerals provided an exception where social permission was given to sharing grief and seeking support. However, the form and significance of Japanese funerals have changed rapidly over the past generation, and especially since the advent of COVID-19 restrictions on assembly and travel. This paper overviews the trajectory of changes and continuities in mourning rituals in Japan, looking at their psychological and social impacts. It goes on to summarize recent Japanese research showing that appropriate funerals are not merely of psychological and social benefit, but may have an important role in reducing or supporting grief that might otherwise require medical and social work intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megumi Kondo-Arita
- President's Office, Global Center of Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Takatsuki, Japan
| | - Carl B Becker
- Policy Science Unit, School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Chevassut D. [The art of healing and spirituality, the point of view of a Buddhist doctor]. Soins 2022; 67:47-49. [PMID: 35995502 DOI: 10.1016/j.soin.2022.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The spiritual path proposed by Buddhism is based on foundations to be integrated and put into practice. This path and the meditation that integrates it opens up capacities for the caregiver and beneficial effects from a therapeutic point of view for the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Chevassut
- Centre hospitalier universitaire Nord, AP-HM, chemin des Bourrely, 13915 Marseille cedex 20, France.
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Bhullar H. Gautama Buddha: Illustration of a Patient's Vision. HCA Healthc J Med 2020; 1:251-252. [PMID: 37425661 PMCID: PMC10324768 DOI: 10.36518/2689-0216.1142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Description As a psychiatrist in training, I often have the privilege to connect with the unique thoughts and visions patients may be experiencing. The descriptions shared by one patient during my early psychiatry inpatient rotations stuck with me and eventually inspired me to pursue a residency in the field. While interviewing, she expressed a deep spirituality and often finding solace in the mindfulness teachings of Gautama Buddha whenever she was distressed. She would strengthen this coping mechanism by contemplating him sitting and meditating deeply, within a naturalistic setting, however struggled in describing exactly what she was imagining. I further gathered this was a symbol of peace and stillness, an antithesis to the restless worrying thoughts and ruminations that colored her depression and anxiety. As someone who always found nature and drawing as restorative outlets for myself, I felt compelled to put that vision to paper. The vivid multi-color palette along with flowers and vines evoked a sense of life and levity, representing how her imagination painted a brighter outlook upon her overwhelming darker, grayer thoughts. Eastern philosophies often challenge our ideas of separateness between ourselves and the environment, therefore blurring the lines on where the outlines of the Buddha ended and where the natural elements began seemed appropriate. The nature imagery feeds into this, a butterfly and feathers for the fragile beauty of her mental state. In Eastern mythos, foxes were often depicted as creatures of transformation, guiding humans through duress with their wit and cleverness; which for me represented the mind as her companion, sublimating negative thoughts with creativity and imagination in order to guide her along her journey. This exercise reaffirmed my interest in psychiatry, for such interactions offered a window into the unique proclivities of the mind to protect itself in any way possible, even as an artist painting on an unseen canvas.
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Scheid V. The Neglected Role of Buddhism in the Development of Medicine in Late Imperial China Viewed through the Life and Work of Yu Chang (1585-1664). Bull Hist Med 2020; 94:1-28. [PMID: 32362592 PMCID: PMC7335307 DOI: 10.1353/bhm.2020.0000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite significant revisions over recent decades, the field of medicine in late imperial China continues to be defined by a number of problematic boundaries such as that between medicine and religion. In this article I challenge the validity of this boundary through a detailed examination of the life and work of the hugely influential seventeenth-century physician Yu Chang (1585-1664), whose openly Buddhist critique of literati medicine has hitherto largely escaped the attention of medical historians. I argue that Yu Chang's case, read against the more widespread revival of Buddhism at the time, the important historical role of literati-Buddhist networks, and evidence of many other late imperial physicians' interest in Buddhism, was not exceptional. A wider reevaluation of Buddhism's role in the development of medicine in late imperial China as well as its historical neglect is therefore called for.
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Fabjański M, Brymer E. Enhancing Health and Wellbeing through Immersion in Nature: A Conceptual Perspective Combining the Stoic and Buddhist Traditions. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1573. [PMID: 28959225 PMCID: PMC5604428 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric Brymer
- Institute of Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure, Leeds Beckett UniversityLeeds, United Kingdom
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Setta SM, Shemie SD. An explanation and analysis of how world religions formulate their ethical decisions on withdrawing treatment and determining death. Philos Ethics Humanit Med 2015; 10:6. [PMID: 25890378 PMCID: PMC4396881 DOI: 10.1186/s13010-015-0025-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 02/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This paper explores definitions of death from the perspectives of several world and indigenous religions, with practical application for health care providers in relation to end of life decisions and organ and tissue donation after death. It provides background material on several traditions and explains how different religions derive their conclusions for end of life decisions from the ethical guidelines they proffer. METHODS Research took several forms beginning with a review of books and articles written by ethicists and observers of Bön, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous Traditions, Islam, Judaism, Shinto and Taoism. It then examined sources to which these authors referred in footnotes and bibliographies. In addition, material was gathered through searches of data bases in religious studies, general humanities, social sciences and medicine along with web-based key word searches for current policies in various traditions. RESULTS Religious traditions provide their adherents with explanations for the meaning and purpose of life and include ethical analysis for the situations in which their followers find themselves. This paper aims to increase cultural competency in practitioners by demonstrating the reasoning process religions use to determine what they believe to be the correct decision in the face of death. CONCLUSION Patterns emerge in the comparative study of religious perspectives on death. Western traditions show their rootedness in Judaism in their understanding of the human individual as a finite, singular creation. Although the many branches of Western religions do not agree on precisely how to determine death, they are all able to locate a moment of death in the body. In Eastern traditions personhood is not defined in physical terms. From prescribing the location of death, to resisting medical intervention and definitions of death, Eastern religions, in their many forms, incorporate the beliefs and practices that preceded them. Adding to the complexity for these traditions is the idea that death is a process that continues after the body has met most empirical criteria for determining death. For Hinduism and Buddhism, the cessation of heart, brain and lung function is the beginning of the process of dying--not the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M Setta
- Department of Philosophy and Religion, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, 02115, MA, USA.
| | - Sam D Shemie
- Division of Pediatric Critical Care, and Medical Director, Extracorporeal Life Support Program at Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, 2300 Rue Tupper, Montréal, QC, H3H 1P3, Canada.
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Abstract
Shintoism, Buddhism, and Qi, which advocate the unity of mind and body, have contributed to the Japanese philosophy of life. The practice of psychosomatic medicine emphasizes the connection between mind and body and combines the psychotherapies (directed at the mind) and relaxation techniques (directed at the body), to achieve stress management. Participation in religious activities such as preaching, praying, meditating, and practicing Zen can also elicit relaxation responses. Thus, it is time for traditional religions to play an active role in helping those seeking psychological stability after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the ongoing crisis related to the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, to maintain a healthy mind-body relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mutsuhiro Nakao
- Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Teikyo University Hospital, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1, Kaga, Itabashi, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan,
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Lindahl JR, Kaplan CT, Winget EM, Britton WB. A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives. Front Psychol 2014; 4:973. [PMID: 24427148 PMCID: PMC3879457 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2013] [Accepted: 12/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The scientific study of Buddhist meditation has proceeded without much attention to Buddhist literature that details the range of psychological and physiological changes thought to occur during meditation. This paper presents reports of various meditation-induced light experiences derived from American Buddhist practitioners. The reports of light experiences are classified into two main types: discrete lightforms and patterned or diffuse lights. Similar phenomena are well documented in traditional Buddhist texts but are virtually undocumented in scientific literature on meditation. Within Buddhist traditions, these phenomena are attributed a range of interpretations. However, because it is insufficient and problematic to rely solely upon the textual sources as a means of investigating the cause or significance of these phenomena, these qualitative reports are also considered in relation to scientific research on light-related experiences in the context of sensory deprivation, perceptual isolation, and clinical disorders of the visual system. The typologies derived from these studies also rely upon reports of experiences and closely match typologies derived from the qualitative study of contemporary practitioners and typologies found in Buddhist literary traditions. Taken together, these studies also provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that certain meditative practices – especially those that deliberately decrease social, kinesthetic, and sensory stimulation and emphasize focused attention – have perceptual and cognitive outcomes similar to sensory deprivation. Given that sensory deprivation increases neuroplasticity, meditation may also have an enhanced neuroplastic potential beyond ordinary experience-dependent changes. By providing and contextualizing these reports of meditation-induced light experiences, scientists, clinicians, and meditators gain a more informed view of the range of experiences that can be elicited by contemplative practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared R Lindahl
- Department of Religious Studies, Warren Wilson College Asheville, NC, USA
| | - Christopher T Kaplan
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University Providence, RI, USA
| | - Evan M Winget
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University Providence, RI, USA
| | - Willoughby B Britton
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University Providence, RI, USA
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Yel D, Bui A, Job JS, Knutsen S, Singh PN. Beliefs about tobacco, health, and addiction among adults in Cambodia: findings from a national survey. J Relig Health 2013; 52:904-914. [PMID: 21948146 PMCID: PMC3362678 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-011-9537-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
There remains a very high rate of smoked and smokeless tobacco use in the Western Pacific Region. The most recent findings from national adult tobacco surveys indicate that very few daily users of tobacco intend to quit tobacco use. In Cambodia, a nation that is predominantly Buddhist, faith-based tobacco control programs have been implemented where, under the fifth precept of Buddhism that proscribes addictive behaviors, monks were encouraged to quit tobacco and temples have been declared smoke-free. In the present study, we included items on a large national tobacco survey to examine the relation between beliefs (faith-based, other) about tobacco, health, and addiction among adults (18 years and older). In a stratified, multistage cluster sample (n=13,988) of all provinces of Cambodia, we found that (1) 88-93% believe that Buddhist monks should not use tobacco, buy tobacco, or be offered tobacco during a religious ceremony; (2) 86-93% believe that the Wat (temple) should be a smoke-free area; (3) 93-95% believe that tobacco is addictive in the same way as habits (opium, gambling, alcohol) listed under the fifth precept of Buddhism; and (4) those who do not use tobacco are significantly more likely to cite a Buddhist principle as part of their anti-tobacco beliefs. These data indicate that anti-tobacco sentiments are highly prevalent in the Buddhist belief system of Cambodian adults and are especially evident among non-users of tobacco. Our findings indicate that faith-based initiatives could be an effective part of anti-tobacco campaigns in Cambodia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daravuth Yel
- WHO Tobacco Free Initiative (Cambodia), No. 177-179 Corner Streets Pasteur (51) and 254, PO Box 1217, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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Abstract
The objective of the study is to assess views of age related changes in sexual behavior among married Thai adults age 53 to 57. Results are viewed in the context of life course theory. In-depth interviews were conducted with 44 Thai adults in Bangkok and the four regions of Thailand. Topics covered include changing sexual behavior with age, adjustment to this change, gender differences in behavior, attitudes toward commercial sex and other non-marital sexual partners, and condom use. Most respondents were aware of this change and saw a decrease in sexual activity and desire more often among women compared to men. At the same time, many respondents viewed sexuality as important to a marriage. Some respondents accepted the decrease in sexual activity and focused more on work, family and temple activities. Thai Buddhism was seen as an important resource for people who were dealing with changes due to aging. Other persons turned to other partners including both commercial and non-commercial partners. The influence of the HIV epidemic that began in the 1990s was seen in concerns about disease transmission with extramarital partners and consequent attitudes toward condom use. The acceptability of extramarital partners in the family and community ranged from acceptance to strong disapproval of extramarital relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Ford
- Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michiagn, USA
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Abstract
This article discusses the Tibetan notion of rlung, usually translated as: 'wind', but perhaps better understood as a close equivalent of pneuma in the Greek tradition, or qi in the Chinese tradition. The article focuses on the way rlung provides a useful prism through which concepts of health, illness and disease may be observed in a cross-cultural perspective. An analysis of syndromes linked with rlung in a Tibetan cultural context illuminates some of the ways in which culture determines particular syndromes. The article raises a number of questions which are relevant for a more general multicultural approach to concepts of health, illness and disease. The article argues that notions of rlung/pneuma/wind/ qi constitute a particularly interesting area for an exploration of culture-bound syndromes, as they reside in the meeting point between material and non-material, physical and mental, as well as the psychological, spiritual and religious. They are hence fundamental for a more cross-cultural approach to the mind-body problem. The article also deals with the significance of history of medicine, particularly histories of medicine, which attempt to widen the scope of the traditional Eurocentric narrative of the history of medicine, in dealing with questions such as concepts of health and illness. Allowing alternative narratives-whether narratives of patients, other cultures or historical ones-can enhance our understanding of what health, illness and disease are. Discussing perceptions of the body as culturally defined is not only important from a philosophical or historical point of view, but also has important practical ramifications, which are particularly crucial in our global age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim
- Wellcome Trust University Award Holder, Department of History, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW.
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Chamratrithirong A, Miller BA, Byrnes HF, Rhucharoenpornpanich O, Cupp PK, Rosati MJ, Fongkaew W, Atwood KA, Chookhare W. Spirituality within the family and the prevention of health risk behavior among adolescents in Bangkok, Thailand. Soc Sci Med 2010; 71:1855-63. [PMID: 20926170 PMCID: PMC3001397 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2009] [Revised: 07/31/2010] [Accepted: 08/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates the influences of a family's spiritual beliefs and practices on substance use and sexual risk behaviors among young adolescents 13-14 years old in Bangkok, Thailand. Independent predictor variables are the parents' and teens' spiritual beliefs and practices in Buddhism and parental monitoring behaviors. The study uses data from the 2007 Baseline Survey of the Thai Family Matters Project, which adapted a U.S. based family prevention program for Thai culture. A representative sample of 420 pairs of parents and teens from the Bangkok metropolitan area was recruited to participate in the study. Structural equation models indicate that positive direct and indirect associations of the spirituality of parents and teens within a family and the prevention of adolescent risk behaviors are significant and consistent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aphichat Chamratrithirong
- Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Salaya, Phuttamonthon, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand.
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