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Bibliografia geral recente sobre meditação e saúde mental

Items 1 - 27 of 27
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1: Addict Behav. 2007 Oct;32(10):2324-8. Epub 2007 Jan 23.
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The role of thought suppression in the relationship between mindfulness meditation and alcohol use.

Bowen S, Witkiewitz K, Dillworth TM, Marlatt GA.

University of Washington, Department of Psychology, Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. swbowen@u.washington.edu

Previous studies have demonstrated that attempts to suppress thoughts about using substances may actually lead to increases in substance use. Vipassana, a mindfulness meditation practice, emphasizes acceptance, rather than suppression, of unwanted thoughts. A study by Bowen and colleagues examining the effects of a Vipassana course on substance use in an incarcerated population showed significant reductions in substance use among the Vipassana group as compared to a treatment - usual control condition [Bowen S., Witkiewitz K., Dillworth T.M., Chawla N., Simpson T.L., Ostafin B.D., et al. (2006). Mindfulness Meditation and Substance Use in an Incarcerated Population. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.]. The current study further examines the mediating effects of thought suppression in the relationship between participation in the course and subsequent alcohol use. Those who participated in the course reported significant decreases in avoidance of thoughts when compared to controls. The decrease in avoidance partially mediated effects of the course on post-release alcohol use and consequences.

PMID: 17300875 [PubMed - in process]
 
2: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2007 Mar;4(1):131-2. Epub 2006 Jul 6.
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CAM and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Hankey A.

Health Sciences, University of Pune Maharashtra, India.

In the form of the Transcendental Meditation program CAM offers a method of eliminating deep-rooted stress, the efficacy of which has been demonstrated in several related studies. Any discussion of CAM and post-traumatic stress disorder should include a study of its application to Vietnam War Veterans in which improvements were observed on all variables, and several participants were able to return to work after several years of being unable to hold a job. The intervention has been studied for its impact on brain and autonomic nervous system function. It has been found to be highly effective against other stress-related conditions such as hypertension, and to improve brain coherence-a measure of effective brain function. It should be considered a possible 'new and improved mode of treatment' for PTSD, and further studies of its application made.

PMID: 17342251 [PubMed - in process]
 
3: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2006 Dec;3(4):513-21. Epub 2006 Jul 31.
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Studies of advanced stages of meditation in the tibetan buddhist and vedic traditions. I: a comparison of general changes.

Hankey A.

This article is the first of two comparing findings of studies of advanced practitioners of Tibetan Buddhist meditation in remote regions of the Himalayas, with established results on long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation programs. Many parallel levels of improvement were found, in sensory acuity, perceptual style and cognitive function, indicating stabilization of aspects of attentional awareness. Together with observed increases in EEG coherence and aspects of brain function, such changes are consistent with growth towards a state of total brain functioning, i.e. development of full mental potential. They are usually accompanied by improved health parameters. How they may be seen to be consistent with growth of enlightenment will be the subject of a second article.

PMID: 17173116 [PubMed - in process]
 
4: BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006 Aug 31;6:28.
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The effect of long term combined yoga practice on the basal metabolic rate of healthy adults.

Chaya MS, Kurpad AV, Nagendra HR, Nagarathna R.

Department of Life Sciences, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research foundation, No 19, Eknath Bhavan, Gavipuram circle, Bangalore-560019, India. chayapu@hotmail.com

BACKGROUND: Different procedures practiced in yoga have stimulatory or inhibitory effects on the basal metabolic rate when studied acutely. In daily life however, these procedures are usually practiced in combination. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the net change in the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of individuals actively engaging in a combination of yoga practices (asana or yogic postures, meditation and pranayama or breathing exercises) for a minimum period of six months, at a residential yoga education and research center at Bangalore. METHODS: The measured BMR of individuals practicing yoga through a combination of practices was compared with that of control subjects who did not practice yoga but led similar lifestyles. RESULTS: The BMR of the yoga practitioners was significantly lower than that of the non-yoga group, and was lower by about 13 % when adjusted for body weight (P < 0.001). This difference persisted when the groups were stratified by gender; however, the difference in BMR adjusted for body weight was greater in women than men (about 8 and 18% respectively). In addition, the mean BMR of the yoga group was significantly lower than their predicted values, while the mean BMR of non-yoga group was comparable with their predicted values derived from 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU predictive equations. CONCLUSION: This study shows that there is a significantly reduced BMR, probably linked to reduced arousal, with the long term practice of yoga using a combination of stimulatory and inhibitory yogic practices.

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PMID: 16945127 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
5: Acta Med Okayama. 2006 Feb;60(1):51-8.
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Medial profrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex in the generation of alpha activity induced by transcendental meditation: a magnetoencephalographic study.

Yamamoto S, Kitamura Y, Yamada N, Nakashima Y, Kuroda S.

Makoto Clinic, Okayama 700-0813, Japan. makoto710@tiara.ocn.ne.jp

Previous EEG studies have shown that transcendental meditation (TM) increases frontal and central alpha activity. The present study was aimed at identifying the source of this alpha activity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) simultaneously on eight TM practitioners before, during, and after TM. The magnetic field potentials corresponding to TM-induced alpha activities on EEG recordings were extracted, and we attempted to localize the dipole sources using the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm, equivalent current dipole source analysis, and the multiple spatio-temporal dipole model. Since the dipoles were mapped to both the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), it is suggested that the mPFC and ACC play an important role in brain activity induced by TM.

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PMID: 16508689 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
6: Neuroreport. 2005 Nov 28;16(17):1893-7.
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Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness.

Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Wasserman RH, Gray JR, Greve DN, Treadway MT, McGarvey M, Quinn BT, Dusek JA, Benson H, Rauch SL, Moore CI, Fischl B.

Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. lazar@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu

Previous research indicates that long-term meditation practice is associated with altered resting electroencephalogram patterns, suggestive of long lasting changes in brain activity. We hypothesized that meditation practice might also be associated with changes in the brain's physical structure. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess cortical thickness in 20 participants with extensive Insight meditation experience, which involves focused attention to internal experiences. Brain regions associated with attention, interoception and sensory processing were thicker in meditation participants than matched controls, including the prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula. Between-group differences in prefrontal cortical thickness were most pronounced in older participants, suggesting that meditation might offset age-related cortical thinning. Finally, the thickness of two regions correlated with meditation experience. These data provide the first structural evidence for experience-dependent cortical plasticity associated with meditation practice.

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PMID: 16272874 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
7: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Sep;2(3):277-83. Epub 2005 Jul 20.
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CAM and cell fate targeting: molecular and energetic insights into cell growth and differentiation.

Ventura C.

Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems and Institute of Cardiology, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna 40138 Bologna, Italy. carlo.ventura@unibo.it

Evidence-based medicine is switching from the analysis of single diseases at a time toward an integrated assessment of a diseased person. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers multiple holistic approaches, including osteopathy, homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal and energy medicine and meditation, all potentially impacting on major human diseases. It is now becoming evident that acupuncture can modify the expression of different endorphin genes and the expression of genes encoding for crucial transcription factors in cellular homeostasis. Extremely low frequency magnetic fields have been found to prime the commitment to a myocardial lineage in mouse embryonic stem cells, suggesting that magnetic energy may direct stem cell differentiation into specific cellular phenotypes without the aid of gene transfer technologies. This finding may pave the way to novel approaches in tissue engineering and regeneration. Different ginseng extracts have been shown to modulate growth and differentiation in pluripotent cells and to exert wound-healing and antitumor effects through opposing activities on the vascular system, prompting the hypothesis that ancient compounds may be the target for new logics in cell therapy. These observations and the subtle entanglement among different CAM systems suggest that CAM modalities may deeply affect both the signaling and transcriptional level of cellular homeostasis. Such a perception holds promises for a new era in CAM, prompting reproducible documentation of biological responses to CAM-related strategies and compounds. To this end, functional genomics and proteomics and the comprehension of the cell signaling networks may substantially contribute to the development of a molecular evidence-based CAM.

PMID: 16136206 [PubMed]
 
8: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2004 Dec;1(3):223-232. Epub 2004 Dec 1.
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Shingles Immunity and Health Functioning in the Elderly: Tai Chi Chih as a Behavioral Treatment.

Irwin M, Pike J, Oxman M.

Both the incidence and severity of herpes zoster (HZ) or shingles increase markedly with increasing age in association with a decline in varicella zoster virus (VZV)-specific immunity. Considerable evidence shows that behavioral stressors, prevalent in older adults, correlate with impairments of cellular immunity. Moreover, the presence of depressive symptoms in older adults is associated with declines in VZV-responder cell frequency (VZV-RCF), an immunological marker of shingles risk. In this review, we discuss recent findings that administration of a relaxation response-based intervention, tai chi chih (TCC), results in improvements in health functioning and immunity to VZV in older adults as compared with a control group. TCC is a slow moving meditation consisting of 20 separate standardized movements which can be readily used in elderly and medically compromised individuals. TCC offers standardized training and practice schedules, lending an important advantage over prior relaxation response-based therapies. Focus on older adults at increased risk for HZ and assay of VZV-specific immunity have implications for understanding the impact of behavioral factors and a behavioral intervention on a clinically relevant end-point and on the response of the immune system to infectious pathogens.

PMID: 15841255 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
 
9: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Nov 16;101(46):16369-73. Epub 2004 Nov 8.
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Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice.

Lutz A, Greischar LL, Rawlings NB, Ricard M, Davidson RJ.

W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, Waisman Center, and Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA. alutz@wisc.edu

Practitioners understand "meditation," or mental training, to be a process of familiarization with one's own mental life leading to long-lasting changes in cognition and emotion. Little is known about this process and its impact on the brain. Here we find that long-term Buddhist practitioners self-induce sustained electroencephalographic high-amplitude gamma-band oscillations and phase-synchrony during meditation. These electroencephalogram patterns differ from those of controls, in particular over lateral frontoparietal electrodes. In addition, the ratio of gamma-band activity (25-42 Hz) to slow oscillatory activity (4-13 Hz) is initially higher in the resting baseline before meditation for the practitioners than the controls over medial frontoparietal electrodes. This difference increases sharply during meditation over most of the scalp electrodes and remains higher than the initial baseline in the postmeditation baseline. These data suggest that mental training involves temporal integrative mechanisms and may induce short-term and long-term neural changes.

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PMID: 15534199 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
10: Med J Aust. 2004 Oct 4;181(7 Suppl):S29-46.
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Effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for anxiety disorders.

Jorm AF, Christensen H, Griffiths KM, Parslow RA, Rodgers B, Blewitt KA.

Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Building 63, Eggleston Road, Acton, ACT 0200, Australia. anthony.jorm@anu.edu.au.

OBJECTIVES: To review the evidence for the effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for anxiety disorders. DATA SOURCES: Systematic literature search using PubMed, PsycLit, and the Cochrane Library. DATA SYNTHESIS: 108 treatments were identified and grouped under the categories of medicines and homoeopathic remedies, physical treatments, lifestyle, and dietary changes. We give a description of the 34 treatments (for which evidence was found in the literature searched), the rationale behind the treatments, a review of studies on effectiveness, and the level of evidence for the effectiveness studies. CONCLUSIONS: The treatments with the best evidence of effectiveness are kava (for generalised anxiety), exercise (for generalised anxiety), relaxation training (for generalised anxiety, panic disorder, dental phobia and test anxiety) and bibliotherapy (for specific phobias). There is more limited evidence to support the effectiveness of acupuncture, music, autogenic training and meditation for generalised anxiety; for inositol in the treatment of panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder; and for alcohol avoidance by people with alcohol-use disorders to reduce a range of anxiety disorders.

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PMID: 15462640 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
11: Med Sci Monit. 2004 Jun;10(6):MS6-17. Epub 2004 Jun 1.
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Commonalities in the central nervous system's involvement with complementary medical therapies: limbic morphinergic processes.

Esch T, Guarna M, Bianchi E, Zhu W, Stefano GB.

Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Institute for General and Family Medicine, Berlin, Germany.

BACKGROUND: Currently, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are experiencing growing popularity, especially in former industrialized countries. However, most of the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms as well as participating biological structures are still speculative. Specific and non-specific effects may play a role in CAM. Moreover, trust, belief, and expectation may be of importance, pointing towards common central nervous system (CNS) pathways involved in CAM. MATERIAL/METHODS: Four CAM approaches (acupuncture, meditation, music therapy, and massage therapy) were examined with regard to the CNS activity pattern involved. CNS commonalities between different approaches were investigated. RESULTS: Frontal/prefrontal and limbic brain structures play a role in CAM. Particularly, left-anterior regions of the brain and reward or motivation circuitry constituents are involved, indicating positive affect and emotion-related memory processing--accompanied by endocrinologic and autonomic functions--as crucial components of CAM effects. Thus, trust and belief in a therapist or positive therapy expectations seem to be important. However, besides common non-specific or subjective effects, specific (objective) physiological components also exist. CONCLUSIONS: Non-specific CNS commonalities are involved in various CAM therapies. Different therapeutic approaches physiologically overlap in the brain. However, molecular correspondents of the detected CNS analogies still have to be specified. In particular, fast acting autoregulatory signaling molecules presumably play a role. These may also be involved in the placebo response.

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PMID: 15173679 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
12: Med Sci Monit. 2004 Jun;10(6):CR264-70. Epub 2004 Jun 1.
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Assessment of immunological parameters following a qigong training program.

Manzaneque JM, Vera FM, Maldonado EF, Carranque G, Cubero VM, Morell M, Blanca MJ.

Department of Psychobiology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Malaga, Spain. manzaneque@uma.es

BACKGROUND: Qigong is a type of Chinese psychosomatic exercise that integrates meditation, slow physical movements, and breathing, and to which numerous physical as well as mental benefits have been classically ascribed. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of a qigong program on various immunological parameters. MATERIAL/METHODS: 29 naive subjects participated in the study, of whom 16 were allocated to the experimental group and the rest to the control group. The experimental subjects underwent a qigong training program, conducted by a qualified instructor, consisting of half an hour of daily practice for one month. The day before the experiment commenced and the day after it finished, blood samples were drawn from all subjects for the quantification of immunological parameters (leukocytes, immunoglobulins, and complement). As statistical analysis, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was carried out. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found between the control and experimental groups, with the experimental group showing lower numbers of total leukocytes and eosinophils, number and percentage of monocytes, as well as complement C3 concentration. In addition, a similar result with a trend towards significance was observed in the number of eosinophils. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that after one month of practicing qigong, significant immunological changes occurred between the experimental and control groups, with a consistently lower and broadly significant profile of these measures within the qigong practitioner group.

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PMID: 15173671 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
13: Med Sci Monit. 2004 Mar;10(3):CR96-101. Epub 2004 Mar 1.
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The effects of long meditation on plasma melatonin and blood serotonin.

Solberg EE, Holen A, Ekeberg Ø, Østerud B, Halvorsen R, Sandvik L.

Ulleval University Hospital, Department of Medicine, Oslo, Norway. erikekker.solberg@ids.no

BACKGROUND: The benefits of meditation are well documented, but the biochemical mechanisms have not been fully identified. One effect mechanism may be via influence on neurotransmitters. MATERIAL/METHODS: Therefore, plasma melatonin and blood serotonin concentrations were measured before and after one hour of meditation in advanced male meditators (n=27, mean age 46 years). They were compared with a matched reference group (n=29, mean age 43 years) who rested for one hour. In the meditators, melatonin and serotonin from before and after three consecutive hours of meditation were also compared. RESULTS: Initially, the median melatonin level was 4.9 pg/ml-1 in the meditators and 3.1 pg/ml-1 in the reference group (p<0.01). After one hour of practice, melatonin had decreased to a median of 3.4 pg/ml-1 in the meditators (p<0.0001), but was unchanged in the reference group. After three hours of meditation, melatonin had declined further in the meditators. After one hour of practice, serotonin concentrations decreased in both the meditators and the reference group (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that advanced meditators have higher melatonin levels than non-meditators. Melatonin decreases during long meditation, a finding the study does not explain. Serotonin declines after both one-hour meditation and rest, indicating that serotonin may be a marker of general rest and not meditation-specific relaxation.

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PMID: 14976457 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
14: J Gen Intern Med. 2004 Jan;19(1):43-50.
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Use of mind-body medical therapies.

Wolsko PM, Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Phillips RS.

Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. pwolsko@hms.harvard.edu

OBJECT: Research demonstrating connections between the mind and body has increased interest in the potential of mind-body therapies. Our aim was to examine the use of mind-body therapies, using data available from a national survey. DESIGN: Analysis of a large nationally representative dataset that comprehensively evaluated the use of mind-body therapies in the last year. SETTING: United States households. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2055 American adults in 1997-1998. INTERVENTIONS: Random national telephone survey. MEASURES AND MAIN RESULTS: We obtained a 60% weighted overall response rate among eligible respondents. We found that 18.9% of adults had used at least 1 mind-body therapy in the last year, with 20.5% of these therapies involving visits to a mind-body professional. Meditation, imagery, and yoga were the most commonly used techniques. Factors independently and positively associated with the use of mind-body therapies in the last year were being 40 to 49 years old (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 3.10), being not married (AOR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.34 to 2.36), having an educational level of college or greater (AOR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.57 to 3.09), having used self-prayer for a medical concern (AOR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.87 to 3.42), and having used another complementary medicine therapy in the last year (AOR, 3.77; 95% CI, 2.74 to 5.20). While used for the full array of medical conditions, they were used infrequently for chronic pain (used by 20% of those with chronic pain) and insomnia (used by 13% of those with insomnia), conditions for which consensus panels have concluded that mind-body therapies are effective. They were also used by less than 20% of those with heart disease, headaches, back or neck pain, and cancer, conditions for which there is strong research support. Mind-body therapies were generally used concomitantly with conventional care: 90% of those using a mind-body therapy in the last year had seen a physician and 80% of mind-body therapies used were discussed with a physician. CONCLUSIONS: Although mind-body therapies were commonly used, much opportunity exists to increase use of mind-body therapies for indications with demonstrated efficacy.

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PMID: 14748859 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
15: Psychosom Med. 2004 Jan-Feb;66(1):148-52; author reply 148-52.
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Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation: three caveats.

Smith JC.

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PMID: 14747650 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
16: Psychosom Med. 2004 Jan-Feb;66(1):147-8; author reply 147-8.
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EEG asymmetry and mindfulness meditation.

Travis F, Arenander A.

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PMID: 14747649 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
17: Psychosom Med. 2003 Jul-Aug;65(4):564-70.
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Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation.

Davidson RJ, Kabat-Zinn J, Schumacher J, Rosenkranz M, Muller D, Santorelli SF, Urbanowski F, Harrington A, Bonus K, Sheridan JF.

Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. rjdavids@facstaff.wisc.edu

OBJECTIVE: The underlying changes in biological processes that are associated with reported changes in mental and physical health in response to meditation have not been systematically explored. We performed a randomized, controlled study on the effects on brain and immune function of a well-known and widely used 8-week clinical training program in mindfulness meditation applied in a work environment with healthy employees. METHODS: We measured brain electrical activity before and immediately after, and then 4 months after an 8-week training program in mindfulness meditation. Twenty-five subjects were tested in the meditation group. A wait-list control group (N = 16) was tested at the same points in time as the meditators. At the end of the 8-week period, subjects in both groups were vaccinated with influenza vaccine. RESULTS: We report for the first time significant increases in left-sided anterior activation, a pattern previously associated with positive affect, in the meditators compared with the nonmeditators. We also found significant increases in antibody titers to influenza vaccine among subjects in the meditation compared with those in the wait-list control group. Finally, the magnitude of increase in left-sided activation predicted the magnitude of antibody titer rise to the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. These findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways and underscore the need for additional research.

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PMID: 12883106 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
18: BMJ. 2003 May 17;326(7398):1049-50.
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The therapeutic effects of meditation.

Canter PH.

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PMID: 12750183 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
19: J Am Board Fam Pract. 2003 Mar-Apr;16(2):131-47.
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Mind-body medicine: state of the science, implications for practice.

Astin JA, Shapiro SL, Eisenberg DM, Forys KL.

California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco 94115, USA.

BACKGROUND: Although emerging evidence during the past several decades suggests that psychosocial factors can directly influence both physiologic function and health outcomes, medicine had failed to move beyond the biomedical model, in part because of lack of exposure to the evidence base supporting the biopsychosocial model. The literature was reviewed to examine the efficacy of representative psychosocial-mind-body interventions, including relaxation, (cognitive) behavioral therapies, meditation, imagery, biofeedback, and hypnosis for several common clinical conditions. METHODS: An electronic search was undertaken of the MEDLINE, PsycLIT, and the Cochrane Library databases and a manual search of the reference sections of relevant articles for related clinical trials and reviews of the literature. Studies examining mind-body interventions for psychological disorders were excluded. Owing to space limitations, studies examining more body-based therapies, such as yoga and tai chi chuan, were also not included. Data were extracted from relevant systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials. RESULTS: Drawing principally from systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there is considerable evidence of efficacy for several mind-body therapies in the treatment of coronary artery disease (eg, cardiac rehabilitation), headaches, insomnia, incontinence, chronic low back pain, disease and treatment-related symptoms of cancer, and improving postsurgical outcomes. We found moderate evidence of efficacy for mind-body therapies in the areas of hypertension and arthritis. Additional research is required to clarify the relative efficacy of different mind-body therapies, factors (such as specific patient characteristics) that might predict more or less successful outcomes, and mechanisms of action. Research is also necessary to examine the cost offsets associated with mind-body therapies. CONCLUSIONS: There is now considerable evidence that an array of mind-body therapies can be used as effective adjuncts to conventional medical treatment for a number of common clinical conditions.

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PMID: 12665179 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
20: Psychosom Med. 2002 Jan-Feb;64(1):71-83.
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Erratum in:
  • Psychosom Med 2002 May-Jun;64(3):449.


What do we really know about mindfulness-based stress reduction?

Bishop SR.

Princess Margaret Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. scott.bishop@uhn.on.ca

OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a clinical program, developed to facilitate adaptation to medical illness, which provides systematic training in mindfulness meditation as a self-regulatory approach to stress reduction and emotion management. There has been widespread and growing use of this approach within medical settings in the last 20 years, and many claims have been made regarding its efficacy. This article will provide a critical evaluation of the available state of knowledge regarding MBSR and suggestions for future research. METHODS: A review of the current literature available within the medical and social sciences was undertaken to provide an evaluation regarding what we know about the construct of mindfulness, the effectiveness of MBSR, and mechanisms of action. RESULTS: There has been a paucity of research and what has been published has been rife with methodological problems. At present, we know very little about the effectiveness of this approach. However, there is some evidence that suggests that it may hold some promise. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence does not support a strong endorsement of this approach at present. However, serious investigation is warranted and strongly recommended.

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PMID: 11818588 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
21: BMC Complement Altern Med. 2001;1:8. Epub 2001 Oct 18.
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Changes in cytokine production in healthy subjects practicing Guolin Qigong : a pilot study.

Jones BM.

Division of Clinical Immunology, Pathology Department, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. bmjones@ha.org.hk

BACKGROUND: Guolin Qigong is a combination of meditation, controlled breathing and physical movement designed to control the vital energy (qi) of the body and consequently to improve spiritual, physical and mental health. Practice of Qigong has been reported to alter immunological function, but there have been few studies of its effects on cytokines, the key regulators of immunity. METHODS: Numbers of peripheral blood cytokine-secreting cells were determined by ELISPOT in 19 healthy volunteers aged 27 - 55, before they were taught the practice of Qigong and after 3, 7 and 14 weeks of daily practice. The effect of Qigong on blood cortisol was also examined. RESULTS: Numbers of IL4 and IL12-secreting cells remained stable. IL6 increased at 7 weeks and TNFalpha increased in unstimulated cultures at 3 and 7 weeks but decreased at these times in LPS and SAC-stimulated cultures. Of particular interest, IFNgamma-secreting cells increased and IL10-secreting cells decreased in PHA-stimulated cultures, resulting in significant increases in the IFNgamma:IL10 ratio. Cortisol, a known inhibitor of type 1 cytokine production, was reduced by practicing Qigong. CONCLUSION: These preliminary studies in healthy subjects, although not necessarily representative of a randomized healthy population and not including a separate control group, have indicated that blood levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol may be lowered by short-term practice of Qigong and that there are concomitant changes in numbers of cytokine-secreting cells. Further studies of the effect of Qigong in patients with clinical diseases known to be associated with type 2 cytokine predominance are merited.

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PMID: 11696251 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
22: West J Med. 2001 Jan;174(1):75-6.
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Comment on:


Spirituality in everyday life.

Christensen JB.

39825 Gordon Creek Rd, Corbett, OR 97019, USA. lupinejulie@cs.com

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PMID: 11154682 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
23: West J Med. 2001 Jan;174(1):73-5.
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Letter from the Abbey.

McPhee SJ.

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PMID: 11154681 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
24: West J Med. 2001 Jan;174(1):63-5.
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Just being.

Epstein RM.

Department of Family Medicine University of Rochester 885 South Ave Rochester, NY 14620-2399, USA. ronald_epstein@urmc.rochester.edu

PMID: 11154677 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
 
25: Br J Sports Med. 2000 Aug;34(4):268-72.
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Stress reactivity to and recovery from a standardised exercise bout: a study of 31 runners practising relaxation techniques.

Solberg EE, Ingjer F, Holen A, Sundgot-Borgen J, Nilsson S, Holme I.

Department of Medicine, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. erik.solberg@ioks.uio.no

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy in runners of two relaxation techniques with regard to exercise reactivity and recovery after exercise. METHODS: Thirty one adult male runners were studied prospectively for six months in three groups practising either meditation (n = 11) or autogenic training (n = 11) or serving as controls (n = 10). Before and after the six months relaxation intervention, indicators of reactivity to exercise and metabolism after exercise (blood lactate concentration, heart rate (HR), and oxygen consumption (VO2)), were tested immediately after and 10 minutes after exercise. Resting HR was also assessed weekly at home during the trial. State anxiety was measured before and after the intervention. RESULTS: After the relaxation training, blood lactate concentration after exercise was significantly (p<0.01) decreased in the meditation group compared with the control group. No difference was observed in lactate responses between the autogenic training group and the control group. There were no significant differences among the groups with regard to HR, VO2, or levels of anxiety. CONCLUSION: Meditation training may reduce the lactate response to a standardised exercise bout.

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PMID: 10953899 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
26: Ann Intern Med. 1999 Jul 6;131(1):73; author reply 74.
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Contemplating the white coat.