By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.
“Mindfulness meditation — or mentally focusing on being in the present moment — has also proven an effective tool to help people with cognitive and behavioral issues after TBI. With meditation of all kinds — from chanting to visual imagery — people can make peace with their new self and not get swept up in the constant maelstrom of mental obsessions.” – Victoria Tilney McDonough
Brain damage is more or less permanent. The neurons and neural structures that are destroyed when the brain is damaged for the most part do not regrow. There are a number of causes of brain damage including Traumatic Brain Injury, stroke, and Multiple Sclerosis. TBI has many causes of this including car accidents, warfare, violent disputes, etc.. A stroke results from an interruption of the blood supply to the brain, depriving it of needed oxygen and nutrients. This can result in the death of brain cells and depending on the extent of the damage produce profound loss of function. Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive demyelinating disease which attacks the coating on the neural axons which send messages throughout the body and nervous system. MS is not fatal with MS patients having about the same life expectancy as the general population. Hence, most MS sufferers have to live with the disease for many years. So, quality of life becomes a major issue. Quality of life with brain injuries in general is affected by fatigue, cognitive decrements, physical impairment, depression, and poor sleep quality.
Regardless of the cause, the brain is damaged, and the areas that are destroyed are permanently lost. But, people can recover to some extent from brain injury. Fatigue is the common symptom of all of these neurological disorders and it interferes with treatment and recovery. These patients frequently lack the energy to adhere to their therapeutic regimens. So, there is a pressing need to find treatments that can reduce or eliminate fatigue in these patients. Mindfulness practices have been shown to be helpful in recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury, stroke, and Multiple Sclerosis. They have also been shown to be effective in reducing fatigue due to environmental and medical causes. Hence, mindfulness training may be an effective treatment for the fatigue following brain injury.
In today’s Research News article “Clinical Utility of Mindfulness Training in the Treatment of Fatigue After Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury and Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis.” See:
or see summary below or view the full text of the study at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4917545/ Ulrichsen and colleagues review the published research literature investigating the usefulness of mindfulness treatments for fatigue following brain injury. They report that the summarized results from four studies indicate that mindfulness training reduces fatigue after brain injury with a moderate but clinically significant effect size (.37). In other words, mindfulness treatment reduces fatigue, but doesn’t eliminate it.
These are promising results suggesting that one way that mindfulness training may help improve the recovery after brain injury is by reducing the fatigue that typically accompanies brain injury. This is very important as fatigue is at the center of the reduced quality of life after brain injury. Fatigue also interferes with the patient’s ability to fully engage in their rehabilitation therapy regimens. Additionally, mindfulness training is a safe treatment with no know negative side effects and many additional positive physical and psychological effects on the patients. Hence, these results suggest that mindfulness training should be employed to assist in recovery after brain injury.
So, reduce fatigue after brain injury with mindfulness.
“It seems then that exploring the benefits of mindfulness and meditation after brain injury can be worthwhile for people living with brain injury, family and supporters. It can reduce stress and focus concentration and attention.” – Melanie Atkins
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
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Study Summary
Ulrichsen, K. M., Kaufmann, T., Dørum, E. S., Kolskår, K. K., Richard, G., Alnæs, D., … Nordvik, J. E. (2016). Clinical Utility of Mindfulness Training in the Treatment of Fatigue After Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury and Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 912. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00912
Abstract
Background: Fatigue is a common symptom following neurological illnesses and injuries, and is rated as one of the most debilitating sequela in conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Yet effective treatments are lacking, suggesting a pressing need for a better understanding of its etiology and mechanisms that may alleviate the symptoms. Recently mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated promising results for fatigue symptom relief.
Objective: Investigate the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for fatigue across neurological conditions and acquired brain injuries.
Materials and Methods: Systematic literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. We included randomized controlled trials applying mindfulness-based interventions in patients with neurological conditions or acquired brain injuries. Four studies (N = 257) were retained for meta-analysis. The studies included patients diagnosed with MS, TBI, and stroke.
Results: The estimated effect size for the total sample was -0.37 (95% CI: -0.58, -0.17).
Conclusion: The results indicate that mindfulness-based interventions may relieve fatigue in neurological conditions such as stroke, TBI, and MS. However, the effect size is moderate, and further research is needed in order to determine the effect and improve our understanding of how mindfulness-based interventions affect fatigue symptom perception in patients with neurological conditions.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4917545/