Month: February 2017

Feel Depressed About a Disease, Try Mindfulness

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Feel Depressed About a Disease, Try Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Depression can be the dead hand of the past. Our longing for what we’re missing has a hold on us. If we feel helpless about our situation and don’t feel we can change it, we are likely to remain depressed. If we can mobilize our feelings of hopefulness, if we see that hope is justified and act on it, then our mood will improve.” – James Gordon

 

Clinically diagnosed depression is the most common form of mental illness, affecting over 6% of the population. In general, it involves feelings of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness, irritability or frustration, loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, sleep disturbances, tiredness and lack of energy, anxiety, agitation, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that aren’t your responsibility, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts or completed suicide. Needless to say, individuals with depression are miserable and need help.

 

There are numerous causes of depression, one being coping with a chronic physical disease. Indeed, between 9% to 23% of people diagnosed with a chronic physical disease become depressed. Although, there have been many studies of treatments for depression, there are very few that target just patients with physical diseases and comorbid depression. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was developed specifically to treat depression and has been found to reduce depression alone or in combination with anti-depressive drugs.  MBCT involves mindfulness training, containing sitting and walking meditation and body scan, and cognitive therapy to alter how the patient relates to the thought processes that often underlie and exacerbate depression. Hence, it is reasonable to study the effects of MBCT on patients who suffer with chronic physical disease and comorbid depression.

 

In today’s Research News article “Group and Individual Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Are Both Effective: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial in Depressed People with a Somatic Disease.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1479247762099145/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-016-0575-z

Schroevers and colleagues recruited adults, 18 to 70 years of age who have been diagnosed with a chronic physical disease and comorbid depression. They were randomly assigned to receive 8-weeks, 60-minutes, once a week, with home practice, of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) administered either individually or in a group of 8-12 patients. Before and after treatment and 3-months later the patients completed measures of depression, anxiety, positive well-being, mindfulness, and self-compassion.

 

They found that, regardless of whether MBCT was administered individually or in a group format, produced clinically significant improvements in depression, anxiety, positive well-being, mindfulness, and self-compassion. The sizes of the effects were large and they were maintained at 3-month follow-up. These results are encouraging and extend the range of applications of MBCT for depression to those who are depressed due to a chronic physical condition. They also suggest that using the much more efficient and cost effective group treatment method does not produce any reduction in benefits.

 

It should be mentioned that there was no control condition. So, the results have to be interpreted cautiously. Nevertheless, these kinds of effects have been demonstrated previously with randomized controlled clinical trials with depressed patients. These have demonstrated effectiveness reducing depression, and anxiety, and increasing positive well-being, mindfulness, and self-compassion So, it would seem reasonable to conclude that the effects observed with patients with chronic physical disease and comorbid depression were due to MBCT treatment and not a confounding factor.

 

So, if you feel depressed about a disease, try mindfulness.

 

“Most of us have issues that we find hard to let go and mindfulness can help us deal with them more productively. We can ask: ‘Is trying to solve this by brooding about it helpful, or am I just getting caught up in my thoughts?’ Awareness of this kind also helps us notice signs of stress or anxiety earlier and helps us deal with them better.” – Mark Williams

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Schroevers, M.J., Tovote, K.A., Snippe, E. et al. Group and Individual Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Are Both Effective: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial in Depressed People with a Somatic Disease. Mindfulness (2016) 7: 1339. doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0575-z

 

Abstract

Depressive symptoms are commonly reported by individuals suffering from a chronic medical condition. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to be an effective psychological intervention for reducing depressive symptoms in a range of populations. MBCT is traditionally given in a group format. The aim of the current pilot RCT was to examine the effects of group-based MBCT and individually based MBCT for reducing depressive symptoms in adults suffering from one or more somatic diseases. In this study, 56 people with a somatic condition and comorbid depressive symptoms (i.e., Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI-II] ≥14) were randomized to group MBCT (n = 28) or individual MBCT (n = 28). Patients filled out questionnaires at three points in time (i.e., pre-intervention, post-intervention, 3 months follow-up). Primary outcome measure was severity of depressive symptoms. Anxiety and positive well-being as well as mindfulness and self-compassion were also assessed. We found significant improvements in all outcomes in those receiving group or individual MBCT, with no significant differences between the two conditions regarding these improvements. Although preliminary (given the pilot nature and lack of control group), results suggest that both group MBCT and individual MBCT are associated with improvements in psychological well-being and enhanced skills of mindfulness and self-compassion in individuals with a chronic somatic condition and comorbid depressive symptoms. Our findings merit future non-inferiority trials in larger samples to be able to draw more firm conclusions about the effectiveness of both formats of MBCT.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-016-0575-z

Meditation Practice Amplifies Awareness of the Cause of an Event

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Meditation Practice Amplifies Awareness of the Cause of an Event

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“What is an illusion is when you are looking but not seeing completely, listening but also daydreaming. To walk around half perceiving and half in a daydream, this is to walk around in an illusion and in a dream. What is worse is when the dreams of the mind cloud perception.” –  Brian Miles

 

Meditation, by training and improving attention to everything that occurs, is thought to produce a greater awareness of cause and effect. This is particularly evident in recognizing when an event was caused by one’s own volitional actions. One way to measure this is called “Intentional binding.” It refers to the subjectively reported time compression that occurs between an intentional action and its outcome when compared to the timing of an action alone and of an event that does not depend upon an action” (Haggard, Clark and Kalogeras 2002). In other words, when an event is perceived to have been produced intentionally, the time between the cause and effect is experienced as shorter than if there was no intention involved.

 

It would be predicted, then, that if experienced meditators had better attentional ability that they should show greater “Intentional binding” than non-meditators; they should estimate less time between a cause and an effect when they are the initiator of the event than when they are not.. In today’s Research News article “Illusory Temporal Binding in Meditators.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1478243438866244/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-016-0583-z/fulltext.html

Lush and colleagues examine this prediction. They recruited experienced meditators with on average 15 years of experience and a group of age and gender matched non-meditators. The participants either initiated the presentation of a tone by pressing a button which produced the tone a quarter of a second later or simply observed the tone presented by the computer. After a delay the participants move a clock hand to the time that they experienced the tone occurring. The difference between the actual time and the perceived time of the tone was measured. “Intentional binding” was measured by the difference between the errors for the intentional and the non-intentional conditions.

 

They found that meditators errors were significantly greater in estimating the time of occurrence of the tone as earlier when they initiated the tone than when they didn’t. This suggests greater “Intentional binding” for the meditators than the matched non-meditators. Although this is a fairly indirect way of measuring the individual’s ability to recognize the cause of an event, it suggests that meditation improves the individual’s ability to recognize intention. This, in turn, suggests that meditation training makes an individual more aware of agency, that is what caused and event to occur.

 

These results further document the improvements in attentional ability produced by meditation practice. In this case the attention to the cause of events occurring in their experience. Meditation practice appears to alter our mental processing of experience heightening our attention to and awareness of what is occurring around us. Since most modern people are constantly distracted and rarely in contact with what is actually happening around them in the present moment, meditation practice would appear to be an antidote to the modern disease of inattention to the present.

 

“Whether you’re interested in mindfulness or cognitive neuroscience, perception is at the heart of your work with others.  Helping people become aware of their perceptions assists them in counterbalancing a tendency to become awash with their affect.“ – Megan Van Meter

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Lush, P., Parkinson, J. & Dienes, Z. Illusory Temporal Binding in Meditators.  Mindfulness (2016) 7: 1416. doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0583-z

 

Abstract

We investigate conditions in which more accurate metacognition may lead to greater susceptibility to illusion and thus conditions under which mindfulness meditation may lead to less accurate perceptions. Specifically, greater awareness of intentions may lead to an illusory compression of time between a voluntary action and its outcome (“intentional binding”). Here, we report that experienced Buddhist mindfulness meditators rather than non-meditators display a greater illusory shift of the timing of an outcome toward an intentional action. Mindfulness meditation involves awareness of causal connections between different mental states, including intentions. We argue that this supports improvements in metacognition targeted at motor intentions. Changes in metacognitive ability may result in an earlier and less veridical experience of the timing of action outcomes either through increased access to sensorimotor pre-representations of an action outcome or by affording greater precision to action timing judgements. Furthermore, as intentional binding is an implicit measure of the sense of agency; these results also provide evidence that mindfulness meditators experience a stronger sense of agency.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-016-0583-z/fulltext.html

 

 

Control Your Emotions with Mindfulness

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Control Your Emotions with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Feelings are often labelled as positive (happy, confident, joyful, brave, etc) or negative (sad, scared, hurt, angry etc). In mindfulness practice, feelings are not good or bad; they just are what they are – emotions that might be comfortable or uncomfortable, easy or difficult.” – Living Well

 

Mindfulness practice has been shown to produce improved emotion regulation. Practitioners demonstrate the ability to fully sense and experience emotions, but respond to them in more appropriate and adaptive ways. In other words, mindful people are better able to experience yet control emotions. This is a very important consequence of mindfulness. Humans are very emotional creatures and these emotions can be very pleasant, providing the spice of life. But, when they get extreme they can produce misery and even mental illness. The ability of mindfulness training to improve emotion regulation is thought to be the basis for a wide variety of benefits that mindfulness provides to mental health and the treatment of mental illness especially depression and anxiety disorders.

 

There is a widespread problem in the west that many people don’t seem to like themselves. The self-dislike sometimes means that the individual dislikes every aspect of themselves; but most frequently people only don’t like certain aspects of themselves. Often it is there physical appearance, their school achievement, their career, their social behavior, etc. Making matters worse, they tend to overlook their strengths and discount them, focusing instead in the parts that they find problematic. This self-dislike is characteristic of depression. The antidote to self-dislike is self-compassion. Self-compassion is “treating oneself with kindness and understanding when facing suffering, seeing one’s failures as part of the human condition, and having a balanced awareness of painful thoughts and emotions” – Kristin Neff. Self-compassion has been demonstrated to be associated with better mental health.

 

Mindfulness and self-compassion are highly related and both are associated with better physical and mental health. But, it is not known which or both may be responsible for the benefits. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness and Self-compassion as Unique and Common Predictors of Affect in the General Population.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1477031045654150/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5107192/

López and colleagues examine the relative effectiveness of mindfulness and self-compassion to influence depression and both positive and negative emotions. They recruited a large representative national sample (the Netherlands), aged 20 to 96. They completed scales measuring five aspects of mindfulness, observe, describe, act with awareness, non-judgement and non-reactivity; two aspects of self-compassion, positive self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness) and negative self-compassion (i.e., self-judgment, isolation and over-identification); depression; and positive and negative emotions. They then applied a sophisticated statistical technique, multiple regression analysis, to explore which aspects of mindfulness and self-compassion predicted depression and emotions.

 

They found that the higher the levels of the mindfulness facets of act with awareness and non-judgement and the lower the levels of negative self-compassion, the lower the levels of depression and negative emotions, while the higher the levels the mindfulness facets of describe and non-reactivity and positive self-compassion, the higher the levels of positive emotions. When the combined effects of mindfulness and self-compassion were looked at, they equally predicted depression and negative emotions, but only mindfulness predicted positive emotions.

 

These are interesting results that suggest that mindfulness is associated with lower depression and negative emotions and higher positive emotions, in other words, improved mood and mental health. On the other hand, the results suggest that a harsh negative view of oneself (negative self-compassion) contributes to depression and negative feelings. An inference from these results is that improving mindfulness and self-like may importantly contribute to the mood and mental health of the general population. It remains for future research to determine if actively training mindfulness and self-liking will have these benefits.

 

So, control your emotions with mindfulness.

 

“The skills involved in emotion regulation may be fostered by becoming aware of emotions and by learning how to manage them without pushing them away or getting tangled up in them. Emotions are not static. Therefore, to train in the skills of emotion awareness, identification, and management, it is useful to practice noticing them “on the spot.” Mindfulness is the practice of purposeful attention without judgment. Mindfulness meditation is simply the practice of being aware of present-moment experience without trying to push it away or over-engage. Mindfulness helps train the mind to pay attention and notice, so that action can be taken with greater reflection.” – Learning to Breathe

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

López, A., Sanderman, R., & Schroevers, M. J. (2016). Mindfulness and Self-compassion as Unique and Common Predictors of Affect in the General Population. Mindfulness, 7(6), 1289–1296. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0568-y

 

Abstract

In contrast to the increased research interest in the benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion, relatively few studies have examined their unique and combined effects in predicting affect. This cross-sectional study examined the predictive value of mindfulness and self-compassion for depressive symptoms, negative affect, and positive affect in a large representative sample of community adults (N = 1736). The Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) was used as a measure of mindfulness and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) as a measure of self-compassion. Five FFMQ facets were explored: observe, describe, act with awareness, non-judgment, and non-reactivity. Two SCS facets were explored: its positive items (SCS Pos) and its negative items (SCS Neg). When simultaneously examining all seven facets of mindfulness and self-compassion, three of the five FFMQ facets and SCS Neg significantly predicted both depressive symptoms and negative affect, with SCS Neg and act with awareness being the strongest predictors. These findings suggest that a harsh attitude towards oneself and a lack of attention when acting have the greatest value in predicting the presence of psychological symptoms. With respect to positive affect, four of the five FFMQ facets (except non-judgment) were significant predictors, with no unique predictive value of the two SCS’s facets, suggesting that mindfulness is a more important predictor of positive affect than self-compassion, as measured by the FFMQ and SCS.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5107192/

 

Help Reduce Psychopathology with Severe Skin Conditions with Spirituality

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Help Reduce Psychopathology with Severe Skin Conditions with Spirituality

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Spiritual practices tend to improve coping skills and social support, foster feelings of optimism and hope, promote healthy behavior, reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and encourage a sense of relaxation. By alleviating stressful feelings and promoting healing ones, spirituality can positively influence immune, cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels), hormonal, and nervous systems.” – University of Maryland Medical Center

 

Spirituality is often confused with being religious and attending services. Even though spiritual people often are religious, spirituality refers to a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. It involves a subjective experience of a sacred dimension. People vary in their depth of spirituality. But It appears to be an almost universal human belief that there is something more to life than just the physical.

 

Even though spirituality refers to something metaphysical, it has consequences in the physical realm. In particular, spirituality has been found to be associated with better psychological and physical health. Spirituality has been shown to improve psychological well-being and mental health, particularly anxiety. Spirituality has been shown to be negatively associated with depression with the higher the level of spirituality the lower the level of depression. In addition, high levels of spirituality are associated with successful drug treatment for depression. This appears to lead to spirituality being negatively associated with suicidality with the higher the level of spirituality the lower the level of suicidality.

 

Spirituality appears to help the individual cope with adversity, with people who are high in spirituality less likely to be distressed following negative events. To some extent this results from the fact that spirituality appears to reduce the negative consequences of stress and thereby improve well-being. Individuals at the end of life with high levels of spirituality have significantly higher levels of well-being and are less likely to be depressed or suicidal. Spirituality has also been shown to be helpful in treatment for alcoholism and generally for substance abuse treatment and  relapse prevention. Spiritual meditation has also been shown to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches.

 

These findings lead to the conclusion that spirituality may help with the psychological responses to disease. In today’s Research News article “Spirituality and mood pathology in severe skin conditions: a prospective observational study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1476015799089008/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4982877/

Unterrainer and colleagues studied the relationship of spirituality to the mental problems surrounding severe skin disease. They recruited patients with severe and potentially life threatening dermatological diseases of systemic sclerosis, lupus erythematosus, and early stages malignant melanoma. They measured spiritual well-being including hope immanent, forgiveness,  experiences of sense and meaning, religious well-being, general religiosity, connectedness, and hope transcendent. In addition, they measured a variety of psychiatric symptoms.

 

They found that hope for a better future, hope transcendent and forgiveness were the spirituality components that were most negatively associated with psychiatric symptoms, with high levels of hope and forgiveness associated with low levels of mental health issues. In general, the existential dimensions of spirituality were better predictors of low psychopathology than the religious dimensions of spirituality.

 

These results are interesting and suggest that spirituality is positively associated with the mental health of patients with severe dermatological diseases. Due to the fact that the study was correlational, it cannot be concluded that spirituality caused better mental health, or that better mental health caused spirituality, or some third factor was responsible for both. But, nevertheless, the findings clearly demonstrate that spirituality and mental health are positively related.

 

How might spirituality promote mental health. Obviously, it provides goals and meaning to life. In addition, virtually all spiritual practices and religious belief systems promote acceptance of one’s strengths and weaknesses, the need to maintain a principled life, and having harmonious relationships with others. All of these consequences of spirituality could contribute to mental health.

 

So, help reduce psychopathology with severe skin conditions with spirituality.

 

“Associations between spirituality and Eastern religious practices and lower blood pressure, lower levels of stress hormones and lower oxidative stress have been found. Moreover, associations between Judeo, Christian, and Islamic religious practices and lower blood pressure, protective effect against cardiovascular disease, increased immune function, lipid levels and protective effect against all-cause mortality were found.” –Iulia Basu-Zharku

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Unterrainer, H.-F., Lukanz, M., Pilch, M., Scharf, S., Glawischnig-Goschnik, M., Wutte, N., … Aberer, E. (2016). Spirituality and mood pathology in severe skin conditions: a prospective observational study. Archives of Dermatological Research, 308, 521–525. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-016-1672-5

 

Abstract

Although the association between spirituality and parameters of psychological health and disease has been investigated extensively, little evidence is available for its potential role in dermatology. In a single-centre observational prospective study, 149 outpatients (107 women) with systemic sclerosis (SSc; n = 44), lupus erythematosus (LE; n = 48), or early stage malignant melanoma (MM; n = 57) were investigated using the multidimensional inventory for religious/spiritual well-being together with the Brief Symptom Inventory for psychiatric symptoms (BSI-18). SSc patients reported the highest amount of Somatization in comparison with LE and MM patients (p < 0.05). Furthermore, in line with the previous research, spiritual dimensions, such as Hope for a better future (p < 0.01) or Hope for a better afterlife (p < 0.01), proved to be especially negatively predictive for the global amount of psychiatric symptom burden in these dermatological patient groups. Our findings suggest that greater attention should be given to spiritual issues, such as encouraging patients, imbuing them with optimism, and offering interventions that address spiritual well-being.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4982877/

 

Improve the Physical and Psychological State of Breast Cancer Survivors with Mindfulness

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Improve the Physical and Psychological State of Breast Cancer Survivors with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“A brief mindfulness-based intervention has a positive short-term effect on psychological and behavioral measures as well as proinflammatory signal markers in younger breast cancer survivors,” – Joyce O’Shaughnessy

 

About 12.5% of women in the U.S. develop invasive breast cancer over their lifetimes and every year about 40,000 women die. Indeed, more women in the U.S. die from breast cancer than from any other cancer, besides lung cancer. Breast cancer diagnosis, however, is not a death sentence. It is encouraging that the death rates have been decreasing for decades from improved detection and treatment of breast cancer. Five-year survival rates are now at around 95%.

The improved survival rates mean that more women are now living with cancer. Surviving cancer, however, carries with it a number of problems. “Physical, emotional, and financial hardships often persist for years after diagnosis and treatment. Cancer survivors are also at greater risk for developing second cancers and other health conditions.” (National Cancer Survivors Day). In addition, breast cancer survivors can have to deal with a heightened fear of reoccurrence, and an alteration of their body image.

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to help with cancer recovery and help to alleviate many of the residual physical and psychological symptoms, including stress,  sleep disturbance, and anxiety and depression.. Indeed, yoga practice has been found to improve sleep quality and memory, reduce the side effects from chemotherapy, relieve neuromuscular symptoms, and improve the quality of life in cancer survivors. Also, Tai Chi or Qigong practice has been shown to improve quality of life, reduce fatigue, and lower blood pressure and cortisol levels.

 

Hence various practices that have the common property of improving mindfulness, are able to relieve symptoms in breast cancer survivors. It is possible that they have a common mechanism of action. In today’s Research News article “A Systematic Review of Spiritually Based Interventions and Psychoneuroimmunological Outcomes in Breast Cancer Survivorship.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1475016505855604/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5125023/

Hulett and colleagues review the published research literature to explore whether psychoneuroimmunological factors may be the mechanism by which these various practices relieve the residual symptoms after breast cancer survival. They included all studies regardless of the type of mindfulness practice, including mindfulness, meditation, yoga, tai chi or qigong practices, that studied breast cancer survivors and included measures of mental influences on the brain and immune system. By far the most frequently used practice was Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

 

The found that the literature reports that mindfulness practices produce improvements in breast cancer survivors in the psychological symptoms of quality of life, depression, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and mood. In regards to psychoneuroimmunological factors, they found that the literature reports that mindfulness practices produce reductions in breast cancer survivors in cortisol levels, a marker if stress and inflammation, and some studies report preservations of DNA telomeres, a marker of cellular aging. They also found that MBSR was reported to improve inflammatory cytokine activity, improve lymphocyte function, improve or stabilize cortisol levels, and increase or preserve telomere activity.

 

Hence the research literature has found extensive and positive psychological and psychoneuroimmunological effects of mindfulness practices on breast cancer survivors. The association of psychoneuroimmunological effects with the psychological benefits of the practices is striking and suggests that there may be links between the two, but causation cannot be conclusively determined. But, nevertheless, mindfulness practices appear to both improve psychological health and also the body’s ability to withstand stress and reduce inflammation. These are very positive benefits that suggest that mindfulness practices are a safe and effective treatment for breast cancer survivors. It remains for future research to investigate possible causal connections.

 

So, improve the physical and psychological state of breast cancer survivors with mindfulness.

 

“Mindfulness meditation seems to help breast cancer patients better manage symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and fear of recurrence.” – Kathleen Doheny

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Hulett, J. M., & Armer, J. M. (2016). A Systematic Review of Spiritually Based Interventions and Psychoneuroimmunological Outcomes in Breast Cancer Survivorship. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 15(4), 405–423. http://doi.org/10.1177/1534735416636222

 

Abstract

Objective: This is a review of spiritually based interventions (eg, mindfulness-based stress reduction) that utilized psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) outcome measures in breast cancer survivors. Specifically, this review sought to examine the evidence regarding relationships between spiritually based interventions, psychosocial-spiritual outcomes, and biomarker outcomes in breast cancer survivors.

Methods: A systematic search of 9 online databases was conducted for articles of original research, peer-reviewed, randomized and nonrandomized control trials from 2005–2015. Data were extracted in order to answer selected questions regarding relationships between psychosocial-spiritual and physiological measures utilized in spiritually based interventions. Implications for future spiritually based interventions in breast cancer survivorship are discussed.

Results: Twenty-two articles were reviewed. Cortisol was the most common PNI biomarker outcome studied. Compared with control groups, intervention groups demonstrated positive mental health outcomes and improved or stable neuroendocrine-immune profiles, although limitations exist. Design methods have improved with regard to increased use of comparison groups compared with previous reviews. There are few spiritually based interventions that specifically measure religious or spiritual constructs. Similarly, there are few existing studies that utilize standardized religious or spiritual measures with PNI outcome measures. Findings suggest that a body of knowledge now exists in support of interventions with mindfulness-breathing-stretching components; furthermore, these interventions appear to offer potential improvement or stabilization of neuroendocrine-immune activity in breast cancer survivors compared to control groups.

Conclusion: From a PNI perspective, future spiritually based interventions should include standardized measures of religiousness and spirituality in order to understand relationships between and among religiousness, spirituality, and neuroendocrine-immune outcomes. Future research should now focus on determining the minimum dose and duration needed to improve or stabilize neuroendocrine-immune function, as well as diverse setting needs, including home-based practice for survivors who are too ill to travel to group sessions or lack economic resources.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5125023/

 

Reduce the Psychological Distress Produced by Chronic Pain with Mindfulness

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Reduce the Psychological Distress Produced by Chronic Pain with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“When it comes to chronic pain, the key is learning to live with it rather than vainly trying to avoid or eradicate it; a regular meditation practice is the best ongoing foundation for working with pain.” – Christiane Wolf

 

We all have to deal with pain. It’s inevitable, but hopefully it’s mild and short lived. For a wide swath of humanity, however, pain is a constant in their lives. At least 100 million adult Americans have common chronic pain conditions. It has to be kept in mind that pain is an important signal that there is something wrong or that damage is occurring. This signals that some form of action is needed to mitigate the damage. This is an important signal that is ignored at the individual’s peril. So, in dealing with pain, it’s important that pain signals not be blocked or prevented. They need to be perceived. But, methods are needed to mitigate the psychological distress produced by chronic pain.

 

The most common treatment for chronic pain is drugs. These include over-the-counter analgesics and opioids. But opioids are dangerous and prescription opioid overdoses kill more than 14,000 people annually. So, there is a great need to find safe and effective ways to lower the psychological distress and improve the patients ability to cope with the pain. Pain is affected by the mind. The perception of pain can be amplified by the emotional reactions to it and also by attempts to fight or counteract it. Pain perception can be reduced by aerobic exercise and mental states, including placebo effects, attention, and conditioning. Additionally, mindfulness has been shown to reduce both chronic and acute pain and are safe. Mindfulness may be an effective treatment to be used in combination with other treatments. Hence, it is important to study mindfulness practice effects on chronic pain and the psychological distress it produces.

 

In today’s Research News article “A 13-Weeks Mindfulness Based Pain Management Program Improves Psychological Distress in Patients with Chronic Pain Compared with Waiting List Controls.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1473967172627204/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5037934/

Andersen and Vægter recruited patients with chronic non-malignant pain who entered a pain clinic for treatment and a control group on the waiting list for treatment at the clinic. Both groups received medical treatment as usual, but the intervention group in addition received a 13-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MBCT) program. Therapy was conducted once a week in a 2.5-hour session, combined with homework assignments supported with written and recorded materials. Patients were measured for pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, pain acceptance, anxiety, depression, mindfulness, and psychological distress prior to and after treatment.

 

It was found that the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MBCT) program produced a significant decrease in depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and pain catastrophizing, and an increase in pain acceptance and mindfulness. There were no significant changes in pain intensity. The change in mindfulness and also in pain acceptance were highly correlated with the reduction in psychological distress. Hence, MBCT reduced the psychological impact of chronic pain without changing the perception of pain. It appears to do so by increasing mindfulness and pain acceptance.

 

These are interesting results that suggest that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MBCT) is a safe and effective adjunct treatment for patients with chronic pain. The fact that MBCT improved mindfulness is expected as mindfulness training is targeted to do just that. The fact that MBCT also improves pain acceptance is also expected as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is targeted to do so. In addition, mindfulness training and MBCT have been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and worry and catastrophizing. So, the results would be expected. But, it is always important to confirm even expected outcomes.

 

So, reduce the psychological distress produced by chronic pain with mindfulness.

 

“It is still early days in terms of understanding why meditation can be so helpful in coping with pain, although the ancient origins of meditation in the different yoga and contemplative traditions suggests that people have known of these benefits for hundreds of years.” – Jean Byrne

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter at @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Andersen, T. E., & Vægter, H. B. (2016). A 13-Weeks Mindfulness Based Pain Management Program Improves Psychological Distress in Patients with Chronic Pain Compared with Waiting List Controls. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health : CP & EMH, 12, 49–58. http://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901612010049

 

Abstract

Background:: Eradication of pain is seldom an option in chronic pain management. Hence, mindfulness meditation has become popular in pain management.

Objective: This pilot study compared the effect of a 13-weeks cognitive behavioural therapy program with integrated mindfulness meditation (CBTm) in patients with chronic non-malignant pain with a control condition. It was hypothesised that the CBTm program would reduce pain intensity and psychological distress compared to the control condition and that level of mindfulness and acceptance both would be associated with the reduction in pain intensity and psychological distress.

Methods: A case-control design was used and data were collected from a convenience sample of 70 patients with chronic non-malignant pain. Fifty patients were consecutively recruited to the CBTm intervention and 20 patients matched waiting list controls. Assessments of clinical pain and psychological distress were performed in both groups at baseline and after 13 weeks.

Results: The CBTm program reduced depression, anxiety and pain-catastrophizing compared with the control group. Increased level of mindfulness and acceptance were associated with change in psychological distress with the exception of depression, which was only associated with change in level of mindfulness. Surprisingly, changes in level of mindfulness did not correlate with changes in acceptance.

Conclusions: The results indicate that different mechanisms are targeted with cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness. The finding that changes in level of mindfulness did not correlate with changes in acceptance may indicate that acceptance is not a strict prerequisite for coping with pain related distress.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5037934/

 

Improve Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms with Qigong

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Improve Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms with Qigong

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Through Tai Chi, I get a sense of accomplishment and well being, knowing that I can still function relatively well and, in some cases better, than a person with no physical limitations. It has given me an acute awareness of my body, which parts are not aligned and how to bring them back into the whole of the body so that it functions as one unit.  Tai Chi has helped me to cope with Parkinson’s and has heightened my enjoyment of life.” – Daniel Loney

 

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) has received public attention because of its occurrence in a number of celebrities such as Mohammed Ali, Michael J Fox, and Linda Ronstadt. PD is an incurable progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system. The condition is caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. Its physical symptoms include resting tremor, slow movements, muscle rigidity, problems with posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, and slurring of speech.

 

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) itself is not fatal but is often associated with related complications which can reduce life expectancy, such as falls, choking, and cardiovascular problems. There are also psychological effects, especially anxiety and depression. All of these symptoms result in a marked reduction in the quality of life. There are around seven million people worldwide and one million people in the U.S. living with PD and about 60,000 people are diagnosed with PD every year. PD is associated with aging as the vast majority of patients are diagnosed after age 50. In fact, it has been speculated that everyone would eventually develop PD if they lived long enough.

 

Mindfulness training has been found to improve the psychological symptoms and the quality of life with PD patients. But, since PD is a movement disorder that requires physical therapy for treatment, a mindful movement practice such as Qigong and Tai Chi may be particularly effective. Qigong is ancient mindful movement practices that has been found to produce beneficial effects for a large range of physical and psychological problems. Since, it is a very gentle and safe practice, it is particularly appropriate for the elderly. In addition, falling is the most common cause of injury and death in PD patients and Qigong and Tai Chi have been found to be very effective in lowering the risk of falling. In today’s Research News article “Effects of Health Qigong Exercises on Relieving Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1472686966088558/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5116525/

Liu and colleagues investigate the effectiveness of Qigong practice for the elderly with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). They recruited patients with mild to moderate PD and randomly assigned them to receive either treatment as usual or treatment as usual combined with Qigong practice, 1-hour per day, 5 days per week, for 10 weeks. They were measured for muscle hardness and elasticity, physical stability, and coordination, prior to, during and after the 10-week practice period.

 

They found that in comparison to treatment as usual, Qigong practice produced a significant (10%) decrease in muscle hardness on both sides at the interim assessment which continued to improve to 20% at the post treatment assessment. The practice also produced a significant 11% improvement in hand eye coordination at interim and 22% at post-test and a significant 30% improvement in balance at interim and 50% at post-test. Hence, Qigong practice produced marked improvements in muscle elasticity, coordination, and balance in PD patients.

 

These results are striking and clinically significant. Qigong practice would appear to be an important therapy to be used in addition to traditional drug therapy. It should be noted that there was no another exercise condition tested. So, it cannot be determined if any type of gentle exercise would be as effective as Qigong. Regardless, it is clear that Qigong practice helps to ameliorate the motor deterioration produced by Parkinson’s Disease. Since, it is safe, even for use with the frail elderly, it would appear to be an excellent choice for the treatment of PD.

 

So, improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms with qigong.

 

“Tai chi engages both mind and body; you might call it “mindful movement.” It may help patients use undamaged parts of their brains to compensate for the areas that normally control automatic movements such as walking.” – Peter Wayne

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

and on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Liu, X. L., Chen, S., & Wang, Y. (2016). Effects of Health Qigong Exercises on Relieving Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM, 2016, 5935782. http://doi.org/10.1155/2016/5935782

 

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Health Qigong on the treatment and releasing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Fifty-four moderate PD patients (N = 54) were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Twenty-eight PD patients were placed in the experimental group in which the prescribed medication plus Health Qigong exercise will be used as intervention. The other 26 PD patients as the control group were treated only with regular medication. Ten-week intervention had been conducted for the study, and participants completed the scheduled exercises 5 times per week for 60 minutes each time (10 minutes for warm-up, 40 minutes for the exercise, and 10 minutes for cooldown). Data which included the muscle hardness, one-legged blind balance, physical coordination, and stability was collected before, during, and after the intervention. Comparisons were made between the experimental and control groups through the Repeated Measures ANOVA. The results showed that PD patients demonstrate a significant improvement in muscle hardness, the timed “up and go,” balance, and hand-eye coordination (the turn-over-jars test). There were no significant differences between the two groups in gender, age, and course of differences (P < 0.05). The study concluded that Health Qigong exercises could reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and improve the body functions of PD patients in both the mild and moderate stages. It can be added as an effective treatment of rehabilitation therapy for PD.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5116525/

 

Improve Knee Osteoarthritis with Yoga

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Improve Knee Osteoarthritis with Yoga

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Hatha yoga is an important non-medicinal method in rehabilitation of patients with knee osteoarthritis and will result in a significant decrease in pain and symptoms and a significant increase in daily activities, sports and spare-time activities, and quality of life.” – Gholam Ghasemi,

 

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative joint disease that is the most common form of arthritis. It produces pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. It is the leading cause of disability in the U.S., with about 43% of arthritis sufferers limited in mobility and about a third having limitations that affect their ability to perform their work. In the U.S., osteoarthritis affects 14% of adults over 25 years of age and 34% of those over 65.

 

Knee osteoarthritis effects 5% of adults over 25 years of age and 12% of those over 65. It involves the whole joint, including articular cartilage, meniscus, ligament, and peri-articular muscle. It is painful and disabling. Its causes are varied including, hereditary, injury including sports injuries, repetitive stress injuries, infection, or from being overweight.  There are no cures for knee osteoarthritis. Treatments are primarily symptomatic, including weight loss, exercise, braces, pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, arthroscopic knee surgery, or even knee replacement.

 

Mind-body practices in general have been shown to reduce the gene expressions that underlie the inflammatory response which contribute to arthritis. It is also known that gentle movements of the joints with exercise appears to be helpful in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. This suggests that yoga practice, which involves both mindfulness and exercise of the joints may be useful for treatment. Indeed, yoga practice has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for a wide variety of physical and psychological conditions, including arthritis. So, it would seem reasonable to look further into the effectiveness of yoga practice in treating knee osteoarthritis.

 

In today’s Research News article “The Effects of Yoga on Pain, Mobility, and Quality of Life in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1471491792874742/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5061981/

Kan and colleagues review the published research studies on the effectiveness of yoga practice for knee osteoarthritis. They found 9 published articles, with subjects between 51-70 years of age. Yoga practice was for 60-90 minutes per session and 3-4 sessions per week for from 8-20 weeks. Most of the studies included a control condition, most frequently comparing physical therapy plus yoga practice to physical therapy alone. They found that the literature uniformly reported that the yoga practice was safe, with no adverse effects and that it produced clinically significant decreases in knee osteoarthritis pain. Although the findings were mixed, overall there appeared to be improvement produced by yoga practice in movement and mobility, and the patients’ quality of life.

 

The published research strongly suggests that the practice of yoga is a safe and effective way to improve pain, mobility, and quality of life in people suffering with knee osteoarthritis. Yoga contains both exercise and mindfulness practice. The published studies did not separate these components. So, it cannot be determined if either alone or in combination are essential for effectiveness. But, it is clear that knee osteoarthritis patients can practice yoga and that it is a safe and effective practice to help relieve the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.

 

So, improve knee osteoarthritis with yoga.

 

“Yoga is definitely one option for people with arthritis. Not only for the exercise benefits, but it’s also beneficial in the mind/body area, promoting relaxation and stress reduction,” – Sharon Kolasinksi

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

 

Study Summary

Kan, L., Zhang, J., Yang, Y., & Wang, P. (2016). The Effects of Yoga on Pain, Mobility, and Quality of Life in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM, 2016, 6016532. http://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6016532

 

Abstract

Objective. To systematically assess the effects of yoga on pain, mobility, and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods. Pubmed, Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and other sources were searched systematically in this study. Two reviewers identified eligible studies and extracted data independently. Downs and Black’s Quality Index were used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Results. A total of 9 articles (6 studies) involving 372 patients with knee osteoarthritis met the inclusion criteria. The most common yoga protocol is 40~90 minutes/session, lasting for at least 8 weeks. The effect of yoga on pain relief and function improvement could be seen after two-week intervention. Conclusion. This systematic review showed that yoga might have positive effects in relieving pain and mobility on patients with KOA, but the effects on quality of life (QOL) are unclear. Besides, more outcome measure related to mental health of yoga effects on people with KOA should be conducted.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5061981/