Live Longer with Yoga and Meditation

March 20, 2017April 28, 2022 psyjdc 1 Comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“A growing body of research supports the immediate benefits of meditation, such as reduced stress and anxiety levels, lower blood pressure, and enhanced happiness. While these initial perks may be reason enough for us to practice, meditation’s positive impact appears to be even more far-reaching, potentially adding years to our lives and improving cognitive function well into old age.” – Rina Deshpande

One of the most exciting findings in molecular biology in recent years was the discovery of the telomere. This is a component of the DNA molecule that is attached to the ends of the strands. Recent genetic research has suggested that the telomere and its regulation is the biological mechanism that produces aging. It has been found that the genes, coded on the DNA molecule, govern cellular processes in our bodies. One of the most fundamental of these processes is cell replication. Cells are constantly turning over. Dying cells or damaged are replaced by new cells. The cells turn over at different rates but most cells in the body are lost and replaced between every few days to every few months. Needless to say, we’re constantly renewing ourselves.

As we age the tail of the DNA molecule called the telomere shortens. When it gets very short cells have a more and more difficult time reproducing and become more likely to produce defective cells. On a cellular basis, this is what produces aging. As we get older the new cells produced are more and more likely to be defective. The shortening of the telomere occurs each time the cell is replaced. So, slowly as we age it gets shorter and shorter. This has been called a “mitotic clock.” This is normal. But, telomere shortening can also be produced by oxidative stress, which can be produced by psychological and physiological stress. This is mediated by stress hormones and the inflammatory response. So, chronic stress can accelerate the aging process. In other words, when we’re chronically stressed we get older faster.

Fortunately, there is a mechanism to protect the telomere. There is an enzyme in the body called telomerase that helps to prevent shortening of the telomere. It also promotes cell survival and enhances stress-resistance. Research suggests that processes that increase telomerase activity tend to slow the aging process by protecting the telomere. One activity that seems to increase telomerase activity and protect telomere length is mindfulness practice. Hence, engaging in mindfulness practices may protect the telomere and thereby slow the aging process.

In today’s Research News article “Impact of Yoga and Meditation on Cellular Aging in Apparently Healthy Individuals: A Prospective, Open-Label Single-Arm Exploratory Study.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5278216/

Tolahunase and colleagues examined the effects of a program of yoga and meditation on biomarkers of cellular aging in a healthy population. They recruited healthy adults, aged 35-65 years who led modern sedentary lifestyles and provided them with a 12-week program of Hatha and Raja yogic meditation, breathing exercises, and postures. Sessions were held five days per week for 90 minutes. Participants were measured before and after treatment for a variety of biomarkers of cellular aging.

They found that at the end of the 12-week program there were significant reductions in the levels of the oxidative stress and inflammatory response related biomarkers 8-OH2dG, ROS, cortisol, and IL-6suggesting a reduction in chemical activity that tends to increase cellular aging. They also found that there were significant increases in TAC a marker of antioxidant activity, and markers of cellular aging of telomerase activity, an enzyme that protects the telomeres, β-endorphin, BDNF, and sirtuin-1. Hence, they found clear evidence that the meditation and yoga program greatly reduced the underlying biochemical processes of cellular aging in an otherwise healthy group of adults.

It should be mentioned that there wasn’t a control condition, particularly one that included light exercise. So, it cannot be determined if the results were due to participant expectancies, experimenter bias, attentional effects, the effects of exercise in a sedentary population, or many other potential confounding factors. A randomized controlled clinical trial including a group engaging in light exercise is needed to clarify the causal factors involved. Regardless of the explanation, this study demonstrated that the yoga and meditation program resulted in improvements in biomarkers that suggest that there was a slowing of the processes of cellular aging that underlie the aging of the body. This suggests that engaging in this or similar programs may lead to a longer, healthier life.

So, Live Longer with Yoga and Meditation.

“Yoga and meditation are well-documented to have psychological, emotional and physical benefits for people at all stages of health, including cancer patients. Now breakthrough research reveals yoga and meditation can positively affect DNA.” – Elaine Gavalas

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

Tolahunase, M., Sagar, R., & Dada, R. (2017). Impact of Yoga and Meditation on Cellular Aging in Apparently Healthy Individuals: A Prospective, Open-Label Single-Arm Exploratory Study. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017, 7928981. http://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7928981

Abstract

This study was designed to explore the impact of Yoga and Meditation based lifestyle intervention (YMLI) on cellular aging in apparently healthy individuals. During this 12-week prospective, open-label, single arm exploratory study, 96 apparently healthy individuals were enrolled to receive YMLI. The primary endpoints were assessment of the change in levels of cardinal biomarkers of cellular aging in blood from baseline to week 12, which included DNA damage marker 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OH2dG), oxidative stress markers reactive oxygen species (ROS), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and telomere attrition markers telomere length and telomerase activity. The secondary endpoints were assessment of metabotrophic blood biomarkers associated with cellular aging, which included cortisol, β-endorphin, IL-6, BDNF, and sirtuin-1. After 12 weeks of YMLI, there were significant improvements in both the cardinal biomarkers of cellular aging and the metabotrophic biomarkers influencing cellular aging compared to baseline values. The mean levels of 8-OH2dG, ROS, cortisol, and IL-6 were significantly lower and mean levels of TAC, telomerase activity, β-endorphin, BDNF, and sirtuin-1 were significantly increased (all values p < 0.05) post-YMLI. The mean level of telomere length was increased but the finding was not significant (p = 0.069). YMLI significantly reduced the rate of cellular aging in apparently healthy population.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5278216/

Improve the Aging Brain’s Cognition with Mindfulness

March 7, 2017 psyjdc Leave a comment

Improve the Aging Brain’s Cognition with Mindfulness

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“there is a small but growing body of evidence that regular meditation really can slow ageing – at least at the cellular level.” – James Kingsland

Human life is one of constant change. We revel in our increases in physical and mental capacities during development, but regret their decreases during aging. The aging process involves a systematic progressive decline in every system in the body, the brain included. This includes our mental abilities which decline with age including impairments in memory, attention, problem solving ability, and emotion regulation. It is inevitable and cannot be avoided. There is some hope for these age-related declines, however, as there is evidence that they can be slowed. There are some indications that physical and mental exercise can reduce the rate of cognitive decline and lower the chances of dementia. For example, contemplative practices such as meditation, yoga, and tai chi or qigong have all been shown to be beneficial in slowing or delaying physical and mental decline with aging.

Using modern neuroimaging techniques, scientists have been able to view the changes that occur in the nervous system with aging. In addition, they have been able to investigate various techniques that might slow the process of neurodegeneration that accompanies normal aging. They’ve found that mindfulness practices reduce the deterioration of the brain that occurs with aging restraining the loss of neural tissue. Indeed, the brains of mindfulness practitioners have been found to degenerate less with aging than non-practitioners.

Since the global population of the elderly is increasing at unprecedented rates, it is imperative to investigate methods to slow physical and mental aging and mitigate its effects. In today’s Research News article “Mindful Aging: The Effects of Regular Brief Mindfulness Practice on Electrophysiological Markers of Cognitive and Affective Processing in Older Adults.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241348/

Malinowski and colleagues recruited individuals between the ages of 55 and 75 years and randomly assigned them to either receive mindfulness training or to an active brain training. Mindfulness training consisted of breath following meditation practice. The brain training condition involved performing mental arithmetic problems that required effortful cognitive processing. Both mindfulness and braining training groups practiced for 10 minutes, 5 days per week, for eight weeks. Before and after training participants were measured for mindfulness, self-efficacy, and mental well-being and were assessed for cognitive and emotion regulation abilities by performance of an eStroop task while their brains’ electrical responses, Electroencephalogram (EEG), were recorded. In the eStroop task the participants viewed a computer screen where one to four words were presented simultaneously. The participants were asked to simply press one of four keys to indicate the number of words presented. There were four conditions; emotionally positive words (love), emotionally negative words (sad), emotionally neutral words (box), and incongruent words. In the incongruent condition the words, one, two, three, or four were presented, with the number of words different from the meaning of the words, e.g. the word three presented two times.

They found that from pre-test to post-test the mindfulness training, but not the brain training group increased in mindfulness and increased their response speed (reaction time) in the eStroop task under all conditions. So, the breath meditation increased mindfulness and made for quicker reactions in the cognitive task. The N2 negative going neural response occurring 0.27 to 0.34 seconds after the presentation of the words, was significantly stronger in the mindfulness than the brain training group. The electrical response was measured over the frontal central cortex, components of the network regulating attention. This result suggests that mindfulness training improves the brains ability to regulate attention.

This study is particularly strong because the control condition was active and required similar commitment of time and energy and belief that the treatment would produce improvements. As a result, the conclusions from the study are very clear. The results suggest that mindfulness training produces improved attentional ability resulting from improved neural responses. These effects were produced in an older group of participants. This suggests that mindfulness training may reduce the cognitive-attentional decline that normally occurs with aging.

This is an exciting proposition, that mindfulness training may improve our ability to cognitively age healthily. As the population continues to live longer and the number of older and elderly individuals increases, the problem of cognitive decline will place an increasing burden on caregivers and stress the healthcare system. So, being able to delay and reduce this decline could have profound effects on individuals and society. Hence, promoting mindfulness training for the elderly could reap substantial benefits for the elderly and the system that supports them in their declining years..

So, improve the aging brain’s cognition with mindfulness.

“Our modern assumptions, ideas, beliefs, and cultural narratives about growing old are too small for us to inhabit. Our thinking about aging is often hijacked by fear, negativity, and ageism. The authentic experience of aging is a source wonder, curiosity, and fascination. Mindful aging is a skillful means to embrace the process of growing older in order to cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural flow of all life.” – Brian Alger

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

Malinowski, P., Moore, A. W., Mead, B. R., & Gruber, T. (2017). Mindful Aging: The Effects of Regular Brief Mindfulness Practice on Electrophysiological Markers of Cognitive and Affective Processing in Older Adults. Mindfulness, 8(1), 78–94. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0482-8

Abstract

There is growing interest in the potential benefits of mindfulness meditation practices in terms of counteracting some of the cognitive effects associated with aging. Pursuing this question, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of mindfulness training on executive control and emotion regulation in older adults, by means of studying behavioral and electrophysiological changes. Participants, 55 to 75 years of age, were randomly allocated to an 8-week mindful breath awareness training group or an active control group engaging in brain training exercises. Before and after the training period, participants completed an emotional-counting Stroop task, designed to measure attentional control and emotion regulation processes. Concurrently, their brain activity was measured by means of 64-channel electroencephalography. The results show that engaging in just over 10 min of mindfulness practice five times per week resulted in significant improvements in behavioral (response latency) and electrophysiological (N2 event-related potential) measures related to general task performance. Analyses of the underlying cortical sources (Variable Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography, VARETA) indicate that this N2-related effect is primarily associated with changes in the right angular gyrus and other areas of the dorsal attention network. However, the study did not find the expected specific improvements in executive control and emotion regulation, which may be due to the training instructions or the relative brevity of the intervention. Overall, the results indicate that engaging in mindfulness meditation training improves the maintenance of goal-directed visuospatial attention and may be a useful strategy for counteracting cognitive decline associated with aging.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241348/

Improve the Psychological Well-Being of Patients with Multiple Chronic Diseases with Yoga

March 4, 2017 psyjdc Leave a comment

Improve the Psychological Well-Being of Patients with Multiple Chronic Diseases with Yoga

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Yoga can be beneficial for individuals with disabilities or chronic health conditions through both the physical postures and breathwork. Each pose can be modified or adapted to meet the needs of the student. Yoga asanas can be performed while seated in a chair or wheelchair.” – National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)

The prevalence of chronic diseases has increased with population ageing with around 18% of the elderly having debilitating chronic diseases. “The most common diagnoses are diabetes, stroke, hypertension, cancer, arthritis, asthma, fractures, the presence of an artificial knee or hip, fatigue, multiple sclerosis, demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, gonarthrosis, ataxia, COPD, dependence on renal dialysis, malignant neoplasm of breast/prostate, depressive episodes, and pure hypercholesterolemia” (Curtis et al., 2016) and dementia.

The situation, however, is much more complex as over half have an additional chronic disease (multimorbidity). This situation has been termed Complex Chronic Disease and Disability (CCDD). Although there are a myriad of combinations, the disease pairs that were significantly associated with the highest likelihood of disability contained dementia (dementia–hip fracture, dementia–cardiovascular disease, and dementia–depression). These individuals are very frail, often confined to bed or wheelchairs. They provide a difficult challenge for caregiving and treatments to help relieve their suffering are badly needed.

Yoga practice has been found to be effective for the prevention and treatment of a large array of chronic psychological and physical problems, even for the elderly in hospice, with cancer, COPD, Kidney Disease, anxiety and depression, and dementia. Hence, it would seem reasonable to hypothesize that yoga may be effective for patients with Complex Chronic Disease and Disability (CCDD). In today’s Research News article “Evaluation of a Specialized Yoga Program for Persons Admitted to a Complex Continuing Care Hospital: A Pilot Study.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5223015/

Curtis and colleagues performed a pilot study of the effectiveness of yoga practice for male and female elderly (average age 63 years) in an institution with Complex Chronic Disease and Disability (CCDD). Most were in wheelchairs or had severe mobility issues.

The patients were provided with a Hatha Yoga program modified for practice in a sitting position, once a week for 8 weeks and were provided with recordings to guide personal daily practice. The practice included relaxation, body scan, and yoga postures. They were measured prior to, midway through, and after the practice for pain, pain catastrophizing, including rumination, magnification, and helplessness, perceived stress, anxiety and depression, perceived injustice, mindfulness, self-compassion, and spiritual well-being, including peace and meaning. They found that the yoga practice benefited the patients increasingly as the practice continued over the 8 weeks producing significant reduction in anxiety and pain magnification, and increases in self-compassion.

These are interesting results and suggest that yoga practice may be beneficial for chronically disabled patients with multiple diseases, improving their psychological well-being. This is a very difficult group to care for and treat and as such, the fact that yoga practice may be helpful, is exciting. It should be mentioned that this was a pilot study, without a control condition, and thus no firm conclusions can be reached. But, the results provide evidence and a rationale for conducting a large randomized controlled clinical trial in the future. A program that can help ease the suffering of these afflicted individuals would certainly be warmly welcomed both by the patients and the caregivers.

“Yoga therapy is very much about the whole person. It is complementary to physical therapy, but we take into account that back pain may be related to an emotional element, or it may be from lifestyle, some pattern that is not serving them, physical movement patterns or other patterns.” – Janice Gate

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

Curtis, K., Kuluski, K., Bechsgaard, G., Ridgway, J., & Katz, J. (2016). Evaluation of a Specialized Yoga Program for Persons Admitted to a Complex Continuing Care Hospital: A Pilot Study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM, 2016, 6267879. http://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6267879

Abstract

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a specialized yoga intervention for inpatients in a rehabilitation and complex continuing care hospital. Design. Single-cohort repeated measures design. Methods. Participants (N = 10) admitted to a rehabilitation and complex continuing care hospital were recruited to participate in a 50–60 min Hatha Yoga class (modified for wheelchair users/seated position) once a week for eight weeks, with assigned homework practice. Questionnaires on pain (pain, pain interference, and pain catastrophizing), psychological variables (depression, anxiety, and experiences with injustice), mindfulness, self-compassion, and spiritual well-being were collected at three intervals: pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Results. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed a significant main effect of time indicating improvements over the course of the yoga program on the (1) anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, F(2,18) = 4.74, p < .05, and ηp2 = .35, (2) Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form, F(2,18) = 3.71, p < .05, and ηp2 = .29, and (3) Magnification subscale of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, F(2,18) = 3. 66, p < .05, and ηp2 = .29. Discussion. The results suggest that an 8-week Hatha Yoga program improves pain-related factors and psychological experiences in individuals admitted to a rehabilitation and complex continuing care hospital.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5223015/

Improve Social and Physical Conditions in the Isolated Elderly with Tai Chi

February 28, 2017 psyjdc Leave a comment

Improve Social and Physical Conditions in the Isolated Elderly with Tai Chi

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“A growing body of carefully conducted research is building a compelling case for tai chi as an adjunct to standard medical treatment for the prevention and rehabilitation of many conditions commonly associated with age,” – Peter M. Wayne

We all want to live longer. We celebrate the increasing longevity of the population. But, aging is a mixed blessing. The aging process involves a systematic progressive decline in every system in the body, the brain included. It cannot be avoided. Our mental abilities may also decline with age including impairments in memory, attention, and problem solving ability. These are called age related cognitive decline. In addition, many elderly experience withdrawal and isolation from social interactions. There is some hope as there is evidence that the cognitive declines can be slowed. For example, a healthy diet and a regular program of exercise can slow the physical decline of the body with aging. Also, contemplative practices such as meditation, yoga, and tai chi or qigong have all been shown to be beneficial in slowing or delaying physical and mental decline with aging.

Tai Chi has been practiced for thousands of years with benefits for health and longevity. Tai Chi training is designed to enhance function and regulate the activities of the body through regulated breathing, mindful concentration, and gentle movements. Only recently though have the effects of Tai Chi practice been scrutinized with empirical research. But, it has been found to be effective for an array of physical and psychological issues. It appears to strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation and increase the number of cancer killing cells in the bloodstream.

Because Tai Chi is not strenuous, involving slow gentle movements, and is safe, having no appreciable side effects, it is appropriate for all ages including the elderly and for individuals with illnesses that limit their activities or range of motion. Tai Chi has been shown to help the elderly improve attention, balance, reducing falls, arthritis, cognitive function, memory, and reduce age related deterioration of the brain. The research, however, has studied socially active elderly. Unfortunately, many elderly individuals are socially isolated and do not often interact with others. These have been called the “hidden elderly.” It is not known if Tai Chi practice can be implemented and be effective with these socially isolated elderly individuals.

In today’s Research News article “Effects of tai chi qigong on psychosocial well-being among hidden elderly, using elderly neighborhood volunteer approach: a pilot randomized controlled trial.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5221552/

Chan and colleagues recruited elderly (66 to 103, mean 77, years of age) who were socially isolated and did not engage in any social activities. They were randomly assigned to receive either treatment as usual (control group), including social worker visits and reminders of available services, or Tai Chi practice for 60 minutes, twice a week, for 3 months and they were encouraged to continue practice at home. They were measured before and after the 3-month practice period and again 3 months later for social support, loneliness, mental health, self-esteem, and quality of life.

They found that Tai Chi practice produced a significant reduction in loneliness, significant increase in total satisfaction with social support, and physical quality of life with large effect sizes that were maintained for 3 months after the end of the intervention. In addition, the participants stated that they enjoyed the Tai Chi practice and 82% planned to continue. Importantly, there were no adverse effects recorded from engaging in the practice. Hence Tai Chi practice was successfully implemented with the “hidden elderly” and was found to be a safe and effective practice to improve their social and physical conditions.

It should be noted that this was a small group pilot study which did not contain a control group. Hence, conclusions must be tempered. The study, however, does provide evidence that implementation of Tai Chi practice with the “hidden elderly” is feasible and provides a strong rationale to perform a large randomized controlled clinical trial with active control conditions. Regardless, it appears that Tai Chi practice may improve the social and physical conditions in the isolated elderly.

“The benefits of Tai Chi for seniors are incredible. If you are looking for a low-impact, relaxing form of exercise that only requires about 20 minutes a day and rewards your efforts, Tai Chi is for you.“ – Ryan Malone

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

Chan, A. W., Yu, D. S., & Choi, K. (2017). Effects of tai chi qigong on psychosocial well-being among hidden elderly, using elderly neighborhood volunteer approach: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 12, 85–96. http://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S124604

Abstract

Purpose

To test the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a tai chi qigong program with the assistance of elderly neighborhood volunteers in strengthening social networks and enhancing the psychosocial well-being of hidden elderly.

Patients and methods

“Hidden elderly” is a term used to describe older adults who are socially isolated and refuse social participation. This pilot randomized controlled trial recruited 48 older adults aged 60 or above who did not engage in any social activity. They were randomized into tai chi qigong (n=24) and standard care control (n=24) groups. The former group underwent a three-month program of two 60-minute sessions each week, with the socially active volunteers paired up with them during practice. Standard care included regular home visits by social workers. Primary outcomes were assessed by means of the Lubben social network and De Jong Gieveld loneliness scales, and by a revised social support questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were covered by a mental health inventory and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and quality of life by using the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey. Data was collected at baseline, and at three and six months thereafter.

Results

The generalized estimating equations model revealed general improvement in outcomes among participants on the tai chi qigong program. In particular, participants reported a significantly greater improvement on the loneliness scale (B=−1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] −2.54 to −0.11, P=0.033) and the satisfaction component of the social support questionnaire (B=3.43, 95% CI 0.10–6.76, P=0.044) than the control group.

Conclusion

The pilot study confirmed that tai chi qigong with elderly neighborhood volunteers is a safe and feasible social intervention for hidden elderly. Its potential benefits in improving social and psychological health suggest the need for a full-scale randomized controlled trial to reveal its empirical effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5221552/

Change the Brain for Healthy Aging with Meditation

January 26, 2017September 5, 2020 psyjdc Leave a comment

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Change the Brain for Healthy Aging with Meditation

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“With recent neuroscientific findings, meditation as a practice has been shown to literally rewire brain circuits that boost both mind and body health. These benefits of meditation have surfaced alongside the revelation that the brain can be deeply transformed through experience – a quality known as “neuroplasticity.”” – Quora

The nervous system is a dynamic entity, constantly changing and adapting to the environment. It will change size, activity, and connectivity in response to repeated or prolonged experiences. For example, the brain area that controls the right index finger has been found to be larger in blind subjects who use braille than in sighted individuals. Similarly, cab drivers in London who navigate the twisting streets of the city, have a larger hippocampus, which is involved in spatial navigation, than predefined route bus drivers. These changes in the brain are called neuroplasticity. Over the last decade neuroscience has been studying the effects of contemplative practices on the brain and have identified neuroplastic changes in widespread areas. In other words, meditation practice appears to mold and change the brain, producing psychological, physical, and spiritual benefits.

The seemingly simple behavior of meditation is actually quite complex. Adding to the complexity is that there are a variety of different meditation techniques. To begin to understand exactly how meditation works to produce its benefit, it is important to determine what various contemplative techniques do. So, there is a need to test and compare the effects of a variety of techniques and variations. There are a number of different ways to classify contemplative techniques including focused attention techniques such as breath meditation of loving kindness meditation and active meditations such as yoga or tai chi. All of these techniques, even though very different, have been shown to improve the physical and mental health of the individual. A comparison of the effects on the brain of these different techniques could reveal what neural changes are in common that might explain the common benefits and which are unique to the specific techniques.

In today’s Research News article “The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1463868163637105/?type=3&theater

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

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5110576/

Acevedo and colleagues review the published research literature on the changes to the brain produced by focused meditation and active meditation. In particular, they compared the results for meditation practices that have a single focus, such as breath meditation or loving kindness meditation, versus those that active meditations that involved multiple foci of attention, such as chanting, active postures, breathing practices, or working with a partner. They discovered 7 studies in the literature that investigated the neural changes produced by focused type meditation practices and 6 studies that investigated active meditation practices.

They report that the research has identified a set of brain structures that are involved in attention, memory, conscious awareness, reward, and emotional regulation that are affected in common with both focused and active meditative practices. These are the same areas that tend to deteriorate with aging, This may explain why meditation tends to slow down the mental deterioration that occurs even in healthy aging.

Focused meditation uniquely activated areas involved in sensory and emotional integration, self-control, body awareness, and movement. So, focused meditation may have greater effects on emotion regulation and conscious awareness of the body and movement resulting in greater self-control. On the other hand, active meditations appeared to uniquely affect brain regions that are involved in “willful acts,” language, and movement, as well as social processes. Hence the two forms of meditation have benefits in common and some benefits that are unique to the type of meditation practice.

These results are reasonable given the natures of the meditation types, where focused meditation appears to benefit internal awareness while active meditation appears to benefit control of willful behavior of language and movement. Both types appear to have extensive positive benefits and appear to counteract the degenerative changes occurring with healthy aging. But their differences suggest that each may be better for different kinds of people and different disorders. Future research should explore the utility of each for targeted physical or psychological weaknesses in the individual.

So, change the brain for healthy aging with meditation.

“The impact that mindfulness exerts on our brain is borne from routine: a slow, steady, and consistent reckoning of our realities, and the ability to take a step back, become more aware, more accepting, less judgmental, and less reactive. Just as playing the piano over and over again over time strengthens and supports brain networks involved with playing music, mindfulness over time can make the brain, and thus, us, more efficient regulators, with a penchant for pausing to respond to our worlds instead of mindlessly reacting.” – Jennifer Wolkin

,CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

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

Study Summary

Acevedo, B. P., Pospos, S., & Lavretsky, H. (2016). The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 3(4), 328–339. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-016-0098-x

Abstract

Objectives: Meditation has been shown to have physical, cognitive, and psychological health benefits that can be used to promote healthy aging. However, the common and specific mechanisms of response remain elusive due to the diverse nature of mind–body practices.

Methods: In this review, we aim to compare the neural circuits implicated in focused-attention meditative practices that focus on present-moment awareness to those involved in active-type meditative practices (e.g., yoga) that combine movement, including chanting, with breath practices and meditation.

Recent Findings: Recent meta-analyses and individual studies demonstrated common brain effects for attention-based meditative practices and active-based meditations in areas involved in reward processing and learning, attention and memory, awareness and sensory integration, and self-referential processing and emotional control, while deactivation was seen in the amygdala, an area implicated in emotion processing. Unique effects for mindfulness practices were found in brain regions involved in body awareness, attention, and the integration of emotion and sensory processing. Effects specific to active-based meditations appeared in brain areas involved in self-control, social cognition, language, speech, tactile stimulation, sensorimotor integration, and motor function.

Summary: This review suggests that mind–body practices can target different brain systems that are involved in the regulation of attention, emotional control, mood, and executive cognition that can be used to treat or prevent mood and cognitive disorders of aging, such as depression and caregiver stress, or serve as “brain fitness” exercise. Benefits may include improving brain functional connectivity in brain systems that generally degenerate with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other aging-related diseases.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5110576/

Reduce Anxiety and Depression in Hospice with Yoga

January 5, 2017 psyjdc Leave a comment

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“What yoga has to offer people who are dying is acceptance, not just of death, but also of all the difficult feelings that come with it.” – Molly Kenny

Depression is very common in the elderly. The elderly cope with increasing loss of friends and family, deteriorating health, as well as concerns regarding finances on fixed incomes. All of these are legitimate sources of worry. But, no matter how reasonable, the increased worry and anxiety add extra stress that can impact on the elderly’s already deteriorating physical and psychological health. For those nearing the endo of life, emotions become amplified. The knowledge that death is imminent—and the awareness that it is unavoidable—understandably brings intense anxiety and fear. For the elderly in hospice care these issues become amplified. So, clearly ameliorating the depression and anxiety could be highly beneficial to the well-being of the elderly in general and especially those in hospice care.

Yoga practice has been shown to have a myriad of psychological and physical health benefits. These include relief of anxiety and depression and yoga has been shown to be safe and effective when applied to the elderly. So, it would seem reasonable to assess the effectiveness of yoga practice for the anxiety and depression present in the elderly in hospice care. In today’s Research News article “Effect of a 12-week yoga therapy program on mental health status in elderly women inmates of a hospice.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1442506282439960/?type=3&theater

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

http://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2017;volume=10;issue=1;spage=24;epage=28;aulast=Ramanathan

Ramanathan and colleagues recruited elderly women in hospice care and randomly assigned them to either a wait-list control group or a yoga practice group. The yoga practice was especially designed for the frail elderly and was carried out in the hospice in a group for 60 min, twice weekly for a period of 12 weeks. The practice included a simple warm-up, breath-body movement coordination practices, static stretching postures, breathing techniques, and relaxation. Before and after the 12-week practice the patients completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, and self-esteem.

They found that the yoga practice produced a significant improvement in the women’s well-being. In particular there was a significant decrease in psychological and somatic anxiety and depression and an increase in self-esteem in the yoga group in comparison to the control group. These are exciting results and indicate that yoga practice is a safe and effective treatment for the anxiety, depression, and self-esteem of women in hospice. This suggests that yoga practice reduces the psychological suffering near the end of life. The increases in self-esteem were particularly large and striking, suggesting that engaging in yoga markedly improved how the women felt about themselves.

It should be mentioned that there was not an active control group. So, there is no way of determining if any light exercise could produce similar improvements or if the benefits accrue solely to those engaged in yoga practice. Yoga practice has been shown to decrease aging and improve longevity in older people. An interesting question for future research is to determine if yoga practice might improve longevity in women in hospice. Regardless, reduce anxiety and depression in hospice with yoga.

“Yoga is about bringing peace of mind and acceptance through breath and movement. Hospice is about comfort and support at the end of life. Even when a patient cannot stand or get out of bed, small movements and special breathing techniques can lead to deeper relaxation.” – Sara Culan

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

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

Study Summary

Ramanathan M, Bhavanani AB, Trakroo M. Effect of a 12-week yoga therapy program on mental health status in elderly women inmates of a hospice. Int J Yoga [serial online] 2017 [cited 2016 Nov 23];10:24-8. Available from: http://www.ijoy.org.in/text.asp?2017/10/1/24/186156

Aim and Objectives: This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga on the mental health status of elderly women inmates residing in a hospice in Puducherry.
Materials and Methods: Forty elderly women were randomly divided into yoga and wait-listed control group. A yoga therapy program of 60 min was given twice a week for 12 weeks. This protocol was specially designed for senior citizens, keeping in mind their health status and physical limitations that included simple warm-up and breath-body movement coordination practices (jathis and kriyas), static stretching postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayamas), and relaxation. Hamilton anxiety scale for measuring anxiety, Hamilton rating scale for depression, and Rosenberg self-esteem scale to measure self-esteem were administered to both groups before and after the 12-week study period. Data were assessed for normality, and appropriate parametric and nonparametric statistical methods were applied for intra- and inter-group comparisons.
Results: Overall, intra- and inter-group comparison of prepost data showed statistically significant (P < 0.001) differences for all three parameters. There was an overall improvement in the scores indicating decreased levels of depression and anxiety coupled with an increase in the level of self-esteem after the yoga therapy program.
Discussion: The influence of yoga in the reduction of depression and anxiety scores and improvement in self-esteem scores in elderly women subjects is evident from this study. As reported in earlier studies, this may be attributed to changes in central neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric-acid coupled with increased parasympathetic tone and decreased sympatho-adrenal activity.
Conclusion: It is recommended that yoga should be a part of health-care facilities for elderly as it can enhance the quality of life by improving their overall mental health status. It could provide a healthy and positive alternative from depressing negative thoughts, and give them a sense of purpose and hope.

http://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2017;volume=10;issue=1;spage=24;epage=28;aulast=Ramanathan

Improve Brain Processing of Emotions in the Elderly with Meditation

October 14, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Yet until recently little was known about how a few hours of quiet reflection each week could lead to such an intriguing range of mental and physical effects. Now, as the popularity of mindfulness grows, brain imaging techniques are revealing that this ancient practice can profoundly change the way different regions of the brain communicate with each other – and therefore how we think – permanently.” – Tom Ireland

Meditation training has been shown to alter the nervous system, increasing the size and connectivity of structures associated with present moment awareness, higher level thinking, and regulation of emotions, while decreasing the size and connectivity of structures associated with mind wandering and self-referential thinking, known as the Default Mode Network (DMN). The brain is capable of changing and adapting in a process called neuroplasticity. As a result, the neural changes produced by meditation training become relatively permanent.

Meditation training has also been shown to produce improvements in emotion regulation. Most of the research to date on the neural systems altered by meditation training has focused on higher level cortical centers. But, emotions involve lower centers such as those located in the Pons in primitive brain stem. In today’s Research News article “Pons to Posterior Cingulate Functional Projections Predict Affective Processing Changes in the Elderly Following Eight Weeks of Meditation Training.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1349231245100798/?type=3&theater

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

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5006446/

Shao and colleagues investigate the changes in connectivity between the Pons sites involved in emotions and the Posterior Cingulate Cortex and the Precuneus area which are important in the Default Mode Network (DMN). They recruited elderly (>60 years of age) participants with no experience with meditation or relaxation training through newspaper ads. They were randomly assigned to receive 8-weeks of either meditation training or relaxation training. Training occurred with 1.5-hour training sessions occurring 3 time per week. All participants received functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) brain scans and were tested with an emotion processing task both before and after training.

They found that after meditation training the elderly participants had moderated emotional responses that converged toward the middle, such that positive emotions were not as positive and arousing while negative emotions were not as negative and arousing as prior to training. This effect did not occur in the relaxation trained participants. They also found increased functional connectivity between the Pons emotion centers and the Posterior Cingulate Cortex and the Precuneus area components of the Default Mode Network (DMN). The increased connectivity was primarily in the Pons to DMN direction. In addition, the greater the change in the connectivity the greater the reduction in negative emotional responses by the participants. Again, these effect did not occur in the relaxation trained participants.

These are interesting results that extend the previous findings on improved emotion regulation after meditation training as the training was found to moderate emotional reactivity, making both positive and negative emotions less extreme. They further showed that this moderation of emotions is associated with increased connectivity between the areas of primitive emotion in the Pontine brain stem and the higher level Default Mode Network (DMN) procession in the Cerebral Cortex. These effects were shown to be due to the meditation training as relaxation training did not produce them.

One of the ways that emotions can get out of hand is by ruminating about past emotional responses and worrying about future emotional responses. This can increase the magnitude of emotional responses. Rumination and worry is the role of the DMN. The present research suggests that the improve emotion regulation seen after meditation training may be due to the increased influence of lower emotion centers on reducing the activation of the brain areas responsible for rumination and worry. In that way emotions can be experienced and analyzed as real time experiences and not amplified beyond their actual magnitude. This is a tremendous benefit of meditation training, allowing for more realistic appraisal of emotions.

So, improve brain processing of emotions in the elderly with meditation.

“One way to do this is mindfulness meditation, in which you observe your thoughts and feelings with the objectivity of a disinterested, nonjudgmental witness. This form of mental training gives you “the wherewithal to pause, observe how easily the mind can exaggerate the severity of a setback, note that it as an interesting mental process, and resist getting drawn into the abyss,” – Richie Davidson

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

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

Study Summary

Robin Shao, Kati Keuper, Xiujuan Geng, Tatia M.C. Lee. Pons to Posterior Cingulate Functional Projections Predict Affective Processing Changes in the Elderly Following Eight Weeks of Meditation Training. EBioMedicine. 2016 Aug; 10: 236–248. Published online 2016 Jun 15. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.06.018

Abstract

Evidence indicates meditation facilitates affective regulation and reduces negative affect. It also influences resting-state functional connectivity between affective networks and the posterior cingulate (PCC)/precuneus, regions critically implicated in self-referential processing. However, no longitudinal study employing active control group has examined the effect of meditation training on affective processing, PCC/precuneus connectivity, and their association. Here, we report that eight-week meditation, but not relaxation, training ‘neutralized’ affective processing of positive and negative stimuli in healthy elderly participants. Additionally, meditation versus relaxation training increased the positive connectivity between the PCC/precuneus and the pons, the direction of which was largely directed from the pons to the PCC/precuneus, as revealed by dynamic causal modeling. Further, changes in connectivity between the PCC/precuneus and pons predicted changes in affective processing after meditation training. These findings indicate meditation promotes self-referential affective regulation based on increased regulatory influence of the pons on PCC/precuneus, which new affective-processing strategy is employed across both resting state and when evaluating affective stimuli. Such insights have clinical implications on interventions on elderly individuals with affective disorders.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5006446/

Improve the Brain for Better memory in Aging with Yoga

September 28, 2016 psyjdc 1 Comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Yoga has been shown to reverse the aging process by the positive impact the practice has upon the body. It gives elasticity to your muscles, tones tendons and ligaments, reduces fat and slows weight gain, calms your heart rate, and eases your mind promoting a bodily as well as a spiritual peace.” – Amy Koller

Human life is one of constant change. We revel in our increases in physical and mental capacities during development, but regret their decreases during aging. The aging process involves a systematic progressive decline in every system in the body, the brain included. This includes our mental abilities which decline with age including impairments in memory, attention, and problem solving ability. It is inevitable and cannot be avoided. Using modern neuroimaging techniques, scientists have been able to view the changes that occur in the nervous system with aging. In addition, they have been able to investigate various techniques that might slow the process of neurodegeneration that accompanies normal aging. They’ve found that mindfulness practices reduce the deterioration of the brain that occurs with aging restraining the loss of neural tissue. Indeed, the brains of practitioners of meditation and yoga have been found to degenerate less with aging than non-practitioners.

There is some hope for age related cognitive decline, however, as there is evidence that they can be slowed. There are some indications that physical and mental exercise can reduce the rate of cognitive decline and lower the chances of dementia. For example, contemplative practices such as meditation, yoga, and tai chi or qigong have all been shown to be beneficial in slowing or delaying physical and mental decline with aging. Mindfulness practices have been shown to improve cognitive processes while gentle mindful exercises such as Tai Chi and Qigong have been shown to slow age related cognitive decline.

Since the global population of the elderly is increasing at unprecedented rates, it is imperative to investigate methods to slow physical and mental aging and mitigate its effects. It would seem reasonable to hypothesize that yoga practice, which is both a mindfulness practice and a physical exercise, might decrease age related cognitive decline and the associated changes in the nervous system. In today’s Research News article “Changes in Neural Connectivity and Memory Following a Yoga Intervention for Older Adults: A Pilot Study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1335144686509454/?type=3&theater

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

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927889/

Eyre and colleagues recruited elderly, over 55 years of age, and randomly assigned them to either 12-weeks of yoga training or 12-weeks of memory enhancement training. Depression levels, and memory ability were assessed at baseline and at 12-weeks after the interventions. In addition, the participants’ brains were scanned before and after training with Functional Magnetic Imaging (f-MRI) to ascertain the connectivity of various brain systems.

They found that the yoga group had significant improvements in depression and visuospatial memory. But, there were no significant differences between the yoga and memory enhancement training groups. They also investigated the relationships of the memory changes with changes in connectivity within the brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN) and found that the greater the increases in connectivity, the greater the improvements in memory in the elderly. The Default Mode Network (DMN) is known to be involved in memory, in particular in episodic memory retrieval, prospective memory encoding, and autobiographical memory retrieval. So, it makes sense that its connectivity would be increased in parallel to memory enhancements.

These results suggest that both yoga and memory enhancement training improve the interactions (connectivity) between structures of the brain that are involved in memory processing and that this results in improved memory ability in the elderly. It is interesting that yoga increased DMN connectivity in this study as contemplative practices have been shown to decrease the size and activity of the DMN. This suggests that yoga practice either may act differently or that just the memory components of the DMN are enhanced. It will take further research to clarify this.

The present results make it clear that yoga practice helps to slow the cognitive decline that occurs with aging. But, yoga is known to have a myriad of other physical, psychological, and physical benefits. It appears to be an excellent practice to allow for healthy aging. So, improve the brain for better memory in aging with yoga.

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

“It is a known fact that yoga imparts more energy, strength and flexibility. Some people turn to yoga for a reduction in stress, and then stick with it because it makes them feel, look, and remain young. Unlike traditional exercises, yoga blends moves that enhance circulation, flexibility, balance and strength, along with meditative techniques, including deep breathing. In fact, Yoga serves as a natural face-lift-it cleanes, relaxes, and restores. Yoga reduces signs of ageing considerably.” – Larry Payne

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

Study Summary

Eyre, H. A., Acevedo, B., Yang, H., Siddarth, P., Van Dyk, K., Ercoli, L., … Lavretsky, H. (2016). Changes in Neural Connectivity and Memory Following a Yoga Intervention for Older Adults: A Pilot Study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 52(2), 673–684. http://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-150653

Abstract

Background: No study has explored the effect of yoga on cognitive decline and resting-state functional connectivity.

Objectives: This study explored the relationship between performance on memory tests and resting-state functional connectivity before and after a yoga intervention versus active control for subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Participants ( ≥ 55 y) with MCI were randomized to receive a yoga intervention or active “gold-standard” control (i.e., memory enhancement training (MET)) for 12 weeks. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to map correlations between brain networks and memory performance changes over time. Default mode networks (DMN), language and superior parietal networks were chosen as networks of interest to analyze the association with changes in verbal and visuospatial memory performance.

Results: Fourteen yoga and 11 MET participants completed the study. The yoga group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in depression and visuospatial memory. We observed improved verbal memory performance correlated with increased connectivity between the DMN and frontal medial cortex, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, right middle frontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and left lateral occipital cortex. Improved verbal memory performance positively correlated with increased connectivity between the language processing network and the left inferior frontal gyrus. Improved visuospatial memory performance correlated inversely with connectivity between the superior parietal network and the medial parietal cortex.

Conclusion: Yoga may be as effective as MET in improving functional connectivity in relation to verbal memory performance. These findings should be confirmed in larger prospective studies.

Keywords: Aging, cognitive decline, memory training, mild cognitive impairment, mind-body, older adults, subjective memory complaints, yoga

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927889/

Improve Elderly Cancer Survivors’ Health with Tai Chi

September 22, 2016 psyjdc 7 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

Modern medicine has markedly improved the treatments for cancer. But, unfortunately, these treatments themselves can be difficult on the patient and produce great discomfort and suffering. In addition, if the treatment is successful, the cancer survivor is left with a whole different set of challenges. Fatigue accompanies cancer and its treatment in from half to all cancer patients depending upon the type of cancer and treatment regimen. The lasting impact of the cancer and its treatment are particularly evident and dangerous for the elderly. “Senior cancer survivors are a particularly vulnerable population because they have an increased risk for the development or progression of chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular, hypertension, stroke, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, arthritis, etc). . . In senior cancer survivors, this is highly relevant as twice as many deaths occur as a result of chronic diseases other than cancer, with cardiovascular disease emerging as a leading cause of death” (Campo et al. 2016).

Tai Chi has been practiced for thousands of years with benefits for health and longevity. Tai Chi training is designed to enhance function and regulate the activities of the body through regulated breathing, mindful concentration, and gentle movements. Only recently though have the effects of Tai Chi practice been scrutinized with empirical research. It has revealed that it is effective for an array of physical and psychological issues. It appears to strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation and increase the number of cancer killing cells in the bloodstream. All of these effects suggest that Tai Chi may be effective for elderly cancer survivors.

In today’s Research News article “Blood Pressure, Salivary Cortisol, and Inflammatory Cytokine Outcomes in Senior Female Cancer Survivors Enrolled in a Tai Chi Chih Randomized Controlled Trial.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1329823277041595/?type=3&theater

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

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344390/

Campo and colleagues examine the effectiveness of Tai Chi practice to improve the health of elderly (>= 55 yrs.) female cancer survivors. The women were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of Tai Chi practice or Health Education for one hour three times per week. They were measured before and after training for blood pressure, salivary cortisol levels, and inflammatory cytokines. Campo and colleagues found that the Tai Chi group had a significantly greater reduction in systolic blood pressure (12%) and salivary cortisol levels (24%), but not inflammatory cytokines, than the Health Education group.

These are excellent findings. The fact that Tai Chi improved systolic blood pressure suggests that it improved cardiovascular health. This is particularly significant as cardiovascular disease is the greatest threat to the longevity of these vulnerable patients. The fact that Tai Chi reduced the salivary cortisol levels, an indicator of stress, suggests that Tai Chi reduced the levels of physiological stress in these patients which is also associated with decreased health and longevity. Hence, Tai Chi practice lowers chronic illness risk factors in elderly female cancer survivors.

It is known that exercise lowers cardiovascular and stress related risk factors and Tai Chi is a gentle exercise. This may be responsible for its effectiveness. Mindfulness practice is also known to reduce these risk factors. So, it is also possible that this is the reason for the effectiveness of Tai Chi practice. Regardless, Tai Chi is an almost perfect practice for elderly cancer survivors. It is gentle, has virtually no adverse side effects, and can be practiced in groups or alone at home at very low cost.

So, improve elderly cancer survivors’ health with tai chi.

“The gentle approach makes tai chi an ideal physical and mental exercise for cancer patients. The world of cancer treatment is filled with messages that tell patients to fight a war against their cancer, which can make them feel at war with their own bodies. Tai chi is particularly beneficial for anyone affected by cancer because it teaches people to respond peacefully and mindfully to forces out of their control.” – Michelle Whitmer

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

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

Study Summary

Campo, R. A., Light, K. C., O’Connor, K., Nakamura, Y., Lipschitz, D., LaStayo, P. C., … Kinney, A. Y. (2015). Blood Pressure, Salivary Cortisol, and Inflammatory Cytokine Outcomes in Senior Female Cancer Survivors Enrolled in a Tai Chi Chih Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Cancer Survivorship : Research and Practice, 9(1), 115–125. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-014-0395-x

Abstract

Purpose: Older cancer survivors are a vulnerable population due to an increased risk for chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease) compounded with treatment late-effects and declines in physical functioning. Therefore, interventions that reduce chronic disease risk factors (i.e., blood pressure, chronic inflammation, & cortisol) are important in this population. Tai Chi Chih (TCC) is a mind-body exercise associated with reductions in chronic disease risk factors, but has not been examined with older cancer survivors. In a feasibility randomized controlled trial of TCC, we examined secondary outcomes of blood pressure, salivary cortisol, and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-10, IL-4) due to their implications in chronic diseases.

Methods: Sixty-three senior female cancer survivors (Mage=67 years, SD=7.15) with physical functioning limitations (SF-12 physical functioning≤80 or role-physical≤72) were randomized to 12-weeks (60-minutes, three times a week) of TCC or Health Education control (HEC) classes. Resting blood pressure, 1-day salivary cortisol samples, and fasting plasma samples for cytokine multiplex assays were collected at baseline and 1-week post-intervention.

Results: Controlling for baseline values, the TCC group had significantly lower systolic blood pressure (SBP,p=0.002) and cortisol area-under-curve (AUC, p=0.02) at post-intervention than the HEC group. There was no intervention effect on inflammatory cytokines (p’s>0.05).

Conclusions: This TCC feasibility trial was associated with significant reductions in SBP and cortisol AUC in senior female cancer survivors. Larger, definitive trials are needed to confirm these findings.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344390/

Improve Arthritis with Tai Chi

August 18, 2016 psyjdc 2 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“With its integrative approach that strengthens the body while focusing the mind, tai chi addresses a range of physical and mental health issues—including bone strength, joint stability, cardiovascular health, immunity, and emotional well-being.” – Stephanie Watson

Arthritis is a chronic disease that most commonly affects the joints. Depending on the type of arthritis symptoms may include pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, and decreased range of motion. It affects an estimated 52.5 million adults in the United States. It is associated with aging as arthritis occurs in only 7% of adults ages 18–44, while 30% adults ages 45–64 are affected, and 50% of adults ages 65 or older. The pain, stiffness, and lack of mobility associate with arthritis produce fatigue and markedly reduce the quality of life of the sufferers. Arthritis can have very negative psychological effects diminishing the individual’s self-image and may lead to depression, isolation, and withdrawal from friends and social activities Arthritis reduces the individual’s ability to function at work and may require modifications of work activities which can lead to financial difficulties. It even affects the individual’s physical appearance. In addition, due to complications associated with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly cardiovascular disease, the lifespan for people with rheumatoid arthritis may be shortened by 10 years.

It is obvious that there is a need for a safe and effective treatment to help rheumatoid arthritis sufferers cope with the disease and its consequences. Increasing exercise has been shown to increase flexibility and mobility but many form of exercise are difficult for the arthritis sufferer to engage in and many drop out. But all that may be needed is gentle movements of the joints. Tai Chi training is designed to enhance and regulate the functional activities of the body through regulated breathing, mindful concentration, and gentle movements. It has been shown to have many physical and psychological benefits, especially for the elderly. Because it is not strenuous, involving slow gentle movements, and is safe, having no appreciable side effects, it is appropriate for an elderly population. So, it would seem that tai chi practice would be well suited to treat arthritis in seniors.

In today’s Research News article “The beneficial effects of Tai Chi exercise on endothelial function and arterial stiffness in elderly women with rheumatoid arthritis.” See

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

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718020/

Shin and colleagues examine the effectiveness of tai chi practice to help alleviate some of the cardiovascular symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. They recruited elderly (over 50 years of age) women with rheumatoid arthritis and assigned them to two groups, a tai chi and an exercise information group. The tai chi participants engaged in a group tai chi exercise once a week for 60 min for 3 months at the hospital gymnasium. Measurements were taken before and after the 3-month practice period of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and cardiovascular function. They found that the tai chi group had a significant decrease in plasma cholesterol and measures of atherosclerosis including significant decreases in arterial stiffness and flow mediated dilatation. Both of these measures are associated with the beginnings of cardiovascular disease.

These findings suggest that tai chi practice is beneficial in reducing cardiovascular risk factors associated with rheumatoid arthritis. These risk factors are likely due to the sedentary lifestyle of most rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and the gentle exercise of tai chi appears to be sufficient to begin to reverse some of these risk factors. This is very significant as cardiovascular disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis is serious and can lead to premature death. Since tai chi is safe and appropriate for seniors, it would appear to be an excellent treatment to reduce the cardiovascular disease risks associated with rheumatoid arthritis in the elderly.

So, improve arthritis with tai chi.

“Tai chi is often described as “meditation in motion,” but it might well be called “medication in motion.” There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems.” – Harvard Women’s Health Watch

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

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

Study Summary

Shin, J.-H., Lee, Y., Kim, S. G., Choi, B. Y., Lee, H.-S., & Bang, S.-Y. (2015). The beneficial effects of Tai Chi exercise on endothelial function and arterial stiffness in elderly women with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 17, 380. http://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-015-0893-x

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been known to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi exercise on CVD risk in elderly women with RA.

Method: In total, 56 female patients with RA were assigned to either a Tai Chi exercise group (29 patients) receiving a 3-month exercise intervention once a week or a control group (27 patients) receiving general information about the benefits of exercise. All participants were assessed at baseline and at 3 months for RA disease activity (Disease Activity Score 28 and Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3), functional disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire), CVD risk factors (blood pressure, lipids profile, body composition, and smoking), and three atherosclerotic measurements: carotid intima-media thickness, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV).

Results: FMD, representative of endothelial function, significantly increased in the Tai Chi exercise group (initial 5.85 ± 2.05 versus 3 months 7.75 ± 2.53 %) compared with the control group (initial 6.31 ± 2.12 versus 3 months 5.78 ± 2.13 %) (P = 1.76 × 10−3). Moreover, baPWV, representative of arterial stiffness, significantly decreased in the Tai Chi exercise group (initial 1693.7 ± 348.3 versus 3 months 1600.1 ± 291.0 cm/s) compared with the control group (initial 1740.3 ± 185.3 versus 3 months 1792.8 ± 326.1 cm/s) (P = 1.57 × 10−2). In addition, total cholesterol decreased significantly in the Tai Chi exercise group compared with the control group (−7.8 ± 15.5 versus 2.9 ± 12.2 mg/dl, P = 2.72 × 10−2); other changes in RA-related characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. Tai Chi exercise remained significantly associated with improved endothelial function (FMD; P = 4.32 × 10−3) and arterial stiffness (baPWV; P = 2.22 × 10−2) after adjustment for improvement in total cholesterol level.

Conclusion: Tai Chi exercise improved endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness in elderly women with RA, suggesting that it can be a useful behavioral strategy for CVD prevention in patients with RA.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718020/