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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/

 

Reduce Interpersonal Trauma Symptoms with Mindfulness

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Reduce Interpersonal Trauma Symptoms with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“mindfulness meditation training improves your brain’s ability to help you manage stress, and these changes improve a broad range of stress-related health outcomes, such as your inflammatory health,” David Creswell

 

Experiencing trauma is quite common. It has been estimated that 60% of men and 50% of women will experience a significant traumatic event during their lifetime. Trauma produced by one person on another, interpersonal trauma, frequently involves intimate partners and can occur as personal assault, sexual assault, witnessing family violence, and sudden loss of a loved one. This is common particularly with low income women. The psychological consequences can be profound and endure over a lifetime, and can result in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

 

Another common consequence of the stress produced by trauma is an increase in inflammation. The immune system is designed to protect the body from threats like stress, infection, injury, and toxic chemicals. One of its tools is the inflammatory response. This response works quite well for short-term infections and injuries. But when inflammation is protracted and becomes chronic, such as can occur with trauma, it can itself become a threat to health. It can produce autoimmune diseases such as colitis, Chron’s disease, arthritis, heart disease, increased cancer risk, lung disease, sleep disruption, gum disease, decreased bone health, and psoriasis. Indeed, the presence of chronic inflammation is associated with reduced longevity. In addition, it can exacerbate the psychological issues produced by trauma including increasing the severity depression.

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to both help improve the symptoms of trauma and to reduce the inflammatory response. So, it would be reasonable to predict that mindfulness training would be useful in reducing the inflammation resulting from interpersonal trauma in women. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to Enhance Psychological Functioning and Improve Inflammatory Biomarkers in Trauma-Exposed Women: A Pilot Study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1462456350444953/?type=3&theater

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

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624080/

Gallegos and colleagues recruited low-income women who had experienced interpersonal trauma and provided them with an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) treatment. Measurements were taken before, during (4th week), and immediately after treatment, and 4 weeks later of traumatic events, cognitive performance, perceived stress, anxiety, emotion regulation, PTSD symptoms, and mindfulness. In addition, blood was drawn and assayed for markers of inflammation.

 

They found that the MBSR treatment significantly increased mindfulness and emotion regulation and decreased perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. In addition, attendance at MBSR sessions was significantly related to decreases in IL-6 levels, a marker of inflammation. All of these improvements were maintained 4-weeks after the end of MBSR training. Hence Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) produced significant and lasting improvement in both the psychological and inflammatory effects of interpersonal trauma. It should be kept in mind that no control condition was employed. So, the results could have been produced by a placebo effect and any form of treatment might have produced comparable improvements. A controlled clinical trial is needed to confirm that MBSR was responsible for the effects.

 

It comes as no surprise that mindfulness training had these effects in women who experienced interpersonal trauma as mindfulness training has been previously been shown with other groups to produce improvement in mindfulness, emotion regulation, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, and inflammation. What the present study contributes is a demonstration that these benefits also occur in women who have experienced interpersonal trauma.

 

So, reduce interpersonal trauma symptoms with mindfulness.

 

“Mindfulness meditation reduces levels of interleukin 6 by altering patterns of functional connectivity: communication between different regions of the brain. “By modulating functional connectivity, you’re affecting the cell groups that influence the release of inflammatory markers and stress hormones,”  –  Adrienne Taren

 

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

Gallegos, A. M., Lytle, M. C., Moynihan, J. A., & Talbot, N. L. (2015). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to Enhance Psychological Functioning and Improve Inflammatory Biomarkers in Trauma-Exposed Women: A Pilot Study. Psychological Trauma : Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 7(6), 525–532. http://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000053

 

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on psychological functioning and inflammatory biomarkers in women with histories of interpersonal trauma. The 8-week MBSR program was conducted at a community-based health center and participants (N = 50) completed several measures of psychological functioning at study entry as well as 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks later. Inflammatory biomarkers were assayed from blood collected at each assessment. A series of linear mixed model analyses were conducted to measure the effect of attendance and time on the dependent variables. Time was associated with significant decreases in perceived stress, depression, trait and state anxiety, emotion dysregulation, and post-traumatic stress symptoms as well as increases in mindfulness. Session attendance was associated with significant decreases in interleukin (IL)-6 levels. This pilot study demonstrated the potential beneficial effects of MBSR on psychological functioning and the inflammatory biomarker IL-6 among trauma-exposed and primarily low-income women. Decreases in inflammation have implications for this population, as interpersonal trauma can instigate chronic physiological dysregulation, heightened morbidity, and premature death. This study’s preliminary results support efforts to investigate biological remediation with behavioral interventions in vulnerable populations.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624080/

 

Reduce Pelvic Pain in Women with Yoga

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“women need to start a relationship with their pelvis, looking at the outside of it, touching the inside of it, talking and listening to it, and loving it. If you are having problems with your pelvic floor, it’s telling you, “Hey, I am here and you’ve been ignoring me and something has to change.” – Leslie Howard

 

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is focused in the area below the naval and between the hips and lasts six months or longer. CPP can have multiple causes; a symptom of another disease, or it can be a condition in its own right. Millions of men and women suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction every year. In fact, over 4 million American women under the age of 40 are diagnosed with pelvic pain or incontinence. Despite this staggering figure, people often feel alone, ashamed, and frustrated with the process of being properly diagnosed and treated. There are two strategies to treating chronic pelvic pain (CPP), either treating the symptoms or the underlying cause. Typically, it is treated with drugs and/or hormones, including pain relievers, antibiotics, antidepressants, and birth control pills, with physical or psychological therapy, or even with surgery.

 

Yoga practice has been shown to have a myriad of health benefits. These include relief of chronic pain. So, it makes sense to explore the effectiveness of yoga therapy for CPP in combination with treatment as usual. In today’s Research News article “Effects of yogic intervention on pain scores and quality of life in females with chronic pelvic pain.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1438108362879752/?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=9;epage=15;aulast=Saxena

Saxena and colleagues recruited patients with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and randomly assigned them to receive either treatment as usual or treatment as usual in combination with yoga therapy. The women were measured for pain levels and quality of life both before and after the 8-weeks of treatment. Yoga therapy occurred 5 times per week for 8 weeks and included deep breathing, chanting, postures, regulated breathing and relaxation, etc.

 

They found that the two groups had equivalent levels of pain before treatment, but after treatment the pain levels of the yoga therapy group were reduced virtually in half while the treatment as usual group was unchanged. In addition, yoga therapy produced significant improvements in the quality of life by about a third for the patients, with increases in the physical, psychological, and social domains of quality of life, and a significant but smaller increase in the environmental domain.

 

These are excellent results that indicate that yoga therapy can produce clinically significant improvements in pain levels and quality of life in patients with chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Since yoga practice is known to strengthen the abdominal muscles, this may be the reason for the improvements. In addition, the contemplative components of yoga therapy are known to improve the individual’s ability to cope with chronic pain and this may also be responsible for the improvements. Regardless, it is clear that yoga therapy is a safe and effective treatment that complements treatment as usual and produces clinically significant improvements in CPP.

 

So, reduce pelvic pain in women with yoga.

 

“The physical postures of yoga can help relieve pain in a number of ways. The most obvious is the ability of a well-rounded yoga practice to lower stress levels. Stress makes muscles more likely to go into spasm, and muscle spasms are an underappreciated contributor to both acute and chronic pain. . . The practice of asana, beyond its ability to induce relaxation, can be an effective way to relieve muscle tightness. In contrast to many other forms of exercise, yoga promotes both strength and flexibility in muscles.” – Timothy McCall

 

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

Saxena R, Gupta M, Shankar N, Jain S, Saxena A. Effects of yogic intervention on pain scores and quality of life in females with chronic pelvic pain. Int J Yoga [serial online] 2017 [cited 2016 Nov 23];10:9-15. Available from: http://www.ijoy.org.in/text.asp?2017/10/1/9/186155

 

Abstract

Context: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a common condition of women of the reproductive age group. It has a negative impact on a woman’s personal health and quality of life (QOL). Practicing yoga has shown numerous benefits in various chronic painful conditions.
Aim: To study the effects of yogic intervention on pain scores and quality of life in females of reproductive age group with CPP, on conventional therapy.
Settings and Design: It is a follow-up, randomized case-control study done in a tertiary care hospital.
Subjects and Methods: Sixty female patients of CPP in the age group of 18-45 years were randomly divided into Group I (n = 30) and Group II (n = 30). Group I received only conventional therapy in the form of NSAIDS and Group II received yoga therapy in the form of asanas, pranayama, and relaxation along with the conventional therapy for 8 weeks. They were assessed twice (pre- and post-treatment) for pain scores through visual analog scale (VAS) score and QOL by the World Health Organization quality of life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire.
Statistical Analysis Used: Repeated measure ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test. P < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: After 8 weeks of yogic intervention, Group II patients showed a significant decrease in intensity of pain seen by a decrease in VAS score (P < 0.001) and improvement in the quality of life with a significant increase (P < 0.001) in physical, psychological, social, and environmental domain scores of WHOQOL-BREF.
Conclusions: The practice of yoga causes a reduction in the pain intensity and improves the quality of life in patients with chronic pelvic pain.

http://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2017;volume=10;issue=1;spage=9;epage=15;aulast=Saxena

 

Improve Premenstrual Syndrome with Yoga

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Yoga boosts circulation, which can relieve fluid buildup that causes bloating. The paced, deep breathing also increases oxygen flow to tissues, decreasing discomfort induced by cramps.” – Suzanne Trupin

 

PMS or Premenstrual Syndrome is an extremely common problem among women and almost 85% of women, between 20 years old and 40 years old, suffer from PMS. It is associated with a collection of emotional and physical symptoms that is experienced during the time of ovulation or Luteal phase of the Menstruation cycle.  PMS produces physical symptoms such as Joint or muscle pain, headache, fatigue, weight gain related to fluid retention, abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, acne flare-ups, and constipation or diarrhea. These symptoms are accompanied by a constellation of psychological symptoms such as tension or anxiety, depressed mood, crying spells, mood swings and irritability or anger, appetite changes and food cravings, trouble falling asleep (insomnia), social withdrawal, and poor concentration. Around 5% of women are disabled by extremely severe symptoms. PMS is often accompanied with depression and called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and can be dangerous as the suicide rate for patients with depression is much higher in the second half of the menstrual cycle.  Rather than improve with age, PMS can get worse as patients age and approach menopause.

 

For most women PMS is left untreated, with the women simply putting up with the misery. But for some drugs are prescribed such as antidepressants, NSAIDs, diuretics, and hormones. These are all accompanied by significant side effects. There is, therefore, a need to find safe and effective treatment for the torment of PMS. Mindfulness training has been shown to improve the physical and psychological state of women and men and women with high levels of mindfulness experience milder PMS symptoms. It would seem reasonable to examine whether training in a mindfulness technique, specifically yoga training, might be helpful relieving the symptoms of PMS.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effect of Yoga Exercise on Premenstrual Symptoms among Female Employees in Taiwan.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1363573563666566/?type=3&theater

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

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4962262/

Tsai recruited female employees of a large manufacturing company and provided them with a 12-week yoga program with twice a week sessions of 50 minutes. The yoga included breathing, posture, and meditation exercises. Before and after training the women completed measurements of premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, stress, sleep, alcohol intake, exercise and general health.

 

They found that after yoga training the women’s menstrual pain, use of analgesics, and body pain was lower. Also, the women reported less premenstrual abdominal swelling, breast tenderness, abdominal cramps, and cold sweats. In addition, the decreased menstrual pain was associated with increases in physical function, bodily pain, general health perception, vitality/energy, social function, and mental health. So the yoga practice appeared to reduce both premenstrual and menstrual physical symptoms.

 

The study results are very encouraging and suggest that yoga practice can be beneficial in relieving women’s symptoms surrounding menstruation. The study, however did not have a control group for comparison and so conclusions must be tempered. It is possible that participation in any program to improve their health and well-being would produce similar effects. Nevertheless, the results justify and encourage more extensive controlled research studies on the application of yoga practice to the relief of troublesome symptoms related to women’s menstrual cycle.

 

So, improve premenstrual syndrome with yoga.

 

“The benefits of yoga in relieving the symptoms of PMS are countless and difficult to list. Yoga is like a magical wand that touches our lives to bless us with a fit, flexible and healthy body,flawless, glowing skin, peaceful mind and great overall health. The benefits of yoga are not only limited to the physical level, it transcends the body to bring harmony between the body and the soul and fill the mind with happiness.” – Deblina Biswas

 

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

Tsai, S.-Y. (2016). Effect of Yoga Exercise on Premenstrual Symptoms among Female Employees in Taiwan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(7), 721. http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13070721

 

Abstract

Yoga classes designed for women with premenstrual syndrome are available, but their efficacy is unclear. We investigated the effects of 12 weeks’ yoga exercise (yoga intervention) on premenstrual symptoms in menstruating females in Taiwan. Sixty-four subjects completed the yoga intervention, and before and after the intervention filled out a structured self-report questionnaire about their demographics, personal lifestyle, menstrual status, baseline menstrual pain scores, premenstrual symptoms, and health-related quality of life. Of 64 subjects, 90.6% reported experiencing menstrual pain during menstruation. After the yoga intervention, subjects reported decreased use of analgesics during menstruation (p = 0.0290) and decreased moderate or severe effects of menstrual pain on work (p = 0.0011). The yoga exercise intervention was associated with the improvement of the scale of physical function (p = 0.0340) and bodily pain (p = 0.0087) of the SF-36, and significantly decreased abdominal swelling (p = 0.0011), breast tenderness (p = 0.0348), abdominal cramps (p = 0.0016), and cold sweats (p = 0.0143). Menstrual pain mitigation after yoga exercise correlated with improvement in six scales of the SF-36 (physical function, bodily pain, general health perception, vitality/energy, social function, mental health). Employers can educate female employees about the benefits of regular exercise such as yoga, which may decrease premenstrual distress and improve female employee health.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4962262/

 

 

Practice Yoga and be Resilient to Stress

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“yoga is anti-aging, lowers blood pressure, and is beneficial for treating metabolic syndrome x. Waist circumference, blood sugar, and triglycerides. Yoga has been known to balance the endocrine system and hormones for centuries. Now it is also being recognized as a way to balance blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diseases brought on by a classically western diet.” – Cheryl Walters
Stress is universal. We are constantly under some form of stress. In fact, if we don’t have enough stress, we seek out more. Stress actually can strengthen us. Muscles don’t grow and strengthen unless they are moderately stressed in exercise. Moderate mental stress can actually increase the size and connectivity of brain areas devoted to the activity. Moderate social stress can help us become more adept in social interactions. Moderate work stress can help us be more productive and improve as an employee, etc. So, stress can be a good thing promoting growth and flourishing. The key word here is moderate or what we called the optimum level of stress. Too little or too much stress can be damaging.

 

Unfortunately for many of us living in a competitive modern environment stress is all too often higher than desirable. In addition, many of the normal mechanisms for dealing with stress have been eliminated. The business of modern life removes opportunities for rest, working extra hours, and limiting or passing up entirely vacations to stay competitive. Persistently high levels of stress are damaging and can directly produce disease or debilitation increasing susceptibility to other diseases. Chronic stress can produce a condition called distress which can lead to headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping and can make other diseases worse.

 

It is beyond the ability of the individual to change the environment to reduce stress, so it is important that methods be found to reduce the individual’s responses to stress; to make the individual more resilient when high levels of stress occur. Contemplative practices including yoga practice have been shown to reduce the psychological and physiological responses to stress. Because of their ability to relieve stress, mindfulness trainings are increasingly being practiced by individuals and are even being encouraged in some workplaces.
In today’s Research News article “Heart Rate Variability, Flow, Mood and Mental Stress During Yoga Practices in Yoga Practitioners, Non-yoga Practitioners and People with Metabolic Syndrome.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1311695092187747/?type=3&theater

or see summary below. Tyagi and colleagues investigate the ability of yoga practitioners to respond to and recover from stress. They recruited yoga practitioners who had been practicing for at least 6 months, comparable individuals who did not practice yoga, and individuals with metabolic syndrome. They had the participants relax in a reclining position and then challenged them with a stressful mental arithmetic task. During this time, they were measured for mood, flow, respiration, and cardiac activity with an Electrocardiogram (ECG). Flow is a “desirable state of positive arousal caused by the perception of subjective control with maximum physiological efficiency and the down-regulation of functions irrelevant for task fulfilment.”

 

They found that the yoga practitioners had greater flow and were in a better mood even before the stressful task and showed greater improvement in flow and mood after the task than the other groups. These included flow, total mood, and the mood components of tension, depression, fatigue, confusion, anxiety, and vigor. They also found that the yoga practitioners had lower heart rates and respiration rates than the other groups, had greater increases during the stressful task, and more rapid decreases afterward.

 

These are interesting results and replicate many previous results that the practice of yoga in general improves flow, mood, and physiological responses. This is not surprising as exercise in general is known to do this. What is new and significant is that yoga practice appears to improve resilience; that is, it results in vigorous responses to stress, but rapid recovery. Both of these responses are adaptive. By readying the physiology to cope with the effects of stress, it positions the individual to better withstand these effects. But, yoga also improves the recovery afterward preventing the stress effects to be prolonged and potentially damaging. As a result, yoga practitioners appear to better able to respond to and cope with stress, quickly and efficiently, without unnecessary prolonged physiological reactions.

 

So, practice yoga and be resilient to stress.

 

“Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress patterns; relaxes the mind; centers attention; and sharpens concentration. Body- and self-awareness are particularly beneficial, because they can help with early detection of physical problems and allow for early preventive action.” – Natalie Nevin

 

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

Tyagi, A., Cohen, M., Reece, J. Telles, S. and Jones. L. Heart Rate Variability, Flow, Mood and Mental Stress During Yoga Practices in Yoga Practitioners, Non-yoga Practitioners and People with Metabolic Syndrome. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback (2016). doi:10.1007/s10484-016-9340-2

Abstract

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia are directly associated with autonomic flexibility, self-regulation and well-being, and inversely associated with physiological stress, psychological stress and pathology. Yoga enhances autonomic activity, mitigates stress and benefits stress-related clinical conditions, yet the relationship between autonomic activity and psychophysiological responses during yoga practices and stressful stimuli has not been widely explored. This experimental study explored the relationship between HRV, mood states and flow experiences in regular yoga practitioners (YP), non-yoga practitioners (NY) and people with metabolic syndrome (MetS), during Mental Arithmetic Stress Test (MAST) and various yoga practices. The study found that the MAST placed a cardio-autonomic burden in all participants with the YP group showing the greatest reactivity and the most rapid recovery, while the MetS group had significantly blunted recovery. The YP group also reported a heightened experience of flow and positive mood states compared to NY and MetS groups as well as having a higher vagal tone during all resting conditions. These results suggest yoga practitioners have a greater homeostatic capacity and autonomic, metabolic and physiological resilience. Further studies are now needed to determine if regular yoga practice may improve autonomic flexibility in non-yoga practitioners and metabolic syndrome patients.

 

Meditation Improves Longevity by Producing a Healthier Relationship with Existence

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Theories differ as to how meditation might boost telomeres and telomerase, but most likely it reduces stress. The practice involves slow, regular breathing, which may relax us physically by calming the fight-or-flight response. It probably has a psychological stress-busting effect too. Being able to step back from negative or stressful thoughts may allow us to realize that these are not necessarily accurate reflections of reality but passing, ephemeral events. It also helps us to appreciate the present instead of continually worrying about the past or planning for the future.” – Jo Marchant

 

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 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. This predicts that long-term meditators will have longer telomeres than non-meditators of comparable ages.

 

In today’s Research News article “Zen meditation, Length of Telomeres, and the Role of Experiential Avoidance and Compassion.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1259746207382636/?type=3&theater

or below.

Alda and colleagues investigated this idea and extended it by looking at what psychological changes might be produced by meditation that act to protect the telomere. They recruited long-term meditators (at least 10 years of continuous practice) and a group of age, gender, and life-style matched control participants. They were assessed for telomere length, mindfulness, health, psychiatric issues, experiential avoidance, self-compassion, anxiety and depression.

 

They found that the expert meditators had nearly 10% longer telomeres than the comparison group. The expert meditators also had significantly higher mindfulness, resilience, satisfaction with life, subjective happiness, self-compassion, humanity, and lower experiential avoidance, anxiety, and depression. Using a sophisticated statistical technique (Stepwise multiple regression) they found that telomere length was longer with younger age, lower experiential avoidance (avoiding emotions and the present moment), and higher humanity (seeing one’s failures as due to their humanity).

 

These are interesting and important findings. They replicate the previous findings that meditation practice is associated with longer telomeres. This suggests that meditation may increase healthfulness and longevity. They also suggest that the important effects of meditation for increasing telomere length are increasing emotion regulation, focus on the present moment, and understanding one’s human fallibility. In other words, it appears that meditation helps the individual have a healthier relationship with their lives and existence and this improves the biological markers of health and longevity.

 

It should be kept in mind that these results are correlational, only documenting associations. They do not demonstrate that meditation caused the differences in telomeres. But, previous research has manipulated the amount of meditation and found that it did indeed produce longer telomeres. It is reasonable to conclude that the relationships seen by Alda and colleagues are reflective of this causal process.

 

So, meditate to improve longevity by producing a healthier relationship with existence.

 

“We already know that psychosocial interventions like mindfulness meditation will help you feel better mentally, but now for the first time, we have evidence that they can also influence key aspects of your biology,” – Linda Carlson

 

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

Alda M, Puebla-Guedea M, Rodero B, Demarzo M, Montero-Marin J, Roca M, Garcia-Campayo J. Zen meditation, Length of Telomeres, and the Role of Experiential Avoidance and Compassion. Mindfulness (N Y). 2016;7:651-659. Epub 2016 Feb 22.

 

 

Abstract

Mindfulness refers to an awareness that emerges by intentionally focusing on the present experience in a nonjudgmental or evaluative manner. Evidence regarding its efficacy has been increasing exponentially, and recent research suggests that the practice of meditation is associated with longer leukocyte telomere length. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this potential relationship are unknown. We examined the telomere lengths of a group of 20 Zen meditation experts and another 20 healthy matched comparison participants who had not previously meditated. We also measured multiple psychological variables related to meditation practice. Genomic DNA was extracted for telomere measurement using a Life Length proprietary program. High-throughput quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (HT-Q-FISH) was used to measure the telomere length distribution and the median telomere length (MTL). The meditators group had a longer MTL (p = 0.005) and a lower percentage of short telomeres in individual cells (p = 0.007) than those in the comparison group. To determine which of the psychological variables contributed more to telomere maintenance, two regression analyses were conducted. In the first model, which applied to the MTL, the following three factors were significant: age, absence of experiential avoidance, and Common Humanity subscale of the Self Compassion Scale. Similarly, in the model that examined the percentage of short telomeres, the same factors were significant: age, absence of experiential avoidance, and Common Humanity subscale of the Self Compassion Scale. Although limited by a small sample size, these results suggest that the absence of experiential avoidance of negative emotions and thoughts is integral to the connection between meditation and telomeres.

 

Increase Hemispheric Blood Oxygenation with Yogic Nostril Breathing

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Breathing in through your left nostril will access the right “feeling” hemisphere of your brain, and breathing in through your right nostril, will access the left “thinking” hemisphere of your brain.  Consciously alternating your breath between either nostril will allow you to activate and access your whole brain.” – Carole Bourne

 

Mindfulness practices have been shown to alter the brain, including short-term changes in activity and longer-term changes in the size and connectivity of brain areas and the chemistry of the nervous system. It is thought that many of the beneficial effects of mindfulness practices are mediated by these changes in the nervous system. Yoga practice is a mindfulness technique that has documented benefits for the individual’s psychological and physical health and well-being. It has also been shown to produce short- and long-term changes in the brain. It is thus likely that yoga practice also produces its beneficial effects by altering the brain.

 

Yoga consists of a number of components including, poses, breathing exercises, meditation, concentration, and philosophy/ethics.  So, it is difficult to determine which facet or combination of facets of yoga are responsible for which benefit. Hence, it is important to begin to test each component in isolation to determine its effects. In a previously reviewed study the effects of yogic breathing techniques, specifically, left or right or alternating nostril breathing, it was found that these forms of breathing produce improvements in spatial and verbal memory ability. (LINK to Garg et al. study) These effects of left or right nostril breathing are thought to be produced by changing the oxygen flows to the individual neural hemispheres.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effect of uninostril yoga breathing on brain hemodynamics: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1250194438337813/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728953/

Singh and colleagues examine the effects of left or right nostril breathing on oxygen and blood volume flows to the left and right hemispheres. They measured blood volume and oxygen levels in experienced yoga practitioners using a sophisticated optical imaging technique called Functional near-infrared spectroscopy. They were measured on separate days for the effects of left nostril, right nostril, or breath awareness (control condition) on hemispheric blood flows.

 

They found that with right nostril breathing there was an increase in blood oxygen and blood volume to the left prefrontal cortex while left nostril breathing produced an increase in blood oxygen and blood volume to the right prefrontal cortex. Hence, nostril breathing produces increased flow and oxygenation to the contralateral hemisphere. This would suggest that right nostril breathing would produce increments in left hemisphere functions such as verbal, mathematical, or logical functions, while left nostril breathing would produce increases in right hemisphere functions such as spatial, emotional, or artistic functions. It will be up to future research to test this conjecture.

 

The results, though, do demonstrate that yogic nostril breathing differentially effects blood flows and oxygenation to the contralateral hemisphere. This provides an underlying mechanism for the effects of yogic nostril breathing.

 

So, increase hemispheric blood oxygenation with yogic nostril breathing.

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

“Breathing consciously is a powerful act. The process of breathing sits directly at the interface of our voluntary nervous system (aspects of our physiology under our conscious control) and our autonomic nervous system (aspects generally not under conscious control). It’s a direct path for us to communicate quickly to the brain via what we do with our body.” – Paula Watkins

 

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

 

Study Summary

Singh, K., Bhargav, H., & Srinivasan, T. (2016). Effect of uninostril yoga breathing on brain hemodynamics: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. International Journal of Yoga, 9(1), 12–19. http://doi.org/10.4103/0973-6131.171711

 

Abstract

Objectives: To measure the effect of the right and left nostril yoga breathing on frontal hemodynamic responses in 32 right handed healthy male subjects within the age range of 18–35 years (23.75 ± 4.14 years).

Materials and Methods: Each subject practiced right nostril yoga breathing (RNYB), left nostril yoga breathing (LNYB) or breath awareness (BA) (as control) for 10 min at the same time of the day for three consecutive days, respectively. The sequence of intervention was assigned randomly. The frontal hemodynamic response in terms of changes in the oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb), deoxygenated hemoglobin (deoxyHb), and total hemoglobin (totalHb or blood volume) concentration was tapped for 5 min before (pre) and 10 min during the breathing practices using a 16 channel functional near-infrared system (FNIR100-ACK-W, BIOPAC Systems, Inc., U.S.A.). Average of the eight channels on each side (right and left frontals) was obtained for the two sessions (pre and during). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 10.0 through paired and independent samples t-test.

Results: Within group comparison showed that during RNYB, oxyHb levels increased significantly in the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) as compared to the baseline (P = 0.026). LNYB showed a trend towards significance for reduction in oxyHb in the right hemisphere (P = 0.057). Whereas BA caused significant reduction in deoxyHb (P = 0.023) in the left hemisphere. Between groups comparison revealed that oxyHb and blood volume in the left PFC increased significantly during RNYB as compared to BA (oxyHb: P =0.012; TotalHb: P =0.017) and LNYB (oxyHb: P =0.024; totalHb: P =0.034).

Conclusion: RNYB increased oxygenation and blood volume in the left PFC as compared to BA and LNYB. This supports the relationship between nasal cycle and ultradian rhythm of cerebral dominance and suggests a possible application of uninostril yoga breathing in the management of psychopathological states which show lateralized cerebral dysfunctions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728953/

 

Decrease PMS with Mindfulness

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Smiling young girl drinking tea and writing

“Meditation helps manage PMS in many ways. Meditation helps put PMS in perspective – that it’s a short-term problem and that most of the time, you feel good. It helps ease the guilt of difficult-to-control emotional outbursts – PMS is a medical condition! Meditation helps calm the erratic thought patterns and wild emotional fluctuations by putting the body and mind into a deeply relaxed state.”  – Steven Johnson

 

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is very common in women during the childbearing years. Almost 85% of American women, between 20 years old and 40 years old, experience PMS and around 5% of these women are disabled by extremely severe symptoms. It is often accompanied with depression and called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and can be dangerous as the suicide rate for patients with depression is much higher in the second half of the menstrual cycle.

 

PMS produces physical symptoms such as Joint or muscle pain, headache, fatigue, weight gain related to fluid retention, abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, acne flare-ups, and constipation or diarrhea. These symptoms are accompanied by a constellation of psychological symptoms such as tension or anxiety, depressed mood, crying spells, mood swings and irritability or anger, appetite changes and food cravings, trouble falling asleep (insomnia), social withdrawal, and poor concentration. Rather than improve with age, PMS can get worse as patients age and approach menopause.

 

For most women PMS is left untreated, with the women simply putting up with the misery. But for some drugs are prescribed such as antidepressants, NSAIDs, diuretics, and hormones. These are all accompanied by significant side effects. There is, therefore, a need to find safe and effective treatment for the torment of PMS. Mindfulness training has been shown to improve the physical and psychological state of women and men. It would seem reasonable to examine whether mindfulness training might be helpful with PMS.

 

In today’s Research News article “Relationships Among Premenstrual Symptom Reports, Menstrual Attitudes, and Mindfulness.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1246921738665083/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4859870/

Lustyk and colleagues examined the relationships between mindfulness, premenstrual attitudes, and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) symptoms in college age women, all of whom reported some level of PMS symptoms. They found that a number of aspects of mindfulness, including overall mindfulness and the observing, describing, and non-reacting facets of mindfulness were significantly negatively associated with overall and individual PMS symptoms, including pain, emotions, food cravings, and fluid retention. They found that the greater the levels of mindfulness the less the PMS symptom severity.

 

Lustyk and colleagues also measured the women’s attitudes regarding menstruation. They found that the greater degree the women perceived menstruation as a debilitating event and the better they were at predicting the onset of menstruation, the lower the PMS symptoms. They also found that mindfulness moderated these effects; the higher the levels of mindfulness the smaller the relationships between these attitudes with PMS symptoms.

 

These results are encouraging. They are however correlational. There was no manipulation of mindfulness or mindfulness training. So, it can’t be concluded that mindfulness caused improvements in PMS symptoms. It could be that low PMS symptoms improve mindfulness in women or that some other variable is related to both. It will take a manipulative research study to determine if there’s a causal relationship between mindfulness and PMS symptoms.

 

These cautions notwithstanding, mindfulness appears to be associated with lower PMS symptoms. This adds to the list of the beneficial effects of mindfulness to mental and physical health. It also suggests that mindfulness training may be a safe and effective alternative treatment for Premenstrual Syndrome in women.

 

So, decrease PMS with mindfulness.

 

“The incredible positive that I have gained by becoming aware of this connection is the awareness that has allowed me to work with my mind and body each month when these symptoms surface.  I can now respond to my body’s needs without reacting from a highly activated, emotional place.  It’s really made all of the difference. I now know what to expect and deal with myself more compassionately during this time of the month.” – Debbie

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Lustyk, M. K. B., Gerrish, W. G., Douglas, H., Bowen, S., & Marlatt, G. A. (2011). Relationships Among Premenstrual Symptom Reports, Menstrual Attitudes, and Mindfulness. Mindfulness, 2(1), 37–48. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-011-0041-x

 

Abstract

The physical and affective symptoms of a broad range of conditions are improved following mindfulness-based practices. One set of symptoms that has yet to be explored through the lens of mindfulness, however, is that associated with the premenstruum. Also, given the relationships among negative attitudes towards menstruation and amplified symptom reporting, it is reasonable to expect that mindfulness qualities cultivated through practices aimed at dispelling negative anticipatory and judgmental thinking will moderate these relationships. Thus, in this study we examined interrelationships among premenstrual symptom severity reports (PMSR), menstrual attitudes, and mindfulness qualities in a sample of 127 women (age range 18–26 years). Results revealed several statistically significant positive relationships between menstrual attitudes and PMSR. Also, higher scores on measures of mindfulness were significantly associated with lower PMSR. Moderating effects revealed that mindfulness significantly buffered the relationships between menstrual attitudes and PMSR, specifically between: anticipation of menses onset and PMSR as well as anticipation of menses onset and premenstrual water retention. These results may offer the first empirical evidence of relationships among menstrual attitudes, PMSR, and mindfulness qualities. Results from this study align with the body of research showing that mindfulness is predictive of improved symptomatology and well-being across varied conditions. We conclude with discussion supporting the development of a mindfulness-based intervention aimed at reducing symptom severity in premenstrual symptom sufferers.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4859870/

 

Improve Infants’ Neurocognitive Development with Mindfulness during Pregnancy

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Mindfulness infant auditory attention2 Van den Heuvel

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“If the mother is producing more stress hormones, they’re going to be transmitted to the fetus. Everything we do impacts the fetus. It’s kind of a marvelous thing. The fetus is getting information about what kind of a world it will be born into.” – Amy Beddoe

 

Pregnancy can be a time of heightened emotionality. This emotionality in the mother can affect the fetus. During pregnancy, the fetus is sensitive to the state of the mother and maternal anxiety can affect the fetus and continue to do so after birth. It has been demonstrated that mindfulness can help. Mindfulness training has been shown to improve anxiety and depression normally and to relieve maternal anxiety and depression during pregnancy. But, it is not known if mindfulness, independent of the mother’s psychological well-being, affects the fetus in utero and continues to do so after birth.

 

During the early development of the infant hearing and being attentive to sounds is important. In some species the first portions of the auditory system to develop are those tuned to the mother’s voice. Sounds are important cues to the infant of the state of the people around them and are signals of safety or potential danger. It is also important to language acquisition, as the first stage in learning to speak is hearing language in the environment. So, auditory attention is important to the development of the infant.

 

The infant cannot self-report what they hear and what they don’t and what they are paying attention to. So, in order to measure the infant’s capabilities, indirect methods are needed to assess auditory attention and processing. One method is to measure the electrical signals from the nervous system that can be recorded from the infant’s scalp in response to sounds. These are called auditory event related potentials (ERPs). The P150 component of the ERP (positive wave 150 milliseconds after the sound) has been shown to be an indicator of attention to the sound while the N250 component of the ERP (negative wave 250 milliseconds after the sound) has been shown to be an indicator of orientation to a particular sound. Hence, these electrical signals from the brain can be employed to provide a glimpse of the neurocognitive auditory processing of the infant.

 

In today’s Research News article “Maternal mindfulness and anxiety during pregnancy affect infants’ neural responses to sounds”

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1214700858553838/?type=3&theater

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350490/

Van den Heuvel and colleagues measured mindfulness and anxiety levels in pregnant women during each trimester of their pregnancy and 10 months postpartum. Then at 9-months of age, the mothers’ newborn infants were tested for auditory event related potentials (ERPs). ERPs were recorded in response to a repetitive sound and to new different sounds infrequently inserted into the stream of sounds. To relax the infant during the recordings, they sat on their mothers’ lap.

 

They found, as have others, that during pregnancy, the more mindful the mothers, the less anxious they were. They also found that there were significant opposite effects of maternal mindfulness and anxiety during pregnancy on how infants processed repetitive sounds. Infants whose mothers were high in mindfulness during pregnancy had larger P150 waves and smaller N250 waves. In contrast, infants whose mothers were more anxious during pregnancy had higher N250 waves. These effects were present for the repetitive sound, but there was no difference in the ERPs to the unusual sound.

 

The larger P150 wave suggests that the infants from mindful mothers were paying closer attention to the sounds and processing them more deeply while the smaller N250 wave suggests that the infants had reduced orientation to the sound. This indicates that they better recognized that they’ve heard this sound many times already. In contrast, the infants form mothers who were high in anxiety during pregnancy had larger N250 waves suggesting that they were overresponsive to repetitive stimuli. In addition, the infants of mindful mothers were not different in their responsiveness to a novel sound. These results further suggest that the infants of mothers who were mindful during pregnancy had more mature processing of sounds than infants whose mothers were low in mindfulness or high in anxiety.

 

These are remarkable results. The mother’s state of mindfulness during pregnancy not only affects the mother but positively affects the postnatal neural development of the infant. In contrast, the mothers state of anxiety during pregnancy negatively affects the postnatal neural development of the infant. The mechanisms of these effects are not known but it can be speculated that mindfulness’ ability to reduce the physiological and psychological responses to stress may produce greater calmness and relaxation in the mother during the difficult time of pregnancy and thereby reduce the stress on the infant. Conversely, high anxiety levels during pregnancy would be expected to heighten stress responses, negatively affecting the fetus. It will remain for future research to examine this hypothesis.

 

So, improve infants’ neurocognitive development with mindfulness during pregnancy.

 

“If I could choose only one tool you would take with you from . . . practice, it would be the capacity to be present. Being present forms the foundation for mindful motherhood. It’s the key to being a mindful mom. If being nonjudgmental, accepting, curious, and compassionate, and observing your experience and letting it be as it is without struggling against it are some of the rooms that make up the house of mindful motherhood, being in the present moment is the foundation of the house.” – Cassandra Vieten

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

Study Summary

RESEARCH NEWS – Mindfulness during pregnancy improves the infant’s postnatal neurocognitive development.

 

Van den Heuvel, M. I., Donkers, F. C. L., Winkler, I., Otte, R. A., & Van den Bergh, B. R. H. (2015). Maternal mindfulness and anxiety during pregnancy affect infants’ neural responses to sounds. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10(3), 453–460. http://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsu075

 

Abstract

Maternal anxiety during pregnancy has been consistently shown to negatively affect offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, little is known about the impact of positive maternal traits/states during pregnancy on the offspring. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of the mother’s mindfulness and anxiety during pregnancy on the infant’s neurocognitive functioning at 9 months of age. Mothers reported mindfulness using the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory and anxiety using the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) at ±20.7 weeks of gestation. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were measured from 79 infants in an auditory oddball paradigm designed to measure auditory attention—a key aspect of early neurocognitive functioning. For the ERP responses elicited by standard sounds, higher maternal mindfulness was associated with lower N250 amplitudes (P < 0.01, η2 = 0.097), whereas higher maternal anxiety was associated with higher N250 amplitudes (P < 0.05, η2 = 0.057). Maternal mindfulness was also positively associated with the P150 amplitudes (P < 0.01, η2 = 0.130). These results suggest that infants prenatally exposed to higher levels of maternal mindfulness devote fewer attentional resources to frequently occurring irrelevant sounds. The results show that positive traits and experiences of the mother during pregnancy may also affect the unborn child. Emphasizing the beneficial effects of a positive psychological state during pregnancy may promote healthy behavior in pregnant women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350490/

 

Improve Caregiver Quality of Life with Yoga

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“Caring for someone with dementia is made up of an infinite number of small moments where we can go either way, adding more stress or bringing more ease. The problem when we are not mindful is our words come out and our actions unfold too quickly for us to have a chance to choose the wisest, most beneficial route. Mindfulness practice slows us down and takes some of the edge off our reactive tendencies.” – Marguerite Manteau-Rao

 

Caregiving for dementia patients is a daunting and all too frequent task. It is estimated that over 15 million Americans are dementia caregivers. It is an intense experience that can go on for four to eight years with increasing responsibilities as the loved one deteriorates. In the last year, 59% of the caregivers report that they are effectively on duty 24/7. It is sad that 72% report relief when their loved one passes away.

 

This long and difficult process can take a major toll on the caregiver. On a practical level they frequently experience financial problems from lost income and have their careers interrupted. But, the greatest problems occur due to the intense levels of stress experienced by the caregivers. Around 2/3rd of caregivers report high emotional stress and over 1/3rd report high physical stress. This stress, in turn can have emotional consequences with over 1/3rd of caregivers reporting depression and many report family problems. In addition, dementia caregivers are more likely to have physical issues such as high levels of stress hormones, reduced immune function, increased hypertension, and coronary heart disease. Needless to say caregivers need care for themselves.

 

Reducing stress is very important for dementia caregivers. Stress not only jeopardizes their own health but also the quality of care they provide for their loved ones. Since mindfulness training has been shown to be effective in reducing both the psychological and physical responses to stress (see http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/category/research-news/stress/), it would seem be potentially useful for the relief of caregiver stress. Indeed, mindfulness training has been shown to reduce stress and depression, improve the quality of caregiving, and improve the quality of life for the caregiver (see http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/category/research-news/caregiving/). Hence, it would seem reasonable to further explore mindfulness practices to care for the caregiver.

 

In today’s Research News article “Yoga and compassion meditation program improve quality of life and self-compassion in family caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease patients: A randomized controlled trial”

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1170247206332537/?type=3&theater

Danucalov and colleagues applied an 8-week program of yoga and compassion meditation to a group of female Alzheimer’s caregivers and compared their response to those of a wait-list control group. At the end of yoga and compassion meditation training in comparison to before training and to the control group, the yoga group reported significant improvements in their quality of life including physical, psychological, environmental, and social domains. They showed increased mindfulness, improved vitality both immediately and in general, and increased self-compassion and self-kindness.

 

These findings are remarkable and potentially important. Yoga and compassion meditation training markedly improved the psychological and physical conditions for the caregivers producing a major improvement in quality of life. Training also increased their vitality which is critical given the intense fatigue that the caregiving can produce. How this practice might produce these benefits was not explored. But, the documented ability of yoga practice in reducing stress responses would seem a likely explanation. In addition, the compassion meditation may be a useful component as Loving Kindness Meditation has been shown to improve self-compassion and kindness toward others (see http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/category/contemplative-practice/loving-kindness/).

 

Regardless of the explanation, it appears clear that mindfulness training is effective in improving the physical and psychological problems experienced by dementia caregivers.

 

So, improve caregiver quality of life with yoga.

 

“Many of us follow the commandment ‘Love One Another.’ When it relates to caregiving, we must love one another with boundaries. We must acknowledge that we are included in the ‘Love One Another.” ― Peggi Speers

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies