Improve Responses to Negative Emotions with Meditation

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Improve Responses to Negative Emotions with Meditation

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Stress and anxiety can cause any number of mental health issues, which can in turn lead to physical health issues (substance abuse springs immediately to mind). We’ve known for some time that meditation can help with many of these problems.” – Anne Green

 

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

 

The nervous system is a dynamic entity, constantly changing and adapting to the environment. It will change size, activity, and connectivity in response to experience. 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 has identified neuroplastic changes in widespread areas. In other words, meditation practice appears to mold and change the brain, producing psychological, physical, and spiritual benefits. Hence, the ability of mindfulness practices to improve emotional regulation should be reflected in relatively permanent changes in the nervous system that should become evident in the responses of the nervous system to emotional stimuli.

 

Emotions are usually measured by self-report. But, because emotional reactivity includes physiological reactions, emotional responses can be measured with these reactions. An interesting index is the response of the pupil of the eye. The dilation (enlargement) of the pupil is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, while its constriction (narrowing) is controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system. Since, sympathetic response reflects activation while the parasympathetic response reflects relaxation, the dilation and constriction of the pupil can provide a measure of the individual’s nervous system response to the immediate situation.

 

In today’s Research News article “Pupillary Response to Negative Emotional Stimuli Is Differentially Affected in Meditation Practitioners.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5413546/, Vasquez-Rosati and colleagues employ the pupillary response to gauge the nervous system response to emotional stimuli and how than may be modified in people who meditate. They compared meditators to non-meditators in their emotional ratings, heart rate, and pupillary response to pictures whose content was either emotionally positive, negative, or neutral.

 

They found that the meditators had a lower overall heart rate and rated all images as more positive than the non-meditators. In addition, the meditators rated the negative images as less activating. These results suggest that the meditators are more relaxed, generally respond more positively to everything, and are less reactive to negative situations. This was reflected in the pupillary response to negative images where the meditators showed initially a stronger constriction of the pupil followed by a weaker dilation than the non-meditators. This suggests that the meditators had a greater parasympathetic response and a diminished sympathetic response to negative stimuli than the non-meditators.

 

These results suggest that meditation practice alters the nervous system to produce greater relaxation and more positive responses to the world in general. This can be seen in the lower stress levels and better overall moods observed in meditators. Meditation also appears to alter the brains response to negative emotions, emphasizing parasympathetic responding, making it less responsive and activating. These are interesting results that suggest how mindfulness training may be altering nervous system responses to improve emotion regulation.

 

So, improve responses to negative emotions with meditation.

 

“there is viable evidence that practicing mindfulness meditation helps boost our defense against disease, and fosters wellness. —this research paves the way for the addition of a new wellness adage: “Meditation each day keeps the doctor away.” – 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 and on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Vasquez-Rosati, A., Brunetti, E. P., Cordero, C., & Maldonado, P. E. (2017). Pupillary Response to Negative Emotional Stimuli Is Differentially Affected in Meditation Practitioners. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 209. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00209

 

Abstract

Clinically, meditative practices have become increasingly relevant, decreasing anxiety in patients and increasing antibody production. However, few studies have examined the physiological correlates, or effects of the incorporation of meditative practices. Because pupillary reactivity is a marker for autonomic changes and emotional processing, we hypothesized that the pupillary responses of mindfulness meditation practitioners (MP) and subjects without such practices (non-meditators (NM)) differ, reflecting different emotional processing. In a group of 11 MP and 9 NM, we recorded the pupil diameter using video-oculography while subjects explored images with emotional contents. Although both groups showed a similar pupillary response for positive and neutral images, negative images evoked a greater pupillary contraction and a weaker dilation in the MP group. Also, this group had faster physiological recovery to baseline levels. These results suggest that mindfulness meditation practices modulate the response of the autonomic nervous system, reflected in the pupillary response to negative images and faster physiological recovery to baseline levels, suggesting that pupillometry could be used to assess the potential health benefits of these practices in patients.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5413546/

Mindfulness Improves Stress and Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

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Mindfulness Improves Stress and Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Studies show that for some people with MS, chronic exposure to stress is associated with worsening neurological symptoms and increased brain lesions. . . and relapses. Researchers believe that mindfulness may help people better respond to stress by fostering healthier coping strategies.” – Amit Sood

 

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive demyelinating disease which attacks the coating on the neural axons which send messages throughout the body and nervous system. It affects about 2 million people worldwide and about 400,000 in the U.S. It is most commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 50 years.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis. There are a number of approved medications that are used to treat MS but are designed to lessen frequency of relapses and slow the progression of the disease, but they don’t address individual symptoms.

 

Although there is a progressive deterioration, MS is not fatal with MS patients having about the same life expectancy as the general population. Hence, most MS sufferers have to live with the disease for many years. So, quality of life becomes a major issue. Quality of life with MS is affected by fatigue, cognitive decrements, physical impairment, depression, and poor sleep quality. There is thus a critical need for safe and effective methods to help relieve the symptoms of MS and improve quality of life over the lifespan. Mindfulness has been previously shown to improve depression, sleep quality, cognitive impairments, emotion regulation, and fatigue. A number of forms of mindfulness training including meditation, yoga, and tai chi have been shown to improve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Since, the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program incorporates meditation, yoga, and body scan, it may be particularly helpful for patients with MS.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis – a feasibility randomised controlled trial.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5434553/, Simpson and colleagues perform a pilot study of the effectiveness of a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. They recruited adults with Multiple Sclerosis and randomly assigned them to either receive 8 weeks, once a week for 90 minutes, of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or a wait-list control condition. Patients were encouraged to practice daily at home. They were measured before and after treatment and three months later for perceived stress, quality of life, fatigue mental health, social support, cognitive function, pain, visual function, bladder function, bowel function, sexual satisfaction, mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotional lability.

 

They found that immediately after treatment the MBSR group compared to the wait-list controls had significant improvements in their quality of life with small effect size and in perceived stress, depression, self-compassion, anxiety, and positive emotions with large effect sizes. For the most part these effects were maintained at the three-month follow-up. These results need to be replicated in a large randomized controlled clinical trial with an active control group.

 

The results demonstrate that MBSR has relatively large beneficial effects on the quality of life and psychological well-being of patients with multiple sclerosis that appear to endure, at least for three months after treatment. It will be important to see if continued practice at home can maintain the benefits for long periods of time.

 

But it is clear that mindfulness improves stress and psychological well-being in patients with multiple sclerosis

 

“Studies in multiple sclerosis, these have shown that mindfulness can improve quality of life and help people cope better with their MS. The studies also found that it decreased stress, anxiety and depression.” – Multiple Sclerosis Trust

 

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

 

Simpson, R., Mair, F. S., & Mercer, S. W. (2017). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis – a feasibility randomised controlled trial. BMC Neurology, 17, 94. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-017-0880-8

 

Abstract

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a stressful condition. Mental health comorbidity is common. Stress can increase the risk of depression, reduce quality of life (QOL), and possibly exacerbate disease activity in MS. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) may help, but has been little studied in MS, particularly among more disabled individuals.

Methods

The objective of this study was to test the feasibility and likely effectiveness of a standard MBSR course for people with MS. Participant eligibility included: age > 18, any type of MS, an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).

Results

Fifty participants were recruited and randomised (25 per group). Trial retention and outcome measure completion rates were 90% at post-intervention, and 88% at 3 months. Sixty percent of participants completed the course. Immediately post-MBSR, perceived stress improved with a large effect size (ES 0.93; p < 0.01), compared to very small beneficial effects on QOL (ES 0.17; p = 0.48). Depression (ES 1.35; p < 0.05), positive affect (ES 0.87; p = 0.13), anxiety (ES 0.85; p = 0.05), and self-compassion (ES 0.80; p < 0.01) also improved with large effect sizes. At three-months post-MBSR (study endpoint) improvements in perceived stress were diminished to a small effect size (ES 0.26; p = 0.39), were negligible for QOL (ES 0.08; p = 0.71), but were large for mindfulness (ES 1.13; p < 0.001), positive affect (ES 0.90; p = 0.54), self-compassion (ES 0.83; p < 0.05), anxiety (ES 0.82; p = 0.15), and prospective memory (ES 0.81; p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Recruitment, retention, and data collection demonstrate that a RCT of MBSR is feasible for people with MS. Trends towards improved outcomes suggest that a larger definitive RCT may be warranted. However, optimisation changes may be required to render more stable the beneficial treatment effects on stress and depression.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5434553/

Relieve Anxiety following Surgery with Meditation

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Relieve Anxiety following Surgery with Meditation

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Mindfulness trains you to view your thoughts differently. You learn to recognize and stop “mental time travel” — worrying about the future and ruminating about the past. Instead of following a worrying thought down the path of all possible negative outcomes, you learn to recognize it for what it is — one thought — and then let it go. This trains your brain to be less anxious.” – Deane Alban

 

It’s a normal human response to become anxious when confronted with highly stressful or frightening situations, such as undergoing heart surgery. Being overly anxious, however, can interfere with coping and recovery after surgery. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that mindfulness counteracts anxiety and mindfulness training is an effective treatment for a variety of forms of anxiety. Mindfulness training has been shown to be effective for anxiety disorders in general and in relieving test anxiety and social anxiety. It has yet to be demonstrated that mindfulness training can relieve the anxiety preceding and following major surgery.

 

In today’s Research News article “.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5408519/, Kiran and colleagues examine the ability of meditation training to relieve anxiety before and after coronary artery bypass grafting. They recruited patients (average age of 55 years) who were scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting for coronary artery disease and randomly assigned them to either receive meditation training or counseling about the surgical procedure. The mindfulness training occurred upon admission to the hospital and consisted of three instructional sessions on Rajyoga meditation and 3 10-minute meditations per day, once before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meditation continued daily prior to and following surgery. Prior to training anxiety was measured with a self-report and on the day of surgery and 2 and 5 days later anxiety and plasma cortisol levels (to measure stress responding) were measured.

 

They found that before training and right before surgery the groups did not differ in anxiety levels. But, on the 2nd day after surgery the meditation group was significantly less anxious than the control group and on the 5th postoperative day the difference was even greater. Before surgery plasma cortisol levels did not differ between groups but the meditation group had a significantly smaller increase in cortisol immediately after surgery and a return to the normal range on the 5th postoperative day. Hence, meditation appears to lower postsurgical anxiety and stress levels. This may promote faster recovery from the procedure. It is interesting that such a simple and short-term mindfulness intervention can have such a large effect on anxiety and stress responding.

 

Anxiety is a fear of potential future negative events. It is dependent upon future oriented thought processes. Mindfulness training may counteract this by focusing the individual on the present moment. Since, there are no negative events there in the present moment, anxiety dissipates. In addition, mindfulness training improves the individual’s ability to see the negative future projections as they arise in the mind and recognize that they are not based in present reality. This can lead to reduced anxiety.

 

So, relieve anxiety following surgery with meditation.

 

“We have a bad habit of gathering up dramatic feelings and situations, clutching them to us as if they were prized possessions. We feel we are entitled to our ownership of this anxiety, and we believe we must hold onto it in order to keep ourselves emotionally safe. It takes a little courage, but meditation can help us see and nurture our internal strength, so we can separate ourselves from drama and achieve anxiety relief.” – Ram Das

 

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

 

Kiran, U., Ladha, S., Makhija, N., Kapoor, P. M., Choudhury, M., Das, S., … Airan, B. (2017). The Role of Rajyoga Meditation for Modulation of Anxiety and Serum Cortisol in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Control Study. Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia, 20(2), 158–162. http://doi.org/10.4103/aca.ACA_32_17

 

Abstract

Introduction:

Rajyoga meditation is a form of mind body intervention that is promoted by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. This form of meditation can be easily performed without rituals or mantras and can be practiced anywhere at any time. The practice of Rajyoga meditation can have beneficial effects on modulating anxiety and cortisol level in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery.

Materials and Methods:

A prospective randomized control study was carried out in a single tertiary care center. One hundred and fifty patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomized in two groups namely, Group 1 (Rajyoga group) and Group 2 (Control Group). Anxiety was measured on a visual analog scale 1–10 before the start of Rajyoga training or patient counseling (T1), on the morning of the day of surgery (T2), on the 2nd postoperative day (T3), and on the 5th postoperative day (T4). The serum cortisol level was measured in the morning of the day of surgery (T1), on the 2nd postoperative day (T2) and on the 5th postoperative day (T3), respectively.

Results:

In the study, it was seen that the anxiety level of the patients before the surgery (T1) and on the day of surgery (T2) were comparable between the two groups. However on the 2nd postoperative day (T3), the patients who underwent Rajyoga training had lower anxiety level in comparison to the control group (3.12 ± 1.45 vs. 6.12 ± 0.14, P < 0.05) and on the 5th postoperative day (T4) it was seen that Rajyoga practice had resulted in significant decline in anxiety level (0.69 ± 1.1 vs. 5.6 ± 1.38, P < 0.05). The serum cortisol level was also favorably modulated by the practice of Rajyoga meditation.

Conclusion:

Mindbody intervention is found to effective in reducing the anxiety of the patients and modulating the cortisol level in patients undergoing wellknown stressful surgery like coronary artery bypass surgery.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5408519/

Reduce High Blood Pressure with Mindfulness

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Reduce High Blood Pressure with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“meditators showed not only a significant reduction in blood pressure, but they also had nearly 50% lower rates of heart attack, stroke and mortality compared to non-meditating controls.” – Elaine Pomfrey

 

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) is an insidious disease because there are no overt symptoms. The individual feels fine. But it can be deadly as more than 360,000 American deaths, roughly 1,000 deaths each day, had high blood pressure as a primary or contributing cause. In addition, hypertension markedly increases the risk heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease.  Hypertension is present in about 70% of first heart attacks, about 80% of first strokes, and about 70% of chronic heart failures. It is also a very common disorder with about 70 million American adults (29%) having high blood pressure and only about half (52%) of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control. Additionally, nearly a third of American adults have prehypertension, with blood pressure higher than normal, but not yet considered hypertension.

 

High blood pressure, because it doesn’t have any primary symptoms, is usually only diagnosed by direct measurement of blood pressure usually by a health care professional. When hypertension is chronically present over three quarters of patients are treated with antihypertensive drugs. But these medications often have adverse side effects. So, patients feel lousy when taking the drugs, but fine when they’re not. So, compliance is a major issue with many patients not taking the drugs regularly or stopping entirely.

 

Obviously, there is a need for alternative to drug treatments for hypertension. Mindfulness practices have been shown to aid in controlling hypertension. It is not known, however, which practices work best. In today’s Research News article “The Effect of Three Different Meditation Exercises on Hypertension: A Network Meta-Analysis.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424182/, Yang and colleagues compare the effectiveness of three different mindfulness practices, Qigong, Tai Chi, and yoga, in controlling hypertension. They reviewed and summarized 19 research articles from the published literature that measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after training in either Qigong, Tai Chi, or yoga.

 

They report that all three practices helped to relieve hypertension, significantly lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in comparison to control participants. But, they also report that Qigong produced superior results, lowering blood pressure to a greater extent than either Tai Chi, or yoga. It needs to be recognized, however, that the current review did not contain any direct comparisons between the three mindfulness techniques. Rather, different studies employing different techniques were compared statistically. It will be important in the future to explore direct comparisons between techniques within the same study.

 

Regardless, these findings suggest that the amount of exercise is not the important component of the practices for blood pressure reduction. Yoga, arguably, contains the most exercise, Tai Chi next and Qigong last, exactly the opposite ordering to the results. These results are a bit surprising in that Qigong and Tai Chi are very similar, each involving slow mindful movements, breath control, and meditative focus. The difference is that Qigong employs fewer and simpler movements than Tai Chi. It is possible that the simplicity of Qigong is more conducive to clearing the mind and relaxing which in turn reduces blood pressure. It should be emphasized that all were effective in lowering blood pressure. It remains for future research to begin to clarify which of Qigong, Tai Chi, and yoga is best in controlling hypertension.

 

So, reduce high blood pressure with mindfulness.

 

“Researchers believe that the deep rest achieved through TM sparks biochemical changes that help the body and mind reach a more balanced state, in turn triggering the body’s own self-repair mechanism.” – Carol Sorgen

 

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

 

Yang, H., Wu, X., & Wang, M. (2017). The Effect of Three Different Meditation Exercises on Hypertension: A Network Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM, 2017, 9784271. http://doi.org/10.1155/2017/9784271

 

Abstract

We aimed to use the pairwise and network meta-analysis to estimate the effects of different meditation exercises on the control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from PubMed and Embase up to June 2016, which are published in English and reported on meditation exercise for hypertensive patients. Risks of bias assessment of the included studies were assessed by Cochrane Collaboration Recommendations and network meta-analysis was performed by ADDIS. Mean difference (MD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as the effect size. A number of 19 RCTs were included in this study. Results of pairwise comparisons indicated that meditation exercise could significantly decrease the SBP and DBP, compared with other interventions (MD = −7.10, 95% CI: −10.82 to −3.39; MD = −4.02, 95% CI: −6.12 to −1.92). With good consistence and convergence, network meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences between meditation and other interventions on SBP. For DBP, Qigong was significantly lower than “no intervention” (MD = −11.73, 95% CI: −19.85 to −3.69). Qigong may be the optimal exercise way in lowering SBP and DBP of hypertensive patients, but a detailed long-term clinical research should be needed in the future.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424182/

Meditation Practice Alters Brain Networks in the Elderly

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Meditation Practice Alters Brain Networks in the Elderly

 

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. Studies on mindfulness interventions show these effects are common in as few as eight weeks. 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

 

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.

 

The nervous system is a dynamic entity, constantly changing and adapting to the environment. It will change size, activity, and connectivity in response to experience. 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 has identified neuroplastic changes in widespread area. and have found that meditation practice appears to mold and change the brain, producing psychological, physical, and spiritual benefits. 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.

 

The changes in the aging brain produced by meditation are not a simple increases in tissue throughout the brain but rather increases in some area and systems and decreases in others. In today’s Research News article “A longitudinal study of the effect of short-term meditation training on functional network organization of the aging brain.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5428857/, Cotier and colleagues studied the neuroplastic changes in brain systems produced by meditation in the elderly. They recruited health elderly participants (average age of years) and randomly assigned them to receive either 8 weeks of meditation or relaxation training. Training occurred in 22 90-minute group classes. “Meditation participants were taught to cultivate mindfulness through paying attention to the surrounding sounds and one’s own breathing, feelings and sensations on the present moment.” “Relaxation participants were taught diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and imagery relaxation techniques aimed at enhancing body awareness and reducing body tension.”

 

Before and after training the participants underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanning of their brains. They found that after 8-weeks of meditation practice there was reduced functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and somatomotor network (SMN) while after relaxation training these same systems showed increased functional connectivity. Also, in the meditation group “there was decreased connectivity strength between the DMN and other modules.”

 

These are very interesting results as the Default Mode Network (DMN) becomes active during wind wandering and relatively quiet during focused on task behavior. It is involved when we are engaged in internally focused tasks such as recalling deeply personal memories, daydreaming, sleeping, imagining the future and trying to take the perspective of others. The DMN involves neural structures including the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate cortices, precuneus, inferior parietal cortex, and lateral temporal cortex. These areas of the DMN are functionally connected, such that they are simultaneously active during mind wandering.

 

Hence the current results of reduced functional connectivity in the DMN and between the DMN and other neural systems suggests that the meditation practice resulted in changes in the brain reflective of decreased mind wandering and increased focused attention. These changes can be helpful to the elderly who demonstrate increasing difficulties with attention. These changes may underlie the ability of meditation practice to reduce cognitive decline in the elderly. Hence, they suggest that meditation practice by the elderly can change their nervous systems in beneficial ways, decreasing the tendency for the mind to wander away from the task at hand and improving attentional ability and thereby reducing the deterioration of thought processes.

 

So, alter brain networks in the elderly with meditation practice.

 

“at a time when Americans are living longer than ever before but experiencing higher rates of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders, the research is an important reminder that mindfulness can exert a long-lasting influence on brain health.” – Carolyn Gregoire

 

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

 

Cotier, F. A., Zhang, R., & Lee, T. M. C. (2017). A longitudinal study of the effect of short-term meditation training on functional network organization of the aging brain. Scientific Reports, 7, 598. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00678-8

 

Abstract

The beneficial effects of meditation on preserving age-related changes in cognitive functioning are well established. Yet, the neural underpinnings of these positive effects have not been fully unveiled. This study employed a prospective longitudinal design, and graph-based analysis, to study how an eight-week meditation training vs. relaxation training shaped network configuration at global, intermediate, and local levels using graph theory in the elderly. At the intermediate level, meditation training lead to decreased intra-connectivity in the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SAN) and somatomotor network (SMN) modules post training. Also, there was decreased connectivity strength between the DMN and other modules. At a local level, meditation training lowered nodal strength in the left posterior cingulate gryus, bilateral paracentral lobule, and middle cingulate gyrus. According to previous literature, the direction of these changes is consistent with a movement towards a more self-detached viewpoint, as well as more efficient processing. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of considering brain network changes across organizational levels, as well as the pace at which these changes may occur. Overall, this study provides further support for short-term meditation as a potentially beneficial method of mental training for the elderly that warrants further investigation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5428857/

Tai Chi Fails to Improve Pain and Quality of Life in Patients with Spinal Cord Disorders

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Tai Chi Fails to Improve Pain and Quality of Life in Patients with Spinal Cord Disorders

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“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. And you can get started even if you aren’t in top shape or the best of health.” – Harvard Health

 

Spinal cord injury is devastating to the individual. It results in a permanent cutting off the muscles of the body from the central nervous system and as a result paralysis. The severity of the paralysis depends on the location of the injury of the spine with the higher the injury the more widespread the paralysis. Worldwide there are approximately 375,000 people with a spinal cord injury. In the U.S. there are 17,000 new cases of spinal cord injury each year. Spinal cord injuries not only produce paralysis but reduce productivity and life expectancy. Indeed, people with spinal cord injuries have lower rates of school enrollment and economic participation and are two to five times more likely to die prematurely.

 

Beyond, the devastating physical consequences of spinal cord injury are difficult psychological, behavioral, emotional, and social issues. The vast majority of patients experience chronic pain and a decreased quality of life. In addition, depression and anxiety disorders are common. Since, spinal cord injury is permanent, it is important to address the pain and psychosocial consequences of the injury that may be present throughout the lifetime. These can be changed and can help the victim engage in a happier and more productive life. Mindfulness training may help. It has shown to be effective in reducing chronic pain, treat depression and anxiety disorders, and improve quality of life following a variety of diseases. Tai Chi practice includes mindfulness training and also gentle physical exercise which may also be beneficial for patients with limited mobility. Hence, it would seem reasonable to examine the ability of Tai Chi practice in treating the psychological consequences of spinal cord injury.

 

In today’s Research News article “Seated Tai Chi to alleviate pain and improve quality of life in individuals with spinal cord disorder.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5073764/, Shem and colleagues recruited participants with spinal cord injuries who had at least ability to move their arms and provided them with seated Tai Chi practice, once a week, for 90 minutes, for 12 weeks. They were strongly encouraged to practice at home with supplied videos. At the beginning and end of the 12-week training period they completed measures of pain, fatigue and depression. Throughout training, at the beginning and end of each weekly session they reported on their levels of pain, emotional well-being, physical, well-being, mental distraction, and spiritual connection.

 

Unfortunately, 60% of the participants dropped out for a variety of reasons before the completion of training, many due to the time required to commute to and attend training sessions. This seriously calls into question the tolerability of Tai Chi practice for patients with spinal cord injuries. Of those who completed training they reported after each session lower levels of pain and mental distraction, and increased levels of emotional well-being, physical, well-being, and spiritual connection. But, over the 12 weeks of training there was no significant improvements in pain, fatigue, or depression. Hence, there was some immediate benefits of Tai Chi practice, but no discernable long-term impact.

 

These are very disappointing findings that suggest that Tai Chi practice may not be the best treatment option for patients with spinal cord injuries. In a previous study, it was demonstrated that yoga practice improved the psychological well-being of for patients with spinal cord injuries and may be a better alternative treatment. Regardless, Tai Chi practice merits further study to determine if it can be of benefit to these patients when training is provided more conveniently.

 

“Tai chi—powerful enough for a warrior, so gentle your grandmother could practice it. If you suffer from neck and back pain or have just experienced a back injury, the low impact, yet restorative, movements tai chi is known for could be just the “moving meditation” you need to heal and strengthen your core.” – Toni Rivera

 

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

 

Shem, K., Karasik, D., Carufel, P., Kao, M.-C., & Zheng, P. (2016). Seated Tai Chi to alleviate pain and improve quality of life in individuals with spinal cord disorder. The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 39(3), 353–358. http://doi.org/10.1080/10790268.2016.1148895

 

Abstract

Context

Previous research studies have confirmed therapeutic physical and psychological benefits of Tai Chi for both the able-bodied and disabled populations. However, given the limited availability of seated Tai Chi, there have not been any studies to date that have examined the effectiveness of seated Tai Chi in individuals with spinal cord disorder (SCD). We designed a customized seated Tai Chi program to meet the need for improved exercise options for individuals with SCD.

Findings

Twenty-six participants were enrolled in a 12-week seated Tai Chi course consisting of weekly sessions. After each Tai Chi session, patients reported improved visual analog scale (VAS) monitoring pain (P) (3.18 v 2.93; P 1.63E-03), emotional sense of well-being (EWB) (2.61 vs 2.04; P 2.86E-07), mental distraction (MD) (3.13 v 2.29; P 9.36E-08), physical sense of well-being (PWB) (2.84 v 2.25; p 7.38E-08), and sense of spiritual connection (SC) (3.28 v 2.50; P 6.46E-08). In our limited follow-up of 9 participants who completed half of the sessions and the long term surveys after the 12-week course, there were no detectable differences in weekly P, EWB, MD, PWB, and SC before each session.

Conclusion and Clinical Relevance

Individuals with SCD demonstrated benefits in pain, emotional sense of well-being, mental distraction, physical sense of well-being, and sense of spiritual connection immediately after seated Tai Chi exercise sessions in our pilot study. More research in a larger population would be needed to study the long-term impact of seated Tai Chi.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5073764/

It’s a Wonderful World

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Image result for double rainbow

It’s a Wonderful World

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

(What a) Wonderful World – Bob Thiele and George David Weiss

 I see trees of green, red roses, too,
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white,
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky,
Are also on the faces of people going by.
I see friends shaking hands, sayin’, “How do you do?”
They’re really sayin’, “I love you.”

I hear babies cryin’. I watch them grow.
They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world

This is such a beautiful song that was sung by Louis Armstrong and has become a standard. It is what I consider a ballad of mindfulness. Its optimism and positive view of the world is exactly what is experienced when we are truly mindful, when we are centered in the present moment, when you take the time and open up to it without judging it.

 

If you look mindfully, carefully, with an open mind at everyday thing like “trees of green” and “red roses, too” you can witness the incredible beauty in a single leaf or the bloom of a flower. They’re a testament to the miracle of nature in which we are immersed. As eloquently stated by Georgia O’Keeffe “Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” To truly appreciate it you have to mindfully spend some time with it. But, if you do, you will be immensely rewarded. The flower that we so take for granted will suddenly become a thing of incredible beauty and complexity. You will see in this simple thing more than you could ever imagine. It will make you happy just to be alive and think what a wonderful world.

 

If you look up mindfully, carefully, with an open mind at the “skies of blue, and clouds of white” the “colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky” you will witness the power and glory of nature right in front of your eyes. If you take the time you will experience its’ ever changing nature with every moment a unique vista that has never happened before and will never happen again. You will see all movement of the air and moisture that our so essential to not only our lives but to every living thing on earth. As Joni Mitchell sung in “Both Sides Now”, Bows and flows of angel hair, And ice cream castles in the air, And feather canyons everywhere, I’ve looked at clouds that way.” The simplest everyday things are a treasure if you invest the time to experience them deeply. It too will make you happy just to be alive and think what a wonderful world.

 

If you look mindfully, carefully, with an open mind at the “the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night,” you can witness the daily cycle that is so fundamental to the planet and so influential to our entire being. Impermanence is on display. Everything about us changes from moment to moment over the day and night. These are called diurnal rhythms that encompass our activity cycles, our hormone levels, our mood, and even our cognitive abilities. Watch them carefully and you’ll see that you are never the same. Each moment, you and your world are different than they’ve ever been before or will ever be again. Treasure each and every moment throughout the day and night as they never will be repeated. The wonder of them too will make you happy just to be alive and think what a wonderful world.

 

If you look mindfully, carefully, with an open mind at “the faces of people going by” you can witness the extraordinary uniqueness of each and every one. Look deep into their being and see the struggles and burdens they bear and send loving kindness wishes their way. Recognize that

beneath the masks, below their insecurities, they are just like you. Recognize that their smile is “really sayin’, “I love you.” Looking deeply in yourself you will also find a sincere love for each and every one of them. Breaking through our judgments, our stereotypes, our assumptions and just seeing them as they are will open up an appreciation and wonder at every human life. The experience of this love that surrounds you and is in you will make you happy just to be alive and think what a wonderful world.

 

If you look mindfully, carefully, with an open mind at “babies cryin” and you “watch them grow” you’ll witness the wonder of a human life developing and thriving. Everyone loves a baby and your heart will glow with love and wonder if you just take the time to witness the good feelings in yourself. Don’t rush as the baby will never ever be the same again. It’s growing and changing moment to moment and you’ll be amazed to watch it acquiring more and more ability as it explores and test its’ world. Let yourself savor the love that the infant sends back to you. Simply allow yourself the time and focus to truly experience it. This too will make you happy just to be alive and think what a wonderful world.

 

The message of the song and this essay is to look carefully and mindfully at everything in your day to day experience. There is so much wonder, beauty, and love that you’ll experience a genuine happiness that comes from within. The simplest most common things are a source of joy if you take the time and open up to let them. It truly is a wonderful world.

 

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” ~ Henry Miller

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

Improve Mood and Stress Symptoms in Breast Cancer Survivors with Mindfulness

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Improve Mood and Stress Symptoms in Breast Cancer Survivors with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“One of the main reasons people with cancer use meditation is to help them to feel better. Meditation can reduce anxiety and stress. It might also help control problems such as pain, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, feeling sick, high blood pressure” – Cancer Research UK

 

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

 

Surviving cancer, however, carries with it a number of problems. “Physical, emotional, and financial hardships often persist for years after diagnosis and treatment. Cancer survivors are also at greater risk for developing second cancers and other health conditions.” (National Cancer Survivors Day). Also, breast cancer survivors can have to deal with a heightened fear of reoccurrence, and an alteration of their body image. Additionally, cancer survivors frequently suffer from anxiety, depression, mood disturbance, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sleep disturbance, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, loss of personal control, impaired quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms which have been found to persist even ten years after remission.

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to help with general cancer recovery and breast cancer recovery. Mindfulness helps to alleviate many of the residual physical and psychological symptoms, including stress,  sleep disturbance, and anxiety and depression. Most forms of mindfulness training contain a number of non-mindfulness components such as the social support and social interactions that occur in the course of treatment. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) versus Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET) for distressed breast cancer survivors: evaluating mindfulness and social support as mediators.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5406481/, Schellekens and colleagues examine the contribution of social support to the effectiveness of mindfulness training in alleviating distress in breast cancer survivors.

 

They recruited women with breast cancer and randomly assigned them to receive either 8-weeks of Mindfulness Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) or 12-weeks of Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET). MBCR was based upon Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program which includes body scan meditation, yoga, and meditation practice but was modified for cancer patients. MBCR was administered in 8 weekly 90 minute sessions with home practice strongly encouraged. SET is a group based program designed to develop mutual and family support and openness and emotional expressiveness. SET was administered in 12 weekly 90 minute group sessions. Before and after treatment the participants were measured for mood disturbance, stress symptoms, quality of life, mindfulness, and social support. Mood disturbance was calculated as the sum of anxiety, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion symptoms.

 

They found that the mindfulness program produced marked and significant reductions in mood disturbance and stress symptoms and increases in social support that were significantly greater than the Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET). Both groups increased in mindfulness but were not significantly different. Mediation analysis revealed that MBCR relative to SET reduced mood disturbance in part directly and in part indirectly by increasing social support which in turn reduced mood disturbance. Similarly, MBCR relative to SET reduced stress symptoms in part directly and in part indirectly by increasing social support which in turn reduced stress symptoms. This is an excellent study as it was randomized and the comparison condition was an active control which received appropriate treatment. This is a much stronger design than the typical wait-list no treatment control, excluding placebo effects and attentional effects as alternative explanations.

 

These results are interesting and suggest that the effectiveness of mindfulness treatments for mood disturbance and stress in cancer patients are due in part to mindfulness training increasing the amount of social support that the patient receives. Family and friends, if supportive, can do wonders to reduce the stress and emotional consequences of a cancer diagnosis. Mindfulness training by enhancing the social support improves mood and relieves stress. But, the results also show that mindfulness training itself produces reductions in emotional problems and the symptoms of stress independent of its effects on social support. This is not surprising as the ability of mindfulness training to improve emotional regulation and stress responding are well documented. So, it is clear that mindfulness training invokes a number of beneficial processes that assist the cancer sufferer in dealing with their illness.

 

So, improve mood and stress symptoms in breast cancer survivors with mindfulness.

 

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

 

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

 

Schellekens, M. P. J., Tamagawa, R., Labelle, L. E., Speca, M., Stephen, J., Drysdale, E., … Carlson, L. E. (2017). Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) versus Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET) for distressed breast cancer survivors: evaluating mindfulness and social support as mediators. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 40(3), 414–422. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-016-9799-6

 

Abstract

Despite growing evidence in support of mindfulness as an underlying mechanism of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), it has been suggested that nonspecific therapeutic factors, such as the experience of social support, may contribute to the positive effects of MBIs. In the present study, we examined whether change in mindfulness and/or social support mediated the effect of Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) compared to another active intervention (i.e. Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET)), on change in mood disturbance, stress symptoms and quality of life. A secondary analysis was conducted of a multi-site randomized clinical trial investigating the impacts of MBCR and SET on distressed breast cancer survivors (MINDSET). We applied the causal steps approach with bootstrapping to test mediation, using pre- and post-intervention questionnaire data of the participants who were randomised to MBCR (n = 69) or SET (n = 70). MBCR participants improved significantly more on mood disturbance, stress symptoms and social support, but not on quality of life or mindfulness, compared to SET participants. Increased social support partially mediated the impact of MBCR versus SET on mood disturbance and stress symptoms. Because no group differences on mindfulness and quality of life were observed, no mediation analyses were performed on these variables. Findings showed that increased social support was related to more improvement in mood and stress after MBCR compared to support groups, whereas changes in mindfulness were not. This suggests a more important role for social support in enhancing outcomes in MBCR than previously thought.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5406481/

Improve Exercise Capacity in Heart Disease with Mindfulness

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Improve Exercise Capacity in Heart Disease with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Why bother to do a mindfulness practice in addition to regular workouts?” You know that exercise can clear your head and turn around a bad mood. But when you add mindfulness in to the mix, you add rocket fuel to these already valuable benefits.” – Belief net
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack.” – Centers for Disease Control. A myriad of treatments has been developed for heart disease including a variety of surgical procedures and medications. But, these treatments can be costly, invasive, have major side effects, and often don’t address the root causes of the disease. On the other hand, the safest effective treatments for heart disease are lifestyle changes.

 

It has been demonstrated that lifestyle is a major contributor to the development of heart disease. quitting smoking, weight reduction, improved diet, physical activity, and reducing stresses have shown to be effective in treating heart disease. Contemplative practices such as meditation, tai chi, and yoga, have also been shown to be helpful for heart health have also been shown to be safe and effective treatments. In addition, mindfulness practices have also been shown to be helpful for producing the kinds of lifestyle changes needed such as smoking cessation, weight reduction, and stress reduction.

 

One problem with the employment of mindfulness treatment programs to treat disease is that they require patients to meet frequently with professional therapists in either individual or group settings. This can be inconvenient, costly, and time consuming and for many people who live in remote areas, unavailable. So, to overcome these problems, mindfulness based techniques have been successfully developed and delivered over the internet. In a study by Younge et al. it was demonstrated that a 12-week mindfulness intervention significantly improved exercise capacity and decreased heart rate and blood pressure. The study, however, did not include a long-term follow-up. So, it is unknown how long-lasting the effects of the mindfulness treatment may be. In today’s Research News article “Online mindfulness as a promising method to improve exercise capacity in heart disease: 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5423609/, Gotink and colleagues perform a 12-month follow-up of the patients included in the study by Younge et al.

 

They recruited adult patients with existing, diagnosed heart disease and randomly assigned to a 12-week on-line mindfulness training or a usual medical care condition. The mindfulness training program included different meditations, self-reflection, yoga, and practical assignments and suggestions for using mindfulness in day-to-day life. After completion of the program the participants continued to receive biweekly reminders to continue practice. The patients were measured before and after training and 9-months later for exercise capacity measured with the 6-minute walk test, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and cortisol levels, mental and physical functioning, anxiety and depression, perceived stress, and social support.

 

They found that similar to the benefits of mindfulness training documented at the end of training, 9-months later there were still small but significant improvements in the mindfulness group in exercise capacity, systolic blood pressure, mental functioning, and depression. These results are important in that they demonstrate that on-line mindfulness training can have lasting benefits for patients with heart disease. On-line training is inexpensive, convenient, and available to everyone with internet connections. It is effective for producing long-term improvements in exercise capacity in patients with heart disease allowing the patients to safely engage in beneficial exercise programs to strengthen the cardiovascular system. In addition, mindfulness training has been shown to help with producing other lifestyle changes that are beneficial for heart disease, Hence, it would be reasonable to suggest that on-line mindfulness training should be incorporated into standard  heart disease treatment programs.

 

So, improve exercise capacity in heart disease with mindfulness.

 

“There are well documented studies that show meditation reverses the physiologic manifestations of stress such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate.” – Joon Lee

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are

Improve Exercise Capacity in Heart Disease with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Why bother to do a mindfulness practice in addition to regular workouts?” You know that exercise can clear your head and turn around a bad mood. But when you add mindfulness in to the mix, you add rocket fuel to these already valuable benefits.” – Belief net
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack.” – Centers for Disease Control. A myriad of treatments has been developed for heart disease including a variety of surgical procedures and medications. But, these treatments can be costly, invasive, have major side effects, and often don’t address the root causes of the disease. On the other hand, the safest effective treatments for heart disease are lifestyle changes.

 

It has been demonstrated that lifestyle is a major contributor to the development of heart disease. quitting smoking, weight reduction, improved diet, physical activity, and reducing stresses have shown to be effective in treating heart disease. Contemplative practices such as meditation, tai chi, and yoga, have also been shown to be helpful for heart health have also been shown to be safe and effective treatments. In addition, mindfulness practices have also been shown to be helpful for producing the kinds of lifestyle changes needed such as smoking cessation, weight reduction, and stress reduction.

 

One problem with the employment of mindfulness treatment programs to treat disease is that they require patients to meet frequently with professional therapists in either individual or group settings. This can be inconvenient, costly, and time consuming and for many people who live in remote areas, unavailable. So, to overcome these problems, mindfulness based techniques have been successfully developed and delivered over the internet. In a study by Younge et al. it was demonstrated that a 12-week mindfulness intervention significantly improved exercise capacity and decreased heart rate and blood pressure. The study, however, did not include a long-term follow-up. So, it is unknown how long-lasting the effects of the mindfulness treatment may be. In today’s Research News article “Online mindfulness as a promising method to improve exercise capacity in heart disease: 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5423609/, Gotink and colleagues perform a 12-month follow-up of the patients included in the study by Younge et al.

 

They recruited adult patients with existing, diagnosed heart disease and randomly assigned to a 12-week on-line mindfulness training or a usual medical care condition. The mindfulness training program included different meditations, self-reflection, yoga, and practical assignments and suggestions for using mindfulness in day-to-day life. After completion of the program the participants continued to receive biweekly reminders to continue practice. The patients were measured before and after training and 9-months later for exercise capacity measured with the 6-minute walk test, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and cortisol levels, mental and physical functioning, anxiety and depression, perceived stress, and social support.

 

They found that similar to the benefits of mindfulness training documented at the end of training, 9-months later there were still small but significant improvements in the mindfulness group in exercise capacity, systolic blood pressure, mental functioning, and depression. These results are important in that they demonstrate that on-line mindfulness training can have lasting benefits for patients with heart disease. On-line training is inexpensive, convenient, and available to everyone with internet connections. It is effective for producing long-term improvements in exercise capacity in patients with heart disease allowing the patients to safely engage in beneficial exercise programs to strengthen the cardiovascular system. In addition, mindfulness training has been shown to help with producing other lifestyle changes that are beneficial for heart disease, Hence, it would be reasonable to suggest that on-line mindfulness training should be incorporated into standard  heart disease treatment programs.

 

So, improve exercise capacity in heart disease with mindfulness.

 

“There are well documented studies that show meditation reverses the physiologic manifestations of stress such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate.” – Joon Lee

 

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

 

Gotink, R. A., Younge, J. O., Wery, M. F., Utens, E. M. W. J., Michels, M., Rizopoulos, D., … Hunink, M. M. G. (2017). Online mindfulness as a promising method to improve exercise capacity in heart disease: 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE, 12(5), e0175923. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175923

 

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that mindfulness can reduce stress, and thereby affect other psychological and physiological outcomes as well. Earlier, we reported the direct 3-month results of an online modified mindfulness-based stress reduction training in patients with heart disease, and now we evaluate the effect at 12-month follow-up. 324 patients (mean age 43.2 years, 53.7% male) were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to additional 3-month online mindfulness training or to usual care alone. The primary outcome was exercise capacity measured with the 6 minute walk test (6MWT). Secondary outcomes were blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, NT-proBNP, cortisol levels (scalp hair sample), mental and physical functioning (SF-36), anxiety and depression (HADS), perceived stress (PSS), and social support (PSSS12). Differences between groups on the repeated outcome measures were analyzed with linear mixed models. At 12-months follow-up, participants showed a trend significant improvement exercise capacity (6MWT: 17.9 meters, p = 0.055) compared to UC. Cohen’s D showed significant but small improvement on exercise capacity (d = 0.22; 95%CI 0.05 to 0.39), systolic blood pressure (d = 0.19; 95%CI 0.03 to 0.36), mental functioning (d = 0.22; 95%CI 0.05 to 0.38) and depressive symptomatology (d = 0.18; 95%CI 0.02 to 0.35). All other outcome measures did not change statistically significantly. In the as-treated analysis, systolic blood pressure decreased significantly with 5.5 mmHg (p = 0.045; d = 0.23 (95%CI 0.05–0.41)). Online mindfulness training shows favorable albeit small long-term effects on exercise capacity, systolic blood pressure, mental functioning, and depressive symptomatology in patients with heart disease and might therefore be a beneficial addition to current clinical care.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5423609/

also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Gotink, R. A., Younge, J. O., Wery, M. F., Utens, E. M. W. J., Michels, M., Rizopoulos, D., … Hunink, M. M. G. (2017). Online mindfulness as a promising method to improve exercise capacity in heart disease: 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE, 12(5), e0175923. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175923

 

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that mindfulness can reduce stress, and thereby affect other psychological and physiological outcomes as well. Earlier, we reported the direct 3-month results of an online modified mindfulness-based stress reduction training in patients with heart disease, and now we evaluate the effect at 12-month follow-up. 324 patients (mean age 43.2 years, 53.7% male) were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to additional 3-month online mindfulness training or to usual care alone. The primary outcome was exercise capacity measured with the 6 minute walk test (6MWT). Secondary outcomes were blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, NT-proBNP, cortisol levels (scalp hair sample), mental and physical functioning (SF-36), anxiety and depression (HADS), perceived stress (PSS), and social support (PSSS12). Differences between groups on the repeated outcome measures were analyzed with linear mixed models. At 12-months follow-up, participants showed a trend significant improvement exercise capacity (6MWT: 17.9 meters, p = 0.055) compared to UC. Cohen’s D showed significant but small improvement on exercise capacity (d = 0.22; 95%CI 0.05 to 0.39), systolic blood pressure (d = 0.19; 95%CI 0.03 to 0.36), mental functioning (d = 0.22; 95%CI 0.05 to 0.38) and depressive symptomatology (d = 0.18; 95%CI 0.02 to 0.35). All other outcome measures did not change statistically significantly. In the as-treated analysis, systolic blood pressure decreased significantly with 5.5 mmHg (p = 0.045; d = 0.23 (95%CI 0.05–0.41)). Online mindfulness training shows favorable albeit small long-term effects on exercise capacity, systolic blood pressure, mental functioning, and depressive symptomatology in patients with heart disease and might therefore be a beneficial addition to current clinical care.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5423609/

Improve Caregiving for Family Members with Mental Illness with On-Line Mindfulness Training

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Improve Caregiving for Family Members with Mental Illness with On-Line Mindfulness Training

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“When specifically used with family caregivers, MBSR improves overall mental health, reduces stress and decreases depression. “ – Jane Hamilton

 

There is a tremendous demand for caregiving in the US. It is estimated that over 65 million (29% of the adult population) provides care to someone who is mentally or physically ill, disabled or aged, averaging 20 hours per week spent caring for their loved ones. This caregiving comes at a cost to the caregiver. It exacts a tremendous toll on caregivers’ health and well-being. Caregiving has been associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety as well as higher use of psychoactive medications, poorer self-reported physical health, compromised immune function, and increased mortality.

 

Providing care for a relative with mental illness can be particularly challenging. Mental illnesses can make it difficult to relate to the individual and receive the kind of positive feelings that can support caregiving. The challenges of caring for a relative with mental illness require that the individual be able to deal with stress, to regulate their own emotions, and to be sensitive and attentive. These skills are exactly those that are developed in mindfulness training. It improves the psychological and physiological responses to stress. It improves emotion regulation. And it improves the ability to maintain attention and focus in the face of high levels of distraction. So, it is not surprising that mindfulness improves caregiving and assists the caregiver in coping with the stress.

 

The vast majority of the mindfulness training techniques, however, require a certified trained therapist. This produces costs that many clients can’t afford. In addition, the participants must be available to attend multiple sessions at particular scheduled times that may or may not be compatible with their busy schedules. This is particularly true for caregivers where the demands on the individual are substantial. As a result, there has been attempts to develop on-line mindfulness training programs. These have tremendous advantages in decreasing costs and making training schedules much more flexible. But, the question arises as to whether these programs are as effective as their traditional counterparts.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effectiveness and Usability of a Web-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Families Living with Mental Illness.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5408047/, Stjernswärd and Hansson recruited adult participants who have a family member with a diagnosed mental illness. They were randomized into a mindfulness training and a wait-list control group. Mindfulness training occurred on-line and consisted of audio/video files, descriptive text files, and instructions for daily mindfulness exercises, and self-compassion exercises. It was recommended that participants engage in the training twice a day for 10 minutes, six days per week for 8 weeks. recommended training was set to 2 × 10 min/day, 6 days/week for 8 consecutive weeks.

 

Participants were measured before and after training and 3-months later for mindfulness, caregiver quality of life, self-compassion, and perceived stress. They found that mindfulness training produced significant increases in mindfulness, self-compassion, and caregiver quality of life, including relational problems, mental health, and problems with daily activities and significant reductions in perceived stress.

 

These are interesting results but must be tempered with the knowledge that the control condition was a no-treatment, wait-list control. So, the results could be due to confounding factors such as placebo effects, experimenter bias, attention effects, etc. But, they suggest that mindfulness training for caregivers with family members with mental illnesses can be successfully delivered on-line. If the results are supported by better controlled trials, they could be important in that improvements in the mental health and quality of life can be offered to caregivers in a convenient and inexpensive format. This could be very helpful in relieving a difficult situation for the caregivers and result in improved caregiving.

 

So, improve caregiving for family members with mental illness with on-line mindfulness training.

 

“5 Steps to Avoid Caregiver Burnout

  1. Develop a mindfulness practice, whether it’s yoga, meditation, or Qigong.
  2. Incorporate mini-mindfulness moments. Set aside time several times a day to ground yourself and to be in the present moment.
  3. Learn to accept your emotions, both pleasant and unpleasant, rather than wishing them away.
  4. Recognize the need for self-care in caregiving. Taking time for yourself may be an old piece of advice but it’s essential.
  5. Find a support network that can help you build a mindfulness practice, whether it is your friend, the YMCA, or a meditation group.” – Jason Drwal

 

 

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

Stjernswärd, S., & Hansson, L. (2017). Effectiveness and Usability of a Web-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Families Living with Mental Illness. Mindfulness, 8(3), 751–764. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0653-2

 

Abstract

Families living with mental illness express needs of support and experiences of burden that may affect their own health detrimentally and hence also their ability to support the patient. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial health effects in both clinical and healthy populations. The aim of the current study was to explore the effectiveness and usability of a web-based mindfulness program for families living with mental illness, which was first tested in a feasibility study. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial with an experiment group and a wait-list control group with assessments on primary and secondary outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Significant positive improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion, and significant decreases in perceived stress and in certain dimensions of caregiver burden were found, with good program usability. Easily accessible mindfulness-based interventions may be useful in addressing caregivers’ needs of support and in preventing further ill health in caregivers. Further studies are needed, among others, to further customize interventions and to investigate the cost-effectiveness of such programs.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5408047/