Participant experiences of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy group for cardiac rehabilitation.

Recently there has been a growth of interest in mindfulness-based psychotherapeutic approaches across a range of medical problems. Cardiac rehabilitation patients often suffer from stress, worry, anxiety and depression, all of which can lead to poor prognosis and worsening of cardiac symptoms. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) of participant experiences, this study reports on the first known Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy group adapted for cardiac rehabilitation. Analysis identified the development of awareness, commitment, within group experiences, relating to the material and acceptance as central experiential themes. The use of the approach was supported for this population.

Behavioral and pharmacological treatment of cigarette smoking: end of treatment comparisons.

Success in a stop-smoking treatment program was compared in patients who received behavioral treatment alone (BT) or behavioral treatment plus Nicorette gum (NT). The proportion of nonsmokers at the end of the 10-week program was higher with the groups receiving BT (82%) than in those receiving NT (50%). While the groups differed in their initial tolerance levels and number of previous quit attempts, the data suggest that the addition of Nicorette gum did not confer a substantial advantage over BT alone.

Assessment of lumbar EMG during static and dynamic activity in pain-free normals: implications for muscle scanning protocols.

The purpose of this study was to provide a thorough description of lumbar surface integrated electromyography (EMG) in pain-free normals during a standardized assessment protocol of static isometric and unresisted dynamic tasks. It has been proposed that in pain-free normals, symmetrical tasks that bend the trunk forward or extend the trunk backward produce symmetrical paraspinal EMG activity, and asymmetrical tasks that rotate or laterally bend the trunk produce asymmetrical paraspinal EMG activity. In addition, it has been observed that lumbar EMG assessment during static tasks has been more consistent than tasks involving dynamic activities. Twenty-eight pain-free normals were assessed during symmetrical and asymmetrical tasks in both static and dynamic activities in a counterbalanced manner. The assessment of paraspinal EMG patterns was conducted while subjects were secured in a triaxial dynamometer, which provided standardization of body position and concurrent measurement of torque, range of motion, and velocity. The results provided experimental evidence for the above-stated propositions. An implication derived from this research is that clinicians may be better served utilizing local norms when using EMG for classification purposes.