Effectiveness of Karate in Oncology Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Cancer is a global health concern and affects patient quality of life, anxiety, depression, and sleep. Physical exercise shows promise in alleviating these effects. Karate is a holistic intervention that could be used to improve several outcomes related to cancer disease, but to date its effect remains unexplored. This quasi-experimental pre-/poststudy evaluated the effects of a 6-month karate program conducted twice a week for 60 minutes each session on quality of life, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and psychosomatic symptoms in 22 patients with posttherapy oncology. Significant improvements in quality of life (P = .006), anxiety (P < .001), depression (P < .001), and sleep quality (P = .011) were observed. Multidimensional psychophysical evaluation showed significant reductions in symptoms (P < .05). High participant satisfaction was reported across all dimensions. This pilot study shows the potential benefits in oncology patients, but more research is necessary to confirm these findings.

Clinical application of virtual reality in patients with cardiovascular disease: state of the art.

Virtual reality offers a multisensory experience to patients, allowing them to hear, watch, and interact in a virtual environment. Immersive virtual reality is particularly suitable for the purpose of completely isolating patients from the external environment to transport them away from the suffering related to the disease. On this state of the art, we summarize the available literature on the effectiveness of virtual reality on various physical and psychological outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Virtual reality has been employed in the cardiovascular field in various settings such as cardiac rehabilitation, interventional cardiology, and cardiac surgery. This technology offers promising opportunities to improve several outcomes related to cardiovascular disease, but further research is needed to entirely capture its benefits and to standardize the intervention.

Effects of live sax music on various physiological parameters, pain level, and mood level in cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Few randomized controlled trial studies have focused on the effect of music in cancer patients, and there are no randomized controlled trials on the effects of live music with saxophone in cancer patients. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of live saxophone music on various physiological parameters, pain level, and mood level. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial study. PARTICIPANTS: 52 cancer patients were randomized to a control group (n = 26), an experimental group (n = 26) whose members received 30 minutes of live music therapy with saxophone. MEASUREMENTS: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, glycemia, oxygen saturation, pain level, and mood level were measured before and after the live music performance. RESULTS: There was a statistical difference between the groups for oxygen saturation (0.003) and mood level (0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Live music performed with a saxophone could be introduced in oncology care to improve the oxygen saturation and mood in cancer patients.