Feasibility and acceptability of an integrated mind-body intervention for depression: whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility of an integrated mind-body MDD treatment combining cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and whole-body hyperthermia (WBH). METHODS: In this single-arm trial, 16 adults with MDD initially received 8 weekly CBT sessions and 8 weekly WBH sessions. Outcomes included WBH sessions completed (primary), self-report depression assessments completed (secondary), and pre-post intervention changes in depression symptoms (secondary). We also explored changes in mood and cognitive processes and assessed changes in mood as predictors of overall treatment response. RESULTS: Thirteen participants (81.3%) completed ≥ 4 WBH sessions (primary outcome); midway through the trial, we reduced from 8 weekly to 4 bi-weekly WBH sessions to increase feasibility. The n = 12 participants who attended the final assessment visit completed 100% of administered self-report depression assessments; all enrolled participants (n = 16) completed 89% of these assessments. Among the n = 12 who attended the final assessment visit, the average pre-post-intervention BDI-II reduction was 15.8 points (95% CI: -22.0, -9.70), p = 0.0001, with 11 no longer meeting MDD criteria (secondary outcomes). Pre-post intervention improvements in negative automatic thinking, but not cognitive flexibility, achieved statistical significance. Improved mood from pre-post the initial WBH session predicted pre-post treatment BDI-II change (36.2%; rho = 0.60, p = 0.038); mood changes pre-post the first CBT session did not. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size and single-arm design limit generalizability. CONCLUSION: An integrated mind-body intervention comprising weekly CBT sessions and bi-weekly WBH sessions was feasible. Results warrant future larger controlled clinical trials.Clinivaltrials.gov Registration: NCT05708976.

Feasibility and Preliminary Impact of a Web-Based Mind Body Intervention for Older Dementia Caregivers.

BACKGROUND: Mind-body interventions focused on intentional breathing and movement have been found to mitigate the negative effects of caregiving such as such as stress, psychosocial distress, and emotional distress associated for persons living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess the feasibility and acceptability and preliminary impacts of our 12-week mind body intervention "Gentle Yoga and Yogic Breathing" for caregivers of persons living with dementia on health outcomes including mutuality, depression and anxiety, loneliness and social support, quality of life, and physical function. METHODS: We conducted a single-group cohort study in which 20 caregivers were enrolled. Data were collected at baseline and at the 12-week post-intervention endpoint. RESULTS: The intervention was acceptable; 75% (n = 15/20) completed the study; 16 completed post-study questionnaires. Very few experienced technical issues; 31% (n = 3) most commonly reported as poor internet connectivity, 75% (n = 12/16) perceived a health benefit, 88% (n = 14/16) perceived improved day-to-day mood, and 100% (n = 16/16) would recommend the intervention to other caregivers. Although there was minimal change from baseline to 12 weeks, for health outcomes, there were very small improvements noted in anxiety and overall health. There were no reported adverse events. CONCLUSION: The intervention was well received and is feasible and acceptable for future studies of stress and health management interventions for caregivers of persons living with dementia.Registered with https://www.ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03853148).

Effects of mind-body exercise on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

IMPORTANCE: The increasing attention to the management of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women parallels the growth of the aging population. Although hormone therapy is commonly used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, it carries a potential risk of cancer. Recently, mind-body exercises have emerged as innovative approaches for improving menopausal symptoms and bone health. However, research findings have needed to be more consistent, highlighting the significance of this study's systematic review of mind-body exercise effects on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the impact of mind-body exercises, including tai chi, yoga, Pilates, qigong, baduanjin, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, on bone mineral density, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and fatigue among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Four electronic databases-PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science-were systematically searched from inception until July 2023. The search focused exclusively on randomized controlled trials to examine the impact of mind-body exercise interventions on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane Bias Risk Assessment tool. FINDINGS: A total of 11 randomized controlled trials, comprising 1,005 participants, were included in the analysis. Traditional meta-analysis indicated that mind-body exercise significantly enhanced bone mineral density in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women compared with control groups, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.41 (95% CI, 0.17 to 0.66; P = 0.001, I2 = 7%). In addition, significant improvements were observed in sleep quality (SMD, -0.48; 95% CI, -0.78 to -0.17; P = 0.002, I2 = 76%), anxiety reduction (SMD, -0.80; 95% CI, -1.23 to -0.38; P = 0.0002, I2 = 84%), depressive mood (SMD, -0.80; 95% CI, -1.17 to -0.44; P < 0.0001, I2 = 79%), and fatigue (SMD, -0.67; 95% CI, -0.97 to -0.37; P < 0.0001, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings of this meta-analysis demonstrate that mind-body exercise positively influences bone mineral density, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and fatigue among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Health Neuroscience-How the Brain/Mind and Body Affect our Health Behavior and Outcomes.

This Opinion piece discusses several key research questions in health neuroscience, a new interdisciplinary field that investigates how the brain and body interact to affect our health behavior such as health mindsets, decision-making, actions, and health outcomes across the lifespan. To achieve physical, mental, and cognitive health, and promote health behavior change, we propose that the prevention and treatment of diseases should target the root causes-the dysfunction and imbalance of brain-body biomarkers, through evidence-based body-mind interventions such as mindfulness meditation and Tai Chi, rather than dealing with each symptom or disorder in isolation through various treatment approaches.

The effects of adapted mind-body exercises on physical function, quality of life and wellbeing for older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Participating in physical activity programmes is one way to optimise wellbeing and quality of life in older adults. Mind-body exercises could provide greater benefits than other forms of traditional physical activity and can be easily adapted for older people who are starting to develop functional decline. OBJECTIVES: To synthesise the literature looking at the effects of adapted mind-body interventions on older people. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on articles from Web of Science, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, AMED and CINAHL that were searched up to 13 September 2023. Studies were extracted and assessed by two authors and included if they were adapted mind-body quasi experimental trials (QET) or randomised controlled trials (RCT) evaluating physical function, quality of life or wellbeing in community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and over. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 scale was used for quality appraisal. Analysis of the results included calculating standardised effect sizes (Hedge's g) and a narrative synthesis of results not included in meta-analysis. RESULTS: 18 studies (8 quasi-experimental trial designs, n = 310; 10 randomised control trials, n = 1829) were included in the systematic review, with 14 studies (9 RCT, n = 1776, 5 QET, n = 100) retained for meta-analysis. For the RCT studies, some improvement was noted in mobility (ES 0.36: 95% CI: 0.01, 0.71), flexibility (ES 0.36: 0.01, 0.70), well-being (ES 0.54: 0.18, 0.91) and quality of life (ES 0.50: 0.21, 0.79). No positive effect was observed for leg power (ES 0.09: -0.33, 0.51), leg endurance (ES 0.16: -0.72, 1.03), back scratch test (ES 0.24: -0.10, 0.59), or balance, (ES 0.05: -0.06, 0.15). Heterogeneity varied from 0%-87% across the different outcomes. For the QET studies, gait velocity was shown to improve (ES 0.54: 0.18, 0.91), while fear of falling showed no significant improvements (ES 0.82: -0.06, 1.69). A meta-regression for quality of life in which the total physical activity of the intervention, in hours, was used as a covariate, showed ES = 1.1 for every 100 h of physical activity. CONCLUSION: There is scope for adapted mind-body physical activity interventions to play a role in improving quality of life, wellbeing, and physical function in older adults. The provision of adapted interventions for older people might improve uptake of and engagement with physical activity interventions in older people with limited or reduced abilities.

Biofield therapies: Guidelines for reporting clinical trials.

A set of guidelines has been developed to help improve reporting of clinical trials of biofield therapies. The need for enhanced transparency when reporting trials of this family of integrative health practices, e.g., External Qigong, Healing Touch, Reiki and Therapeutic Touch, has been advocated in systematic reviews of these studies. The guidelines, called Biofield Therapies: Reporting Evidence Guidelines (BiFi REGs), supplement CONSORT 2010 by including details of the intervention protocols relevant to biofield therapy trials. BiFi REGs evolved through a draft document created by a core group, two rounds of a Delphi process with an international group of subject matter experts and two panels, meeting via Zoom, which included editors of complementary and integrative medicine journals. BiFi REGs comprises a 15-item Intervention checklist. Modifications of two other CONSORT topic areas are also proposed to enhance their relevance to trials of biofield therapies. Included for each item are an explanation, and exemplars of reporting from peer-reviewed published reports of biofield therapy trials. When used in conjunction with all other items from CONSORT 2010, we anticipate that BiFi REGs will expedite the peer review process for biofield therapy trials, facilitate attempts at trial replication and help to inform decision-making in the clinical practice of biofield therapies.

Biofield Therapies: Guidelines for Reporting Clinical Trials.

Highlights Guidelines have been created to improve the reporting of clinical trials of biofield therapies, e.g. External Qigong, Healing Touch, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch. Appropriate use of these guidelines is likely to strengthen the evidence base for biofield therapies as well as increase their usage as stand-alone practices and as complementary therapies within mainstream healthcare.

The impact of a virtual mind-body program on symptoms of depression and anxiety among international English-speaking adults with neurofibromatosis.

The neurofibromatoses (NFs) are a set of incurable genetic disorders that predispose individuals to nervous system tumors. Although many patients experience anxiety and depression, there is little research on psychosocial interventions in this population. The present study examined the effects of a mind-body intervention on depression and anxiety in adults with NF. This is a secondary analysis of the Relaxation Response Resiliency Program for NF (3RP-NF), an 8-week virtual group intervention that teaches mind-body skills (e.g., relaxation, mindfulness) to improve quality of life. Participants were randomized to 3RP-NF or the Health Enhancement Program for NF (HEP-NF) consisting of health informational sessions and discussion. We evaluated depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) at posttreatment, 6 months, and 12 months. Both groups improved in depression and anxiety between baseline and posttest, 6 months, and 12 months. The 3RP-NF group showed greater improvements in depression scores from baseline to 6 months compared with HEP-NF and with lower rates of clinically significant depressive symptoms. There were no between-group differences for anxiety. Both interventions reduced distress and anxiety symptoms for individuals with NF. The 3RP-NF group may be better at sustaining these improvements. Given the rare nature of NF, group connection may facilitate reduced distress.

Effectiveness of mind-body medicine for Hwa-Byung (a Korean cultural diagnosis of suppressed anger): A systematic review of interventional studies.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review analysed the effectiveness of mind-body modalities (MBMs) in Hwa-byung (HB). METHODS: Ten electronic databases were searched. Intervention studies using MBMs for individuals with HB, published up to July 2023, were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane RoB and ROBINS-I tools. Meta-analysis of continuous variables was presented as mean differences (MDs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Nine studies including five randomized controlled clinical trials, were included. The MBM types were meditation, relaxation, biofield therapy, art therapy, and forest-based MBM, and comprehensive HB programs. Most studies used an MBM group, with 5-6 sessions delivered during an average of 4-5 weeks. As a result of the meta-analysis, art therapy showed a statistically significantly better effect on improving the Hwa-Byung Scale (HB-S) score compared to the waitlist control (MD = -7.74; 95% CI = -9.81 to -5.66). In the before-and-after comparison, MBMs were frequently reported to have significant benefits for improving the HB-S total score (7/7, 100%), depressive mood (4/5, 80%), and state anxiety (6/8, 75%). Some methodological flaws were identified in the included studies, including the reliability of diagnosis, non-implementation of assessor blinding, and inappropriate control groups. CONCLUSIONS: This review identified potentially promising MBMs that were not previously recommended in the current HB clinical practice guidelines. In the future, high-quality clinical studies that include the use of standardized HB diagnostic criteria, homogeneous interventions, appropriate control groups, standard assessment tools such as the HB-S, and assessor blinding are needed.

Use of Complementary and Integrative Medicine for Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Decline.

Integrative medicine takes a holistic approach because it considers multiple aspects of the individual. This includes a person's physical, emotional, interpersonal, behavioral, nutritional, environmental, and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing that contribute to the Whole Person Health. There is increasing interest and popularity of integrative approaches to treating cognitive decline and dementia because of the multifactorial nature of aging and the limited pharmacological interventions available in treating cognitive decline and dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia. This review summarizes the existing evidence using complementary and integrative medicine therapies in cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. This includes the use of mind-body therapies, lifestyle interventions (nutritional, physical exercise, stress reduction), and other integrative modalities. Unfortunately, there are still limited studies available to guide clinicians despite the increasing popularity of integrative treatments.

Mind-body therapies adjuvant to chemotherapy improve quality of life and fatigue in top cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Breast, lung and colorectal cancers are 3 of the top 4 most common cancers worldwide. Their treatment with chemotherapy often results in adverse effects on quality of life, fatigue and functional exercise capacity amongst patients. Mind-body therapies, including yoga, Tai chi and Qigong, are commonly used as complementary and alternative therapies in cancer. This meta-analysis evaluates the effects of yoga, Tai chi and Qigong in alleviating the adverse effects of chemotherapy. METHODS: Various databases were systematically interrogated using specific search terms, returning 1901 manuscripts. Removal of duplicates, irrelevant studies, those lacking available data and applying inclusion/exclusion criteria reduced this number to 9 manuscripts for inclusion in the final meta-analyses. Mean differences were calculated to determine pooled effect sizes using RStudio. RESULTS: This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to demonstrate significant improvements in fatigue for colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with a reduction of -1.40 (95 % CI: -2.24 to -0.56; p = 0.001) observed in mind-body therapy intervention groups. CONCLUSION: Yoga, Tai chi and Qigong could all be implemented alongside adjuvant therapies to alleviate the adverse effects on colorectal cancer patient fatigue during chemotherapy treatment. REVIEW REGISTRATION: This systematic review and meta-analysis is registered on InPlasy: registration number INPLASY202390035; doi: https://doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2023.9.0035.

Effects of exercise therapy on pain and disability in patients with non-specific neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses have only focused on patients with chronic non-specific neck pain (NNP), analyzing exercise therapy (ET) only as therapeutic exercise. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively review the effects of ET through a meta-analysis comprising a wide range of ETs that are not limited to therapeutic exercise. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of ET on pain and disability in patients with NNP. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHOD: The studies selected for this study were based on the PICO-SD tool as follows: P (patient)-acute, subacute, and chronic NNP patents, I (intervention)-ET, C (comparison)-control and other therapy groups, O (outcome)-pain and disability, and SD (study design)-randomized controlled trial. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were included. The effects of ET on pain and disability in patients with chronic NNP were significantly different (pain: SMD -1.47, 95% CI: -1.89 to -1.06, I2: 94%; disability: SMD -1.79, 95% CI: -2.31 to -1.27, I2: 94%). The effects of ET on pain (ET vs control: SMD: -1.60, 95% CI: -2.09 to -1.11, I2: 94%; ET vs sham therapy: SMD: -8.75, 95% CI: -10.71 to -6.79) and disability (ET vs control: SMD: -2.16, 95% CI: -2.80 to -1.52, I2: 94%; ET vs sham therapy: SMD: -1.73, 95% CI: -2.42 to -1.05) in NNP patients were significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: This study verified the efficacy of ET in improving pain and disability in patients with chronic NNP. However, evidence supporting the efficacy of ET in patients with acute and subacute NNP is still lacking.

Self-care strategies for medical students: an uncontrolled mixed-methods evaluation of a mind-body-medicine group course.

BACKGROUND: High stress during medical education and its detrimental effects on student health is well documented. This exploratory evaluation study assesses a 10-week Mind-Body-Medicine student course, created to promote student self-care at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. METHODS: During 2012-2019, uncontrolled quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from 112 student participants. Outcomes including changes in perceived stress (PSS), mindfulness (FMI/MAAS), self-reflection (GRAS), self-efficacy (GSE), empathy (SPF), and health-related quality of life (SF-12) were measured between the first (T0) and last sessions (T1). Qualitative data were obtained in focus groups at course completion and triangulated with quantitative data. RESULTS: Quantitative outcomes showed decreases in perceived stress and increased self-efficacy, mindfulness, self-reflection, and empathy. In focus groups, students reported greater abilities to self-regulate stressful experiences, personal growth and new insights into integrative medicine. Triangulation grounded these effects of MBM practice in its social context, creating an interdependent dynamic between experiences of self and others. CONCLUSION: After completing an MBM course, students reported reduced perceived stress, increased self-efficacy, mindfulness, empathy and positive engagement with integrative concepts of doctor-patient relationships. Further research with larger randomized confirmatory studies is needed to validate these benefits.

Effects of traditional Chinese mind-body exercises for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a global public health concern. We performed this systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effects and safety of traditional Chinese mind-body exercises (TCME) for patients with CFS. Methods: We comprehensively searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP databases, and Wanfang Data from inception to October 2022 for eligible RCTs of TCME for CFS management. We used Cochran's Q statistic and I2 to assess heterogeneity and conducted subgroup analyses based on different types of TCME, background therapy, and types of fatigue. We also assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Results: We included 13 studies (n = 1187) with a maximal follow-up of 12 weeks. TCME included Qigong and Tai Chi. At the end of the treatment, compared with passive control, TCME probably reduces the severity of fatigue (standardised mean differences (SMD) = 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.64, 1.07, moderate certainty), depression (SMD = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.34, 0.72, moderate certainty), anxiety (SMD = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.11, 0.48, moderate certainty), sleep quality (SMD = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.10, 0.57, low certainty) and mental functioning (SMD = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.50, 1.29, low certainty). Compared with other active control therapies, TCME results in little to no difference in the severity of fatigue (SMD = 0.08; 95% CI = -0.18, 0.34, low certainty). For long-term outcomes, TCME may improve anxiety (SMD = 1.74; 95% CI = 0.44, 3.03, low certainty) compared to passive control. We did not identify TCME-related serious adverse events. Conclusions: In patients with CFS, TCME probably reduces post-intervention fatigue, depression, and anxiety and may improve sleep quality and mental function compared with passive control, but has limited long-term effects. These findings will help health professionals and patients with better clinical decision-making. Registration: PROSPERO: CRD42022329157.

[The benefits of corporal mediation in the psychic care of adolescents]. / Bienfaits des médiations corporelles dans le soin psychique chez les adolescents.

The actuation of the body and the bodily experience of each experience induce a continuous reshaping of the cerebral configuration of the human being, from birth to death. This ontogenetic dynamic is particularly important during adolescence. The young person's personality, still under construction, can be thrown off balance by traumatic experiences or repeated neglect. Adapted physical activity and psychomotricity, which focus on movement and the body, can help restore balance.

Do cancer curvivors and metavivors have distinct needs for stress management intervention? Retrospective analysis of a mind-body survivorship program.

PURPOSE: Cancer "curvivors" (completed initial curative intent treatment with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and/or other novel therapies) and "metavivors" (living with metastatic or chronic, incurable cancer) experience unique stressors, but it remains unknown whether these differences impact benefits from mind-body interventions. This study explored differences between curvivors and metavivors in distress (depression, anxiety, worry) and resiliency changes over the course of an 8-week group program, based in mind-body stress reduction, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and positive psychology. METHODS: From 2017-2021, 192 cancer survivors (83% curvivors; 17% metavivors) completed optional online surveys of resiliency (CES) and distress (PHQ-8, GAD-7, PSWQ-3) pre- and post- participation in an established clinical program. Mixed effect regression models explored curvivor-metavivor differences at baseline and in pre-post change. RESULTS: Compared to curvivors, metavivors began the program with significantly more resilient health behaviors (B = 0.99, 95% CI[0.12, 1.86], p = .03) and less depression (B = -2.42, 95%CI[-4.73, -0.12], p = .04), with no other significant differences. Curvivors experienced significantly greater reductions in depression (curvivor-metavivor difference in strength of change = 2.12, 95% CI [0.39, 3.83], p = .02) over the course of the program, with no other significant differences. Neither virtual delivery modality nor proportion of sessions attended significantly moderated strength of resiliency or distress change. CONCLUSION: Metavivors entering this mind-body program had relatively higher well-being than did curvivors, and both groups experienced statistically comparable change in all domains other than depression. Resiliency programming may thus benefit a variety of cancer survivors, including those living with incurable cancer.

Mind-Body Approaches for Managing Distress in Cancer Care.

Symptoms of distress are common in people living with cancer. Evidence-based interventions for distress management in patients with cancer include mind-body approaches. Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and min.