Advances in Mind-Body Medicine最新文献

Objective: The present study aims to explore whether there is a relationship between the levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) enzymes and physical activity and diet from the perspective of Iranian traditional medicine to achieve enzymatic balance.

Method: The research design is quasi-experimental with three experimental groups and one control group, and includes pre-test and post-test assessments. The sample population consisted of 60 young men aged between 20-40 years attending Asou Sports Club in Ahvaz, who were randomly divided into four 15-member groups, including aerobic exercise, nutrition, combined aerobic exercise and nutrition, and control. The aerobic group received eight weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, consisting of 3 sessions per week, each lasting 45 minutes at 64%-76% of maximum heart rate. Participants were recommended to take mood assessment tests and a personalized diet plan. Individuals with a cold temperament were eligible to participate in the study. The exercise and nutrition group received both interventions, while the control group received no intervention. Blood levels of ALT and AST were measured at a laboratory. Descriptive indices and statistical tests such as multiple and multivariate covariate analyses were used to analyze the data.

Results: The results showed that eight weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and nutrition with traditional Iranian medicine approach had a significant effect on ALT and AST levels in young boys, resulting in an improved regulation of these enzymes (P < .05).

Conclusion: The implementation of dietary restrictions and substitutes, along with appropriate aerobic activities, can be effective in regulating liver enzymes.

Background: The landscape of healthcare for medical professionals is undergoing significant changes during a global rise in obesity and mental health issues, particularly in the context of eating disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with sedentary lifestyles and job loss, has exacerbated food obsession and mental health challenges, highlighting the need for effective treatments.

Objective: This review aims to explore the impact of supportive interventions in managing eating disorders within the evolving landscape of medical professionals' approaches, focusing on the adoption of new tools and approaches.

Methods: A comprehensive analysis of current literature and data sources was conducted to examine the healthcare landscape's transformation and its implications for treating eating disorders. Various treatment modalities, including therapy, education, medication, and support groups, were evaluated in light of recent changes in medical practice.

Results: The review identified a growing body of research highlighting the effectiveness of supportive interventions, such as cognitive behavior therapy, mindfulness, and participation in peer support groups in improving emotional eating patterns and facilitating long-term weight management. The findings underscore the growing prevalence of obesity and mental health issues, with a significant portion of individuals experiencing food obsession and overeating. Despite this, recognition and treatment of obesity-related psychological issues remain inadequate, partly due to a shortage of mental health professionals. Treatment options for eating disorders may include bariatric surgery, therapy, education, medication, and supportive interventions. Support groups such as Overeaters Anonymous (OA) have shown promise in helping individuals manage eating disorders and achieve healthier lifestyles.

Conclusions: The shifting healthcare landscape necessitates a proactive approach from medical professionals to address the complex relationship between obesity, mental health, and eating disorders. Integrating peer support groups and holistic treatment approaches alongside traditional medical interventions can enhance outcomes and promote long-term weight management.

Introduction: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is prevalent in about 1 in 1000 people. A 39-year-old female diagnosed with HT was having unsuccessful symptom resolution with conventional thyroxine (T4) replacement therapy. In 60 days, there was a remarkable reduction of thyroid antibodies (Ab), improvement of thyroid hormones, and cardiometabolic biomarkers following a Paleolithic diet (PD).

Case description: A patient unable to lose weight or alleviate gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms after maintaining clinical thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels through conventional T4 medication therapy saw significant reductions in thyroglobulin (47.5%) and thyroid peroxidase (28.9%) Abs, and significant improvement in TSH (36.4%) total T4 (21.5%) and total T3 (33.3%) after 60-day treatment intervention with the PD. Improvements were also seen in HDL (31.6%), LDL (8.9%), total cholesterol (14.9%), and weight (11.5%). The client adhered to a weekly step process of avoidance of foods that have known hypersensitivities and consumed high-quality fats, fermented foods, filtered water, and green tea, and took a daily nutritional supplementation of vitamin D used in conjunction with a homemade turmeric spice blend. Upon final follow-up, the client had a remarkable reduction in symptoms.

Conclusion: The Paleolithic diet may be used as a nutritional therapeutic protocol in those with HT with who have complications reducing weight and alleviating gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms no adverse events. Future research should be performed on larger, more diverse populations to develop population-based clinical practice guidelines. Specific areas of research, such as the long-term effects of the PD on HT, comparisons with conventional treatments, and exploring the mechanisms by which PD influences HT symptoms and markers will be beneficial to this research.

The demand for treating diseases using yoga therapy, a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatment, has increased globally. An increase in the research in this yoga area from fewer than 10 research publications per year in the 1990s to at least 20 per year after 2010 is evidence of this change in treatment needs over time. The beneficial effect of yoga therapy has been limited to practice in acute care despite its remarkable success in this domain. This is due to many factors that impact the therapy's effectiveness, irrespective of disease indications. However, the prime challenges for its effectiveness lie with the reliability of the yoga trial outcome and reporting. There is a great need to reevaluate the yoga trials' reporting for the reliability of their outcome. This study attempts to address the issue by studying challenges for presbyopia with yoga interventions. Among many indications, progressive vision loss (presbyopia), which occurs due to refractive errors in the ocular region, has scope to be treated effectively with yoga therapies. However, trials for yoga interventions for treating refractive errors have not been studied well. This study was conducted to understand the challenges in yoga therapy trials and its potential to treat presbyopia. The CLARIFY guidelines were used to understand the challenges and factors that impact effective treatment in the current research landscape. We found that trials conducted are not in compliance with the reporting guidelines. Adaptation of CLARIFY guidelines is essential to produce reliable evidence to prescribe yoga therapies to treat refractive errors.

Background: Obesity is characterized by abnormal accumulation of fat in adipose tissue. It is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome caused by chronic inflammatory changes. Naturopathy and yogic intervention are a holistic approach. So, the present study aims to assess the effect of naturopathy and yogic intervention on inflammatory markers among obese individuals.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 262 subjects were recruited and randomized into either an experimental or control group with 131 subjects in each group aged 35 ± 9.6 years in experimental and 39.3 ± 9.6 years in control group. The experimental group received 10 days of naturopathy and yogic treatment. The control group didn't receive any naturopathy or yogic treatment. Complete blood count (CBC) was tested at baseline and after 10 days of intervention.

Results: The study showed a significant reduction in white blood cells (WBC), Neutrophils, and Lymphocytes with mean values of 1.63 ± 0.38, 1.14 ± 0.25, 0.4 ± 0.09 and an increase in Platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with mean value 19.84 ± 4.97 respectively with a P < .001 in experiment group when compared to the control group. The experimental group also showed a reduction in Platelet and Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with a mean value of 11.28 ± 3.5 & 0.18 ± 0.03 with a P = .01 when compared to the control group.

Conclusion: Obesity being a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome could be safely and effectively treated with naturopathy and yogic intervention by alleviating the inflammatory markers.

Objective: An investigation into whether Thunder-Fire Moxibustion improves Meibomian Gland Dysfunction by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ)-related signaling pathway.

Methods: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a Control Group (CG), model group (MG), Experimental Group (EG), Treatment Group (TG), and GW9662 (GW), with 10 mice in each group. The obstruction of the meibomian gland opening, tear film rupture time, and corneal fluorescein sodium staining were observed. The morphology of the meibomian gland was observed by HE staining. Observations of oil red staining were made on the meibomian gland to determine its oil content. The expression levels of PPARγ, NF-κB p65, Phospho-NF-κB p65 (p-NF-κB), and IL-6 in the meibomian gland were detected by Western blot. The expression of PPARγ, NF-κB p65, p-NF-κB p65, and IL-6 in the meibomian gland was examined by immunofluorescence staining.

Results: The results showed that compared to the Control Group, the Model Group mice exhibited an increased Meibomian Gland Orifices Score (MGOS) (P < .01), an increased MG corneal staining (P < .01), a shorter tear film break-up time (P < .01), eyelid atrophy, disordered arrangement of meibomian gland cells, the presence of a large number of immature adipocytes, varying degrees of cellular inflammation and infiltration, a significant reduction in meibomian gland tissue lipids, decreased expressions of MGPPARγ and NF-κB (P < .01), and elevated expressions of phosphorylated NF-κB and IL-6 (P < .01). However, Western medicine, antagonists, and thunder-fire moxibustion were all able to reverse these phenomena observed in the Model Group mice (P < .01), with thunder-fire moxibustion exhibiting the most significant effect (P < .01).

Conclusion: The thunder-fire moxibustion can induce the differentiation of meibomian gland cells, thereby improving the inflammation response.

Context: Healthy lifestyle practices among young adults are vital in preventing the deterioration of quality of life and mental health disorders. Tele-yoga can be a tool to reduce stress and promote healthy lifestyle behaviors but there are barriers to its wide-scale applications.

Aim: This study aims to identify barriers to implementing tele-yoga intervention for stress management among post-graduate university students studying management in Bengaluru, India.

Settings and design: 55 university students, aged 20 - 30 years, who dropped out within one month from a free 45-minute tele-yoga program offered by the college were enrolled. Out of these dropouts, 38 consenting participants were interviewed individually to understand the barriers to completing tele-yoga program.

Methods: A qualitative study was designed with an individual one-on-one interview to gain an in-depth understanding of barriers to tele-yoga practice. A thematic representation of the discussion was arrived at. The barrier score for each concern was computed by adding the count of responses which was then converted to percentile.

Results: Out of 12 barriers, stress due to exams (34%) was the top-most barrier followed by time constraints (26%), network issues (9%), issues waking up in the morning (7%), and space constraints (7%).

Conclusion: Barriers to implementing tele-yoga intervention for stress management are predominant among young adults. Future tele-yoga studies in this population should consider addressing these barriers.

Background/aim: Executive function (EF) is essential for a myriad of functional tasks where deficits in EF can impair school/career success, relationship quality, and overall life satisfaction. As such, interventions for improving EF are crucial. Research on utilizing mindfulness-body exercise (MBE) as an intervention for deficits in executive function (EF) is quickly accumulating. However, no consensus has been reached as to the mechanisms involved, which is consequential in the disparate results found for the efficacy of MBE in improving EF. As such, a review of the literature on the impact of three major MBEs on EF is needed. This review aims to systematically detail the current research investigating MBE as an intervention for improving EF in adults and to discuss proposed mechanisms to anchor future research in this area.

Methods: A comprehensive search through PubMed, MEDLINE, ERIC, and PsycINFO was performed. Inclusion criteria for studies included in this review consisted of randomized control trials testing either Qi Gong, tai chi, or yoga as an intervention for improving EF in adults. Studies were excluded if they did not use two or more measures of core EF's, did not examine MBE, and were not published in English. Measurements of EF consist of either multiple core components or a higher-order function.

Results: Thirty-two studies fit the criteria and are presented. A majority of the research reports MBE had a positive effect on EF. Possible mechanisms, observations, and directions for future research are then described.

Conclusion: This review demonstrates the effectiveness of MBE as a treatment option for improving EF, where MBE should be considered as a treatment option for individuals with deficits in EF. Future research should aim to ascertain the components and duration of MBE interventions that provide the greatest benefit.

Context: Complementary medicine through the laying on of hands (LOH) is commonly integrated with conventional medicine in cancer patients to improve symptoms. However, studies evaluating the effects of the LOH with Spiritual connection (LHSP) on oncology patients are lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of LHSP, and LOH without Spiritual connection (LHW) compared to a control group on the outcomes of oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Design: It is a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial.

Setting: The study took place at the Center for Integrative and Complementary Practices of the Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, MG, Brazil.

Participants: Participants were aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of cancer undergoing parenteral chemotherapy. Those who were unable to understand the questionnaires or were absent during the three therapy sessions were excluded.

Intervention: Using block randomization, eligible patients were allocated to one of the following groups: LHSP, receiving LOH by Spiritist "passe"; LHW, receiving LOH with healing intent; and a control group exposed to sham without LOH. Each intervention lasted 5 minutes. Patients were evaluated by a blinded researcher at baseline, at eight, and ten weeks.

Outcome measures: The outcomes, including stress, anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, quality of life, vital signs, and adverse effects, were compared among groups.

Results: A total of 90 patients with cancer were randomized. After 10 weeks, the LHSP differed significantly from the control for depression (Cohen's d = 1.24), nausea/vomiting (Cohen's d = 0.71), and loss of appetite symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.71); and also to the LHW and control for adverse events (P = 0.023). There were significant differences in depression (Cohen's d = 1.37) and loss of appetite symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.71) between LHW and control. Furthermore, the LHSP and LHW differed significantly from the control for depression (Cohen d = 0.83 and Cohen d = 1.19, respectively) and for stress (Cohen d = 0.62 and Cohen d = 0.74, respectively) in patients with solid tumors.

Conclusions: The present results suggest that LOH treatments can improve the mental and physical symptoms, thus maintaining the quality of life in oncology patients during chemotherapy. However, LHSP was more effective in controlling physical symptoms and safer than LHW and control groups. Further studies exploring biological markers, treatment response, and longer follow-up periods are required across different cancer types.

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been accompanied by a diverse array of neurologic complications attributed to Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. These complications vary widely, encompassing symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, concentration disturbances, and polyneuropathy-related complaints. Considering the multifaceted nature of these neurological manifestations, exploring alternative and complementary treatment modalities, such as integrated Yoga and Naturopathy interventions, is crucial for enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life. This case report delves into the potential efficacy of such interventions in managing post-COVID neurological complications.

Case presentation: A 60-year-old male patient presented with peripheral sensory and motor disturbances following a COVID-19 infection. He experienced symptoms such as numbness, pain, and difficulty gripping objects in his right upper limb, emerging 12 weeks after contracting the virus. Clinical examination revealed hypoesthesia and pallhypesthesia in the affected hand. After the onset of neurological symptoms, the patient underwent a 14-day integrated regimen of Yoga and Naturopathy interventions. Clinical and electrophysiological examinations, including nerve conduction studies and grip strength measurements, were conducted before and after the intervention period.

Results: After the 14-day integrated Yoga and Naturopathy intervention, the patient demonstrated notable improvements in both subjective and objective measures of neurological symptoms. These improvements suggest a positive response to the treatment regimen and underscore the potential efficacy of integrated, holistic approaches in alleviating post-COVID neurological complications.

Conclusion: These findings suggest a potential role for integrated Yoga and Naturopathy as effective complementary modalities in managing post-COVID neurological sequelae. However, further empirical studies are warranted to corroborate these findings and explain the broader therapeutic benefits of such interventions in the context of post-COVID-19 disease.