Researchers from Nantong First People's Hospital, Jiangsu, China, explored the effectiveness of electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback therapy for ADHD in children, by assessing the changes of the ratio of brain theta to beta waves (when the children fulfill cognition tasks, brain theta wave activity increases and beta wave activity weakens), and by using the  IVA-CPT (integrated visual and auditory continuous performance test) as an assessment measure.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada reviewed the literature to investigate whether Eastern techniques, such as mindfulness, acupuncture or yoga might be used to improve unsatisfying sexual experiences in women (problems with desire, arousal or orgasm).

The search revealed only two empirical studies of mindfulness, two of acupuncture, and one of yoga in the treatment of sexual dysfunction.  These limited results revealed that mindfulness significantly improved several aspects of sexual response and reduced sexual distress in women with sexual desire and arousal disorders. 

Researchers from Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust in Wales, UK, explored the impact of various interventions when they are delivered within 3 months of the traumatic event.

The study identified 25 randomized, controlled trials of multiple-session psychological treatments aimed at preventing or reducing traumatic stress symptoms in individuals within 3 months of exposure to a traumatic event.  The studies examined a range of interventions. 

Researchers from the Department of Anesthesiology of the Pain Clinic, in Hannover, Germany, compared the efficacy of auricular electrio-acupuncture (EA) to autogenic training (AT) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Forty-four patients with RA were randomized to either EA or AT groups which met once a week for 6 weeks. 

Primary outcome measures were the mean weekly pain intensity and the disease activity score (DAS 28). Secondary outcome measures were the use of pain medication, the pain disability index (PDI), the clinical global impression (CGI) and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, which were assessed during the study period and 3 months after the end of treatment.

Investigators from the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, reviewed the research literature on efficacy of psychological interventions for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library and Google Scholar identified 25 randomized trials comparing single psychological interventions with either usual care or placebo interventions in patients over 16 years of age, between the years 1966-2008.  

Investigators from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey evaluated two protocols for treating adults suffering from both asthma and panic disorder. The protocols included elements of Barlow's Panic Control Therapy  (- a combination of relaxation & breathwork, cognitive restructuring and graded exposure for desensitization) and several asthma education programs, as well as modules designed to teach participants how to differentiate between asthma and panic symptoms, and how to apply specific home management strategies for each.

Researchers from the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Alberta, Calgary, investigated the effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) meditation program on early stage breast and prostate cancer patients, examining quality of life, mood states, stress symptoms, as well as levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) and melatonin.

Fifty-nine patients with breast cancer and 10 with prostate cancer enrolled in an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program that incorporated relaxation, meditation, gentle yoga, and daily home practice. Data was collected on demographic and health behavior variables, along with measures of quality of life, mood, stress, and assays of salivary cortisol (assessed three times/day), plasma DHEAS, and salivary melatonin, both pre- and post-intervention. 

Investigators from Mind Matters Research in Anchorage, Alaska summarized their Phase I National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded clinical trial with 34 breast cancer survivors, six weeks to one year post-treatment, who were recruited to participate in a 6-class, 8-week long imagery stress reduction program entitled "Envision the Rhythms of Life."

Patients practiced imagery during and between sessions. Outcomes for quality of life and cortisol rhythm were assessed pre- to post-intervention, in two subsets of survivors (intravenous [IV] chemotherapy, or no IV chemotherapy).

Researchers from the Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience at Aarhus University in Denmark explored changes occurring in the brain from the long-term practice of meditation.  It has already been established that the practice of sustained attention results in increased cortical thickness.  In this investigation, evidence was found of structural differences in the lower brainstem. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed higher gray matter density in the lower brain stem regions concerned with cardiorespiratory control in experienced meditators, as compared with age-matched non-meditators. This could account for some of the cardio-respiratory, parasympathetic effects and traits reported in several studies of various meditation practices, as well as the cognitive, emotional, and immunoreactive impacts reported in these studies. 

Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School reviewed the evidence on the efficacy of biofeedback for the two most prevalent headache conditions--migraine and tension-type headache.

Two recently published meta-analyses yielded data from 150 outcome studies - randomized controlled trials as well as uncontrolled quasi-experimental designs. Of these, 94 studies were selected for inclusion, going by predefined criteria. Meta-analytic integrations were carried out separately for the two conditions of interest.