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.

Jennifer Strauss PhD and her team at Duke Medical Center & the Durham V.A.M.C. have conducted one survey and 3 studies assessing SMART (Self-Management Audio for Recovery from Trauma) on soldiers and veterans with posttraumatic stress.  The results have exceeded expectations, and compare with far more expensive, time-consuming, and hard-to-implement best practices currently in use for PTSD.

Researchers from Cardiff University in Wales performed a systematic review of RCTs (randomized, controlled trials) of various psychological treatments for PTSD. The study looked at trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy/exposure therapy (TFCBT); stress management (SM – this is where guided imagery would mostly fit); supportive therapy; non-directive counseling; psychodynamic therapy; hypnotherapy; group cognitive behavioural therapy; and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

Thirty-three studies wound up qualifying for inclusion in the review. There was no significant difference between TFCBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and SM (stress management) – both did significantly better than wait-list controls and than the other therapies.  EMDR also did significantly better.

 

Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi examined the short-term impact of a brief yoga intervention on some of the biochemical risk indicators for cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus.

Ninety-eight subjects (67 male, 31 female), ages 20-74, with hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and a variety of other illnesses, participated in a lifestyle training program that consisted of yoga asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), relaxation techniques, group support, individualized advice, lectures and films on the philosophy of yoga and the place of yoga in daily life, meditation, stress management, nutrition, and knowledge about their disease.

Researchers from Monash University in Victoria, Australia, compared Panic Online (PO), an internet-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) intervention, to best-practice, face-to-face CBT, for people with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia.

Researchers from United Lincolnshire Hospitals and Queen's Medical Centre in the UK  performed a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the immuno-modulatory effects of relaxation training and guided imagery on 80 women with breast cancer.

Patients underwent chemotherapy followed by surgery, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy. Those in the intervention group were taught relaxation and guided imagery. Patients kept diaries of the frequency of relaxation practice and imagery vividness.

Investigators from the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles evaluated the efficacy of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on components of Metabolic Syndrome and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).They conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 16 weeks duration on a total of 103 subjects with stable CHD, testing the impact of TM vs. health education.

Main outcome measures included blood pressure, lipoprotein profile, and insulin resistance; endothelial function as measured by brachial artery reactivity testing; and cardiac autonomic system activity, as measured by heart rate variability