Behold!! A Windfall of Mind Body Research (and Just the Tip o’ the Iceberg..)
Help yourself to The Lazy Man’s or Woman’s Sampler of the Latest Mind-Body Research, all pre-chewed and digested for busy people, and then slenderized into a mere sentence or two, with a citation if you want to learn more.
I remember when I had to scour the research to find even one or two studies, and they were generally pretty bad.
Nowadays, it’s impossible to keep up with all of it – a gratifying problem, for sure.
There’s way more where these came from, but I’ll spare you for now. But do have a look:
Meditation and Blood Pressure
Researchers from Clemson and East Tennessee Universities meta-analyzed studies on the effect of meditation on lowering blood pressure, and found it a promising way to reduce both systolic and diastolic BP.
Shi L, Zhang D, Wang L, Zhuang J, Cook R, Chen L. Meditation and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Journal of Hypertension. 2017 Apr;35(4):696-706.
Taped Suggestions under Anesthesia
Meta-analysis from Friedrich-Schiller University, Germany, of 32 randomized, controlled trials, found that therapeutic suggestions on audiotape given to anesthetized patients during surgery, reduced the need for medication and improved recovery. (Anesthesia does not block audio reception.)
Rosendahl J, Koranyi S, Jacob D, Zech N, Hansen E. Efficacy of therapeutic suggestions under general anesthesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Anesthesiol. 2016 Dec 22;16(1):125.
Mental Imagery and Worry
German researchers from the University of Muenster found that training high worriers in the daily use of mental imagery led to significant reduction in what is essentially the cognitive/verbal process of worry and the impairment that comes from it.
Skodzik T, Leopold A, Ehring T. Effects of a training in mental imagery on worry: A proof-of-principle study. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2017 Jan;45:24-33.
Mindfulness and Behavior Change in Overweight Adults
Researchers from Australian Catholic University meta-analyzed 15 studies measuring post-treatment outcomes of mindfulness-based interventions. They found significant benefit in eating behaviors, depression, anxiety and eating attitudes. Average weight gain was just under 9.24 lbs. There was no additional improvement after 12 sessions.
Rogers JM, Ferrari M, Mosely K, Lang CP, Brennan L. Mindfulness-based interventions for adults who are overweight or obese: a meta-analysis of physical and psychological health outcomes. Obesity Review. 2017 Jan;18(1):51-67.
Guided Imagery and Anxiety, Pain & Insomnia in Patients in Critical Care
A literature review out of The University of Minnesota School of Nursing looked at the effects of guided imagery and aromatherapy on managing symptoms of pain, anxiety and insomnia in critically ill patients. Both the guided imagery and the aromatherapy were found effective, but better designed studies with uniform measures are needed.
Meghani N, Tracy MF, Hadidi NN, Lindquist R. Part II: The Effects of Aromatherapy and Guided Imagery for the Symptom Management of Anxiety, Pain, and Insomnia in Critically Ill Patients: An Integrative Review of Current Literature. Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 2017 Nov/Dec;36(6):334-348.
