Centering for Wellness programs use methods that are represented significantly in scientific research. This page contains information obtained from relevant scholarly articles pertaining to the use of various holistic practices and complementary medicines.
The headers in this section correspond to the names of the articles. A bibliography is listed at the bottom of the page in APA style.
New Report Links Leading Causes of Death in Upstate New York to Personal Behaviors and Lifestyle Factors
In a report issued by BlueCross BlueShield (2008), the authors referenced findings indicative of the benefits that mindfulness meditation can have on cancer patients.
In a controlled study of ninety cancer patients who did mindfulness meditation for 7 weeks, 31% had fewer symptoms of stress and 65% had fewer episodes of mood disturbance than those who did not meditate. Some studies have also suggested that more meditation improves the chance of a positive outcome. (Redmond, 2008)
The Influence of Mind on Cancer
In this article, (Cunningham, 1985) the author contends that personality factors and mental status can be attributed to cancer onset and immunological function or dysfunction. The abstract from this article is quoted below:
The possibility that mental factors may influence the onset and progress of cancer, long contentious, has been given more credibility by recent research in three separate areas that are briefly reviewed here. First, there is clear evidence from experiments with animals that stress and mental state can modulate the growth of neoplasms. It is also becoming well established in both animals and humans that mental factors can affect the function of the immune system, a pathway through which mind may influence cancer growth. Second, a number of prospective studies have been published to supplement the large existing literature correlating human personality factors with risk of developing the disease. It is suggested that depression and repressive tendencies are among those characteristics favoring cancer, although there is great variation in results between studies. Third, a number of large but uncontrolled clinical studies imply that various psychological interventions may increase longevity of cancer patients: a pressing need is seen for controlled investigations of this claim.
Meditation
(American Cancer Society, 2008)
This article on meditation discusses the empirical evidence indicative of significant health benefits for the use of meditation in cancer patients. The conclusion from this article is quoted below.
Studies of mindfulness meditation found that it seemed to help with symptoms of anxiety. One controlled study with a group of healthy workers found more brain activity in an area linked to positive emotional states in those who meditated. The same study found that those who meditated had a better immune response to the influenza vaccine than those who did not meditate.
Mind-Body Medicine: State of the Science, Implications for Practice
In this article, the authors (Astin, Shapiro, Eisenberg, & Forys, 2003) contend that the use of mind-body therapies have significant efficacy as treatments for several chronic conditions including:
- coronary artery disease
- headaches
- insomnia
- incontinence
- disease & treatment-related symptoms of cancer
- complications from postsurgical procedures
Quoted below is the abstract of the article.
Drawing principally from systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there is considerable evidence of efficacy for several mind-body therapies in the treatment of coronary artery disease (e.g., cardiac rehabilitation), headaches, insomnia, incontinence, chronic low back pain, disease and treatment related symptoms of cancer, and improving postsurgical outcomes. We found moderate evidence of efficacy for mind-body therapies in the areas of hypertension and arthritis. Additional research is required to clarify the relative efficacy of different mind-body therapies, factors (such as specific patient characteristics) that might predict more or less successful outcomes, and mechanisms of action. Research is also necessary to examine the cost offsets associated with mind-body therapies.
Bibliography
Conclusions: There is now considerable evidence that an array of mind-body therapies can be used as effective adjuncts to conventional medical treatment for a number of common clinical conditions.
American Cancer Society. (2008, November 1). Meditation. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/eto/content/eto_5_3x_meditation.asp
Astin, J. A., Shapiro, S. S., Eisenberg, D. M., & Forys, K. L. (2003). Mind-Body Medicine: State of the Science, Implications for Practice. J Am Board Family Practitioners , 131-147.
Cunningham, A. (1985). The Influence of Mind on Cancer. Canadian Psychology , 13-19.
Redmond, J. (2008, October 23). New Report Links Leading Causes of Death In Upstate New York to Personal Behaviors And Lifestyle Choicse.
Smith, J. (2004). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation: three caveats. Psychosomatic Medicine , 148-152.