Re: Mindfulness Program Eases Arthritis Symptoms

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Some thoughts come to mind in this regard. First, from the Buddhist Noble Eight-Fold Path comes, "Pain in life is inevitable but suffering is not. Pain is what the world does to you, suffering is what you do to yourself. Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional...." In the moment, we may each choose, consciously or unconsciously via habit, how we will respond to any and all of life's circumstances. Accepting that we can influence the moment by intelligent consciousness is preliminary to improved outcomes, for the patient/student. The protocol, in this case Mindfulness Meditation, provides options for more appropriate reactions to life: recognition of the body's sensations, thoughts, emotions, but in a non-judgmental manner, observing and letting go once recognized. In this manner, the intelligent option is to recognize and let go. The "letting go" is a refuge from dwelling on unpleasant things. "Mindfulness" is spoken of as "learning how to stop all your doing and shift over to a "being" mode. You take control over what you're manifesting from life.According to the remarkable book, "Meditation as Medicine," by Dhrama Singh Khalsa, MD, Mindfulness Meditation has been proven by studies to decrease panic attacks, decrease general anxiety, reduce levels of chronic pain, reduce incidence of headaches, improve response time to drug and alcohol addiction treatment, and reduce obesity.Quantum physics informs us that each moment a wave of infinite possibilities encounter each individual's DNA. We each in turn perceive these possibilities as our "consciousness in the moment." Our consciousness is each individual's marker in life, or the manner in which we interpret life's circumstances. Our consciousness creates our world, thoughts, emotions and physical manifestation. In addition to our DNA, as Dr. Palmer revealed, our consciousness is subject to traumas we have experienced in life, and toxins that we carry within us, and by the way that we think about life each moment (auto-suggestion). If our traumas and toxins negatively impact our lives, then our emotions reveal that burden to us. If that emotional awareness is not recognized, or if ignored, or if we dwell on such negativity, then physical symptoms arise within the body. Consciousness > emotions > symptoms. By a simple change in not dwelling on negative emotions, symptom outcomes improve; pain is reduced and our mental outlook is improved.Learning how to recognize and non-judgmentally let go of our emotions, thoughts, sensations, and simply experience the moment, leads to such healthful improvements as shown in this research on arthritic pain. This is subtle stuff at the outset, but by continuing to practice with such protocol-directed intention, results are forthcoming. Eight weeks has been shown as an effective length of time for practice to be fruitful in most cases.In Mindfulness Meditation, an individual's mentality is the training field. If we include additional physiological components into the meditative experience, such as 1) posture, or our relationship to gravity; 2) movement, including finger movements; 3) singing, chanting, mantras or symbolic sound vibrations; 4) and a mental focus conducive to improved well-beingthen healthful results are greatly magnified, as confirmed by research. Such improvements are most noteworthy in Transcendental Meditation and Kundalini Yoga, or Medical Meditation.Thanks for the post. Sears, DC, IAYT1218 NW 21st AvePortland, Oregon 97209v: 503-225-0255f: 503-525-6902www.docbones.comOn Dec 21, 2011, at 9:21 AM, Chuck Simpson, DC wrote: All, Of interest to me is that "improvement" is not about pain relief among the study group. A. Simpson, DC Vice President, Medical DirectorThe CHP Group | Smart Solutions. Healthy Results.Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on LinkedIn | www.chpgroup.com csimpson@... 503-619-2041 O | 503-367-0872 C 6600 SW 105th Ave, Ste 115 | Beaverton, OR 97008 Visit us online at www.MedPageToday.com A | A | A | A Mindfulness Program Eases Arthritis Symptoms By Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage TodayDecember 19, 2011 MedPage Today Action Points Explain that an intervention aimed at helping patients accept the pain and disability associated with arthritis, while at the same time blocking negative thoughts and anxiety about their condition, reduced patients' depression and improved coping skills. Point out that the number of patients who passed the threshold for serious psychological distress decreased significantly after the intervention also. ReviewAn intervention aimed at helping patients accept the pain and disability associated with rheumatoid arthritis, while at the same time blocking negative thoughts and anxiety about their condition, reduced patients' depression and improved coping skills, researchers in Norway reported.Patients who participated in the so-called mindfulness intervention had a decrease in psychological distress of 4.7 points (95% CI 7.8 to 1.8) after the treatment and maintained a reduction of 3.7 points (95% CI 6.3 to 1.1) over 12 months, for treatment effect sizes of 0.73 and 0.58, respectively, according to Heidi A. Zangi, PhD, of Diakonhjemmet Hospital in Oslo, and colleagues.In addition, the number of patients who passed the threshold for serious psychological distress fell from 36% at baseline to 6% at 12 months, compared with a decrease from 29% to 24% in a control group (P=0.045), the researchers reported online in ls of the Rheumatic Diseases."A range of approaches categorized as mindfulness and acceptance-based therapies have advocated the importance of nonjudgmental attention to unwanted thoughts, feelings, and bodily experiences without attempting to avoid or change them," they explained.These approaches are intended to help patients with chronic diseases better cope with the stress of their illness, and have been shown in a meta-analysis to help in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and depression.To assess a mindfulness intervention known as the Vitality Training Program (VTP) developed for patients with musculoskeletal ailments, Zangi and colleagues enrolled 73 patients with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis.Mean age was 54, more than three-quarters were women, and disease duration was 16 years.Patients were randomized to participation in VTP, which consisted of up to 10 sessions over four months and a booster session six months later, or to routine care plus a CD with instructions on mindfulness exercises for use at home.Among the topics addressed in the VTP sessions were personal resources, values, and feelings of anger, sorrow, and joy.The mindfulness intervention also was associated with significant adjusted mean between-group differences on various endpoints other than psychological distress: Self-efficacy pain, 9.1 (95% CI 3.4 to 14.8, P=0.001) Self-efficacy symptoms, 13.1 (95% CI 6.7 to 19.3, P<0.001) Emotional processing, 0.3 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.5, P<0.001) Fatigue, −1.1 (95% CI −1.8 to −0.4, P=0.002) Self-care ability, 1 (95% CI 0.5 to 1.6, P<0.001) Overall well-being, 0.6 (95% CI 0.1 to 1.2, P<0.001)Significant effects for the mindfulness program were not seen for pain or patient global assessment of disease activity.The researchers noted that the increase in emotional processing, by which they meant recognition and understanding of one's own emotions, was of particular note because patient avoidance of disease-related emotions has increasingly been linked with negative outcomes in chronic disease.They also pointed out that emotional expression improved in the control group at 12 months.Although the control patients did not attend sessions, they received telephone calls from the researchers 12 times during the year's follow-up, in which they were invited to discuss any emotional concerns. This may have increased their psychological awareness, according to Zangi and colleagues.Many other psychological interventions for patients with chronic disease such as arthritis have found only short-term benefits, but in this study the benefits persisted for a year after the program."These lasting improvements indicate that the participants may have incorporated some mindfulness strategies into their daily lives and that these strategies have strengthened their ability to respond to their stressful experiences in a more flexible way," the researchers observed.Limitations of the study include the possibility of selection bias, with participants being highly motivated, the use of multiple primary outcomes, and reliance on patient-reported outcomes. The study was supported by Diakonhjemmet Hospital.The authors reported no competing interests. Primary source: ls of the Rheumatic DiseasesSource reference: Zangi H, et al "A mindfulness-based group intervention to reduce psychological distress and fatigue in patients with inflammatory rheumatid joint diseases: A randomized controlled trial" Ann Rheum Dis 2011; DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200351. Disclaimer The information presented in this activity is that of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, MedPage Today, and the commercial supporter. Specific medicines discussed in this activity may not yet be approved by the FDA for the use as indicated by the writer or reviewer. Before prescribing any medication, we advise you to review the complete prescribing information, including indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and adverse effects. Specific patient care decisions are the responsibility of the healthcare professional caring for the patient. 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