Werner to present twelve educational cancer seminars at Mercy Health’s Johnson Family Cancer Center (JFCC) in Muskegon.
Clinical Hypnosis and the Immune System: A Pilot Study Follow Up
Last December I posted an announcement that I was going to look for participants for a pilot project, investigating clinical hypnosis and the immune system based on the cytokine Interleukin 1-beta. The aim was to recruit nine pancreatic cancer patients for this project. However time constraints did not allow for this to happen. So I looked to healthy volunteers to do this study.
I finally did write the study up and submitted abstracts for both, the pilot study and the extensive literature review to the Society of Clinical Hypnosis (SCEH) for presentation at the 64th Annual SCEH Scientific Session. I am happy to inform that I will be presenting both papers in October in Berkeley, CA at the 64th SCEH conference.
The following is a short excerpt from my Institutional Review Board application for the human subjects research project. [Read more…]
Mind-Body Medicine: What Cancer Patients Learn from a Study Protocol? (Part 3)
In the third and last post of this three post series (read part one here and part two here), “Ayo,” a head and neck cancer patient, continues to discover essential questions to discern whether acupuncture, a mind-body medicine modality, might be a treatment option for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), a common chemoradiation side effect for head and neck cancer patients.
So far Ayo asked and found answers to the following five questions:
- What is the existing evidence that acupuncture treatment works?
- Are the findings relevant to his situation?
- Did the data clearly show that acupuncture is responsible for the results? In other words, did the results not just happen by chance.
- Was there a clearly defined treatment protocol in place?
- What exactly did the researchers measure?
Acupuncture and Cancer: Lessons from a Study Protocol (Part Two)?
Acupuncture and Cancer: Part Two
How can cancer patients know if acupuncture is an effective treatment for dysphagia? This three part series attempts to show how to evaluate alternative medicine and mind-body medicine research.
In the second of this three part series (read part one here and part three here), we continue to follow “Ayo” a head and neck cancer patient. We find out what he does to discover essential questions he needs to ask in order to discern whether or not acupuncture might be a treatment option for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), a common chemoradiation side effect for head and neck cancer patients.
The first two questions Ayu asked were “What is the existing evidence on acupuncture for dysphagia,” and “Is the research relevant to my particular situation?”
In this post Ayo, on his quest of becoming an informed, proactive participant in his healthcare, Ayo discovers questions 3, 4, and 5. [Read more…]
Children with Cancer and Their Parents: Benefits of Yoga
Yoga and cancer sometimes end up in discussions with my wife Karri, who is a nurse as well as a certified yoga instructor. So after another one of these conversations I decided to hit the databases to learn about the state of research of yoga in pediatric oncology.
While the results are pretty slim, the encouraging situation is that there is yoga research emerging that attempts to scrutinize yoga in children with cancer. The article I am elaborating on today by Thygeson, Hooke, Clapsaddle, Robbins, & Moquist (2010) examine the consequences of peaceful play yoga in children with cancer and their parents.
Objectives of Children with Cancer Research:
Even though yoga has been shown to be helpful for adults and healthy children, there is remarkably little research on yoga in children with cancer. Thygeson et al. (2010) set out to explore effects of yoga in children who are also hematology/oncology patients. More pointedly, Thygeson et al. (2010) set out to examine two things in their study:
- Look at the practicability of a single yoga session for children and teenagers hospitalized with cancer or other blood disorders and/or their parents;
- Investigate whether or not a single yoga session could reduce anxiety in children with cancer and their parents.
Participants:
Thygeson et al’s. (2010) study design called for 3 groups. One group of patients ages 7-12 years old, one group 13-18 years old and one parent group. Children were all diagnosed with cancer or a blood disorder.
Parents met the inclusion criteria if they had a child of any age hospitalized on an inpatient unit with a diagnosis of cancer or blood disorder. Parents also were able to participate with or without their child.
Intervention:
- Thygeson et al. (2010) chose mixed-methods (please see my note about mixed methods research at the end of this entry), within subject, repeated measures design.
- The researchers collected pre- and post-study measures immediately before or after the 45-minute yoga session.
- Anxiety and sense of well-being were assessed with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIC).
- An open-ended survey to assess qualitative data was administered shortly after the yoga session.
Study Appraisal:
Results:
Ten children, 5 teenagers and 32 parents completed yoga session. 64% of children were male, 60% of teenagers were male, 70% of participating parents were female, and 42% of parents participated in the research and yoga session with their child. Nineteen parents participated with a child less than 6 years old.
Change in Anxiety:
- The children (n = 11) reported no change in their anxiety or sense of well-being (p = .21) Teenagers (n = 5), on the other hand, experienced a significant decrease in anxiety and improved sense of well-being (p = .04).
- Parents experienced a significant decrease in anxiety as well as an increased awareness of well-being (p < .01).
Responses to the Open-Ended Questions
The Children: Four themes emerged from the children’s group. Mainly, yoga was fun, relaxing, yoga helped children feel calm, and yoga helped children feel good. Thygeson et al. (2010) quote one child who said: “Very fun and really relaxing and like it calms you down and stuff” (p. 280).
The Teenagers: In addition to the four themes emerging in the children’s group, the teenage group identified an additional theme: Yoga as self-care. One teenager described yoga as a form of self-care that it yoga helped “managing stress more effectively” (Thygeson et al., 2010, p. 280).
The Parents: The parents were able to provide additional in-depth information that allowed for 7 themes to emerge from this group. The following themes were identified by researchers; relaxation, exercise and movement, stress relief, bonding with their child, calm and centered, and easy and better than expected, and self-care. A few quotes from parents who found yoga helpful are:
- “The body becomes stronger and more balanced,” and the experience was “strengthening emotionally and physically” as well as “all the anxieties you feel in the hospital melt away” (Thygeson et al., 2010, p. 281).
- “Yoga helped me focus on the good and center my energy on the positive,”
- “One hour to concentrate on your well-being will benefit your child in so many ways,“
- “An excellent time spent with my child.” (Thygeson et al., 2010, p. 281)
Is it any wonder that six parents recommend yoga to other parents?
Limitations of this Study for Children with Cancer and their Parents:
- According to the Thygeson et al. (2010) study the child sample might not be representative of a typical inpatient hematology/oncology unit.
- It is not known how long the participants were able to sustain the benefits of yoga.
- Study design did not involve randomization of participants.
- Even though, participants acted as their own controls, future research might include an active “attention” control, to minimize the likelihood that the extra attention yoga participants received contributes to the positive results.
- While it is difficult to blind participants and yoga instructors, future research in this field might contain a design that blinds data collectors and data assessors.
Conclusions and Implications of Key Findings for Children with Cancer and Their Parents:
Thygeson et al. (2010) research is tremendously encouraging. As mentioned by the authors, at the time of their research there were no other studies available that looked at yoga in children with cancer and blood disorders. They laid crucial groundwork with this study. Further investigation is warranted to investigate the effects of yoga on children with cancer and their parents.
If you are considering yoga for yourself and your child with cancer you might expect the following from Hatha yoga:
- In smaller children with cancer, the effects of yoga on anxiety and well-being are not clearly understood. If your child is up for the physical movement, yoga might contribute to effective bonding time.
- In teenagers with cancer and parents of children with cancer, Hatha yoga might contribute to a general sense of well-being and reduced anxiety. While yoga will certainly not solve all your problems, as a parent of a child with cancer you might, however, experience the sensation of, as one parent put it: “it is like going on a mini vacation from everything else going on” (Thygeson et al., 2010, p.281).
Funding Disclosures:
The study was performed at the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. The authors declare no conflicts of interest and no financial support for the research was received.
Werner’s Note: A quick word about mixed methods research. Researchers are always looking to develop new methodologies that improve the quality and the scientific power of information we collect in the health sciences. The most notable feature here is the combination of quantitative data (numbers) with qualitative data (the participants point of view). Creswell, Klassen, Plano Clark, & Clegg Smith (2011) provide the following definition for mixed methods research (p. 4):
- Focusing on research questions that call for real-life contextual understandings, multi-level perspectives, and cultural influences;
- Employing rigorous quantitative research assessing magnitude and frequency of constructs and rigorous qualitative research exploring the meaning and understanding of constructs;
- Utilizing multiple methods (e.g., intervention trials and in-depth interviews); Intentionally integrating or combining these methods to draw on the strengths of each; and Framing the investigation within philosophical and theoretical positions.
- In mixed methods research, the qualitative data provides a clarification of the quantitative outcomes.
Thus, rather than just focusing on numbers, a mixed methods design allows for integration of a variety of theoretical perspectives, adding context and meaning of human lives and to the human experience (Creswell et al., 2011).
References:
Creswell, J. W., Klassen, A. C., Plano Clark, V. L., & Clegg Smith, K. (2011). Best practices for mixed methods research in the health sciences (Best Practices) (p. 37). National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from http://obssr.od.nih.gov/mixed_methods_research
Thygeson, M. V., Hooke, M. C., Clapsaddle, J., Robbins, A., & Moquist, K. (2010). Peaceful Play Yoga: Serenity and Balance for Children With Cancer and Their Parents. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 27(5), 276–284. doi:10.1177/1043454210363478
Oh et al., 2010 – Medical Qigong, quality of life and inflammation in cancer patients
Mindful movement such as Qigong can help circulation and balance energy, improve health and prevent disease.
How the Mind and Body Communicate (part XXVII)
Summary on Mind Body Communications
Life is full of events which we have no control over and to which we are vulnerable. The important thing to remember is that we can choose how we cultivate our thoughts and what eventually will get our attention. We ultimately decide how we interact with the world around us and ourselves.
How the Mind and Body Communicate (part XXVI)
Entrainment Music
For entrainment music to be effective in altering the mood state, the music needs to be first matched to the current mood state, and then slowly the music needs to move and match the desired mood state. When used properly, entrainment music has been proven to be effective in significantly reducing pain, tension, depression, anxiety and greatly contribute to an improvement in general mood, energy levels, and cognitive tasks.
How the Mind and Body Communicate (part XXV)
Support Groups
Support groups are applicable in a wide range of purpose, including psychologic therapy, weight loss, grief work, and personal development. The patient should decide if a support group would be helpful and if he/ she can commit to attending and working with a group.
How the Mind and Body Communicate (part XXIV)
Implications for Stress Management and Optimal Wellness
The topics we have covered and the research we examined so far, the following themes contributing to health become apparent.
1. Written Oral Expression,
2. Group support,
3. Entrainment music that changes the mood from negative to a more positive one,
4. Some Entrainment with generous doses of laughter,
All the above have lasting implications on overall health and well being. A person feeling in control of his/ her life and well being combined with a sense of purpose are also very critical to overall health and well being.
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