by J. Kim Penberthy  , Dinesh Chhabra  , J. Morgan Penberthy  , Nina Avitabile  , Ngan Le  , Yiqin Roger Xu  , Seara Mainor  , Natalie Schiavone  , Paul Katzenstein  and Janet E Lewis

Received: 18 April 2018;  Published: 28 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804039

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by symptoms including chronic fatigue, joint pain, swelling, skin rashes, pain, and anemia. Symptoms can flare or be in remission unpredictably, often affect multiple organ systems, and can be life-threatening. SLE is more prevalent in females and persons of color, but is not a widely prevalent disease. Perhaps because of this fact, there have been minimal advances in effective new behavioral or psychotherapeutic i [...]

by Joseph V. Pergolizzi  , Robert Taylor  , Robert B. Raffa  and Jo Anne LeQuang

Received: 27 July 2018;  Published: 28 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804038

(1) Background: The leaves of Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), a tropical tree indigenous to Southeast Asia, have been used traditionally to increase stamina, as a digestive aid, and for pain relief. Defined as a novel psychoactive substance, it is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, aided by availability through the Internet. (2) Methods: PubMed and MedLine searches were conducted of published articles available in English. (3) Results: Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynin [...]

by Andrew Hede

Received: 27 July 2018;  Published: 23 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804037

Background: Meditation has developed over many centuries within a diverse range of religious traditions including Middle-Eastern, Indian, and East-Asian. Of these, mindfulness meditation from the Buddhist (Indian) tradition, has been the most extensively adopted in the Western secular world primarily with applications in health and well-being as pioneered by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Review: While originally developed to treat chronic pain and stress in the U.S., mindfulness training was later coupled wit [...]

by Peta Stapleton  , Ulf Sandstrom  and Gunilla Hamne

Received: 12 September 2018;  Published: 22 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804036

(1) Background: This feasibility trial investigated whether a 3-week self-help model for stress reduction using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) would impact traumatized youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on post-traumatic stress symptoms and general happiness. It was also focussed on the acceptability of the program to recipients and implementation in a community with complex trauma and conflict. (2) Methods: The study involved 77 youth who received a TTT 3-week model of interven [...]

by James David Adams

Received: 14 January 2018;  Published: 19 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804035

Background: This study presents several anecdotal case reports of chronic pain patients cured with two different plant medicines from the Chumash Indian tradition. Methods: Patients suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, chronic bursitis, chronic tendinitis and other conditions were treated. California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) was grown by the author and made into a liniment. The liniment was applied to painful sites on the skin. Black sage (Salvia mellifera) was made into a [...]

by Lauren Ferguson  , Justin Cantrelle  and Paul Loprinzi

Received: 06 September 2018;  Published: 17 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804034

Background: There are mixed findings regarding the effectiveness of selected directed forgetting (SDF). On psychological and physiological grounds, SDF may influence forgetting and subsequent memory enhancement via multiple mechanisms, including, for example, executive control and the Rac1-Cofilin pathway. These mechanistic pathways may also be altered by acute exercise engagement, suggesting that acute exercise may facilitate SDF. Methods: The present novel experiment evaluates this possibility [...]

by Megan A. Roney  , Pat L. Sample  , Lorann Stallones  , Marieke Van Puymbroeck  and Arlene Schmid

Received: 04 November 2018;  Published: 16 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804033

(1) Background: An adapted yoga intervention was delivered to seven individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the participants’ experience of engaging in the 8-week intervention. (2) Methods: Using a phenomenological design, data were collected, analyzed, and coded to generate themes regarding experiences that occurred, how experiences occurred, and why experiences occurred. (3) Results: Participants described experiencing the yoga in [...]

by Nicole Thibodeaux  and Matt J. Rossano

Received: 16 July 2018;  Published: 02 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804032

As alternative forms of medicine have become increasingly popular, research on the health benefits of meditation has grown. Specifically, Mindfulness Meditation, Transcendental Meditation, and Qigong have been shown to be effective in treating psychological disorders, enhancing immune function, and in delaying disease progression in patients diagnosed with HIV, the varicella-zoster virus, and dermatomyositis. This paper briefly reviews the historical background of the many forms of meditation an [...]

by Katarina Mark  and Maria Arman

Received: 09 June 2018;  Published: 27 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804031

Background: People suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) commonly use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) due to the partial efficacy of conventional treatment, the chronic aspect of MS, the impact of pain and the side effects of medication. An exploratory descriptive case study consisting of three cases was performed to document and analyse patient experience of Applied Kinesiological (AK) treatment of patients suffering from MS. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with th [...]

by Megan Berberich  and Bettina Bernstein

Received: 10 March 2018;  Published: 13 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804030

Abstract: (1) Background: • Treatment of mood and anxiety disorders with supplements, herbs and nutraceuticals (dietary supplements) is at this point viewed as an integrative or alternative treatment, however these substances have been around for quite some time and are regarded as basic to the understanding of human biochemistry, physiology, health and illness in medicine. (2) Methods: • This review article was done using a literature search utilizing the National Library of Medicine online da [...]

by Mariya Shiyko

Received: 17 July 2018;  Published: 08 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804029

What is meditation? A tool that empowers you to create your life through working it from inside out, beginning with a thought. There is a story. A father had two sons: one felt a victim of life. He viewed his life through the prism of “My childhood was difficult. My father was an alcoholic. The reason my life is failing is because of that. I was not loved enough.” This is his inner mantra – a cycle of a repetitive thought patterns that he continuously told himself. His life followed that very m [...]

by Nancy Poirier  , Serge Beaulieu  , Sybille Saury  and Sonia Goulet

Received: 24 July 2018;  Published: 05 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804028

Background: This time series analysis investigated variations in psychic and somatic anxiety during and after completion of MBCT compared to baseline in patients diagnosed with BD. Secondary variables considered were sleep quality and quality of life, as well as depressive and manic symptoms. Methods: HAMD-29, HAMD-7 and YMRS were administered at baseline (n=34), and every two weeks until the end of the eight-week program. PSQI (n=22) and Q-LES-Q-SF (n=29) were also administered at pre, mid- an [...]

by Marcus A. Henning  , Tae Joo Park  , Fiona Moir  , Chris Krägeloh  , Christopher Mysko  , Jennifer Hobson  and Craig S. Webster

Received: 25 May 2018;  Published: 26 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804027

Abstract: (1) Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to appraise the empirical evidence and refereed literature pertaining to medical students and the integration of mindfulness and physical exercise regimens. (2) Methods: A systematic review protocol was implemented. Five databases were utilised to survey the salient literature. (3) Results: The initial search identified 353 potentially relevant articles. After comprehensively reviewing the initial catchment using several analyt [...]

by Ethan G. Lester  , Amy R. Murrell  and Dickson E. Dickson

Received: 19 June 2018;  Published: 14 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804026

Background: Mindfulness meditation (MM) is an increasing area of interest for health professionals and the general public alike. Beneficial outcomes are associated with this practice; however, definitions of mindfulness and meditation are varied, and anecdotal accounts suggest that people hold misconceptions about the constructs. Furthermore, mindfulness has been incorporated into therapeutic modalities without much consideration for context, including the client’s previous experiences with and [...]

by Marcel Allbritton  and Carrie Heeter

Received: 30 July 2018;  Published: 09 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804025

We propose a framework for understanding meditation that can support greater scientific rigor in conducting meditation research, and selecting meditation health interventions. There are no consistent and rigorous standards for describing meditation research interventions. This impedes rigor of meditation research design and interpretation of findings. This also limits meaningful comparisons across research studies. The audience for the article includes researchers, meditation experts, healthcare [...]

by Paul A. Barclay  and Clint A. Bowers

Received: 27 July 2018;  Published: 07 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804024

(1) Background: Meditation is a common intervention for college students suffering from issues with anxiety. Due to this popularity, several meditation-based video games have been released which can be used to supplement or motivate meditation practice. However, these tools are not often given scrutiny in a laboratory setting before being released to the public. Our lab conducted a brief feasibility pilot study to investigate Meditation Deathmatch, an open-source meditation video game aimed at s [...]

by Holly Hazlett-Stevens

Received: 20 April 2018;  Published: 29 September 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804023

Background: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based intervention developed to teach mindfulness meditation to a wide range of patients. Although the efficacy of MBSR has been established for a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions, measured outcomes typically are limited to anxiety, depression, and/or stress symptom measures. The current investigation examined data from patients seeking MBSR for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or other stress-related concerns [...]