This project presents dance as treatment for Orthorexia Nervosa, an eating disorder defined as an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. Eating disorders disconnect body, mind, and spirit of an individual, and dance therapeutically connects these aspects. The specific effects of orthorexia on the body, mind, and spirit are analyzed; supported by evidence from research sources such as literature of books and scholarly journals, videos, an interview with board-certified dance/movement therapist Rachel Gonick-Mefferd, and a series of interviews with Dr. Thomas Doyle, in which he supplied a case study exemplifying dance as treatment for orthorexia. Conclusively, eating disorders and specifically orthorexia affect one’s entire being — physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual health — and interfere with one’s entire life and daily functioning. Dance, as a holistic therapeutic approach, is effective in addressing and remedying every single one of these elements, healing one’s whole self. Therefore, it is suggested that dance may be an effective treatment for orthorexia.

Human essential hypertension affects over 75 million people in the United States, and can lead to death due to its several serious health complications such as hypertension-related cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this research was to understand how hypertension could cause physiological changes to the microcirculation, specifically the PO2 dependence of oxygen consumption (VO2) in skeletal muscle of normotensive and hypertensive rats. The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) strain was used as the diseased model, and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as controls to conduct this study. The SHR strain develops hypertension between 5-6 weeks after birth with an average systolic blood pressure of 150 mmHg. By arresting blood flow using an objective-mounted inflatable airbag, PO2 measurements were obtained along with an oxygen disappearance curve (ODC), which was used to calculate VO2 over various ranges of physiological PO2 values. PO2 and VO2 curves were analyzed based on Hill’s equation to fit the data and describe the PO2 dependence of VO2. When compared to the healthy Wistar-Kyoto rats, the SHRs exhibited a higher Vmax, or maximum rate of oxygen consumption. The average maximal rate of consumption by the hypertensive animal models could be a consequence of a “mitochondrial uncoupling” or some disconnect in the mitochondrial oxygen consumption and the normal corresponding ATP production. In conclusion, this project demonstrated that in situ muscle tissue from hypertensive and normotensive rats had a PO2 dependence of oxygen consumption over a wide range of physiological PO2 values and the hypertensive rats consumed oxygen at a higher maximal rate.

Bakgrund: Det finns ingen enhetlig definition av komplementär alternativ medicin (KAM). Det visar sig att användandet av KAM ökar hos befolkningen i världen. Det finns ett stort informationsutbud på internet vilket kan leda till risker för patienter vid felaktig information. Syftet: Var att beskriva inställningar till och kunskaper om komplementär alternativ medicin bland omvårdnadspersonal. Metod: En allmän litteraturstudie baserad på kvalitativa och kvantitativa artiklar. Resultat: Det fanns inställningar om att KAM borde ha en plats i sjukvården. Det framkom att det fanns behov av riktlinjer, lagstiftning, stöd, ledarskap och evidens hos omvårdnadspersonal. Omvårdnadspersonal såg det som sitt ansvar att fråga patienters om deras användande. Omvårdnadspersonal ansåg att KAM hade effekt för patienter. Det visade sig att det fanns både viss kunskap och otillräcklig kunskap om KAM. Även efterfrågan om behov av kunskap och utbildning bland omvårdnadspersonal visade sig vara stor. Slutsats: Med tanke på den positiva inställningen till KAM hos omvårdnadspersonal, befolkningens ökande användande och avsaknad av ett tydligt regelverk gällande KAM. Är det en tidsfråga innan sjuksköterskor hamnar i situationer då de inte vet hur de ska hantera patienters frågor och användande av KAM. Det finns ett behov av tydligare riktlinjer gällande KAM och utbildning om vad KAM är. / Background: There is no uniform definition of complementary alternative medicine (CAM). It turned out that the usage of CAM is increasing in the population around the world. There is a range of information on the internet, which can lead to risks for patients when misinformed. Purpose: Was to describe the attitudes to and knowledge of complementary alternative medicine among nursing staff. Method: A general literature review. Results: There were attitudes that CAM should have a place in health care and a need for guidelines, legislation, support, leadership and evidence. Nursing staff saw it as their responsibility to ask patients about their use. Nursing staff felt that CAM was effective for patients. It turned out that there were both some knowledge and insufficient knowledge of CAM. There was also a great need for knowledge and education among the nursing staff. Conclusions: Given the positive approach to CAM among nursing staff, the increasing usage in the population and lack of a clear regulatory framework regarding CAM. Nurses might find themselves in situations where they do not know how to handle patients' questions and the use of CAM. Therefore there is a need for clearer guidance and education about CAM

This mixed methods study examined the association between the frequency of five lifestyle-related complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices and perceived quality of life (QOL) and stress among patients in Japan diagnosed with chronic disease, and also examined why patients decided to receive Okada purifying therapy [(OPT) biofield therapy]. Data from 1,190 patients were analyzed using bivariate and multiple regression analysis, followed by analysis of one-on-one in-depth interviews conducted among 25 patients on reasons why patients decided to practice OPT. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyze transcribed interview data. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated that engaging in arts and cultural activities and exercise was associated with a decrease in perceived stress, while arts and cultural activities, exercise, consumption of organic (additive-free) food, and practice of OPT were associated with increased QOL. Gender weakly moderated the effects of arts and cultural activities on stress but not on QOL, and gender did not have any moderating effects on the association of OPT with either stress or QOL. One theme, five clusters, and 13 categories emerged from the qualitative analysis. Feelings of desperation due to unrelieved symptoms of disease seemed to be the principal reason for most patients’ practice of OPT. Other reasons were perception of the limits of conventional medicine in being able to treat patients’ disease, dissatisfaction with conventional medicine, positive relationship with staff and doctors of the integrative medicine clinic providing OPT, and benefits of OPT, among others. Although many patients expressed feeling doubts towards the practice of OPT at first, many seemed satisfied with the results of the practice, mainly because they were able to manage their symptoms and gain a sense of control. This may have led to an increase in QOL. The mixed methods design was able to inform the interpretation of the association of OPT with reported increase in QOL in the quantitative phase of the research.

No description available.

Background: Religious involvement is widespread and may influence patient engagement with their healthcare (patient activation) and health outcomes. This dissertation examined the association between religiosity and patient activation, changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL), readmissions, and survival after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: We recruited 2,174 patients hospitalized for ACS in Georgia and Central Massachusetts (2011-2013) in a prospective cohort study. Participants self-reported three items assessing religiosity – strength/comfort from religion, petition prayers for health, and awareness of intercessory prayers by others. Patient activation was measured using the 6-item Patient Activation Measure. Generic HRQOL was assessed with the SF-36®v2 physical and mental component summary scores. Disease-specific HRQOL was evaluated with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire Quality of Life subscale. Unscheduled readmissions were validated from medical records. Mortality status was obtained from national and state vital statistics. Results: After adjustment for several sociodemographic, psychosocial, and clinical variables, reports of strength/comfort from religion and receipt of intercessions were associated with high activation. Praying for one’s health was associated with low activation. Prayers for health were associated with clinically meaningful increases in disease-specific and physical HRQOL. Neither strength/comfort from religion, petition, nor intercessory prayers were significantly associated with unscheduled 30-day readmissions and two-year all-cause mortality. Conclusions: Most ACS survivors acknowledge religious practices for their health. Religiosity was associated with patient activation and changes in HRQOL. These findings suggest that religiosity may influence patient engagement in their healthcare and recovery after a life-threatening illness, buttressing the need for holistic approach in patient management.

Abstract Introduction & Background The role of dietary fiber in breast cancer etiology remains unclear. A negative correlation may be due to fiber’s ability to stave off obesity and aid in the extraction of serum estrogen, two known risk factors for the disease. Effects may differ by source, and type, of fiber. Most of the data available is from research with non-Hispanic white women. However, fiber intake may vary significantly across cultures. Purpose Statement & Question The research sought to investigate whether an increased intake of dietary fiber was associated with a corresponding decrease in the incidence of breast cancer. The question posed was: Among post-menopausal women of various cultures, what is the effect of high dietary fiber intake compared to low intake on the risk of developing breast cancer? Literature Review The search was for specific studies examining the effect of dietary fiber on breast cancer development. The university’s scholarly search engine was utilized to find five studies using key terms such as “dietary fiber” and “breast cancer”. Findings Results showed an overall protective effect from high (> 25 grams/day) total dietary fiber intake on developing breast cancer. Findings for soluble versus insoluble fiber were inconsistent, but evidence suggests that fiber from beans, vegetables, and fruit may have a greater effect than fiber from whole grains. Conclusion High total fiber consumption may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. Future research should investigate whether results hold true across more diverse populations.

Background. Primary and secondary prevention trials have shown that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) reduce the risk of cardiac death, but concerns have been raised regarding the psychological well-being of ICD patients. Anxiety can affect a significant proportion of these patients, but there is limited information about prevalence and determinants of anxiety after the implementation of the more recent guidelines for ICD implantation. Several behavioral interventions have been effective in improving anxiety in these patients, however the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) has not been investigated in ICD patients, and there is limited information regarding the characteristics of pre-intervention, “dispositional” mindfulness in patients with cardiovascular disease never exposed to mindfulness training. The aims of this dissertation project were: 1) To determine the feasibility of a randomized clinical trial of a phone-administered, mindfulness-based training program, as measured by recruitment and retention rates, treatment adherence and fidelity; 2) To evaluate the current baseline prevalence and determinants of anxiety in the study population and 3) To describe the correlates of dispositional mindfulness in the study population. Methods. The study was conducted at the Electrophysiology Service at the UMass Memorial Medical Center. All consecutive patients who recently underwent an ICD procedure or received ICD shocks were screened for eligibility to participate in a pilot randomized controlled trial in which an eight session, phone-delivered, weekly MBI was compared to a usual care condition. Assessments were performed at baseline and post-intervention. A cross-sectional design was used for aims 2 and 3. Anxiety was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; a shortened version of the Five Facets of Mindfulness questionnaire was used to evaluate mindfulness. Results. Thirty patients (21 M, 9 F; mean age 63.1 ±10.3 years) were enrolled in the study. The methods ultimately adopted to screen, recruit, and retain study participants were feasible to conduct and satisfactory to ICD outpatients, and the study intervention was safe. Phone delivery resulted in excellent retention rates and limited costs. Assessments of treatment fidelity showed that the content of the intervention was delivered as intended in almost 100% of cases. The study findings do not show a decrease in the overall prevalence of anxiety in ICD patients compared with earlier cohorts; anxiety was associated with young age, low socio-economic status and previous psychological morbidity, but not with ICD-related factors including prior shock delivery. Finally, baseline mindfulness was most strongly associated with previous psychological morbidity (in particular, depression), and current anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. Psychological morbidity appears to be the major determinant of anxiety in the patients currently enrolled in the study. Dispositional mindfulness is inversely associated with current anxiety and depression and with prior psychological morbidity, supporting the hypothesis of a modulating role of mindfulness on the processing of negative emotions. A phone-delivered, individual MBI is feasible, acceptable to patients and can be adequately delivered by trained instructors. The findings from this dissertation work support the need for larger clinical trials of MBI in ICD patients.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the use of virtual distant Reiki as a healing modality to influence the human environmental field patterning. Specific Aims: (1) To determine if it is feasible to recruit and retain participants (through expressions of human choice) to participate in a study comprised of two distant Reiki administrations on a virtual platform. (2) To investigate the preliminary influence of a distant Reiki intervention on pattern of the whole as manifested by participant response in stress and anxiety. (3) To explore the participant’s reflections on their virtual distant Reiki experience within the human environmental field pattern of their home environment as a healing space. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework is grounded in Martha Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings. Design: This study incorporates a feasibility, mixed method design. Data was collected through pre and post intervention individualized interviews and two tools (State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R)). Results: Described changed in pattern manifestation supported the need for home-based interventions during covid 19 pandemic. Quantitative response indicated a statistically significant reduction in perceived stress and anxiety (p< 0.001). Conclusion: The preliminary study findings support the feasibility of a distant Reiki and suggest that nurses, who are Reiki practitioners, may be influential in interacting with the human environmental field to promote change and foster healing.

This study explores folk medical beliefs and practices regarding women's health issues and the female body, specifically menstruation, pregnancy, abortion and menopause, in the Southern Appalachian region. This research reveals what information was given to young girls, by whom was it given, and the effect this had on their self-image and on how they communicated about their bodies as they matured. Other key elements include the social restrictions surrounding menstruation and the ways these beliefs were communicated to young girls. In addition, this project presents information on the treatment of symptoms such as cramps, bloating, headaches, excessive bleeding, lack of flow, etc. and how this information was communicated.