中医屈指推法的生物力学建模及分析

背景：推拿医学发展趋势是逐步摆脱单纯经验化的模式,走向客观化、精确化、量化和个体化,使推拿医师能控制手法的力量、时间、方向、频率等各项指标。 目的：建立中医一指禅推法(屈指)的生物力学模型,探索在体情况下无0法无创检测的关节作用力的计算方法。 方法：采用摄像技术,采集一指禅推法(屈指)的运动学数据,同时利用FZ-I型中医推拿手法测力分析仪采集作用力数据,依此建立手法的生物力学模型并计算各主要关节的作用力。 结果与结论：建立了4杆件、5结点的中医一指禅推法(屈指)生物力学模型,计算得到了拇指指间关节、拇指掌指关节、腕关节和肘关节的作用力,分析了各关节在手法运动中的作用,与操作医师的实际感受一致。提示由中医一指禅推法(屈指)的生物力学模型可计算推拿过程中各关节的作用力,可为手法教学和研究提供一定的帮助。     

A mindfulness-based intervention for self-management of verbal and physical aggression by adolescents with Prader–Willi syndrome

Purpose: There is a dearth of clinical and research literature on the treatment of maladaptive behaviors in adolescents with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention, Meditation on the Soles of the Feet (SoF), to facilitate self-management of verbal and physical aggression. Method: We utilized a multiple-baseline design across participants to test the intervention with three adolescents diagnosed with PWS. Results: Relative to baseline, verbal aggression decreased to minimal levels following mindfulness-based practice and physical aggression was nearly eliminated. Intervention effects were maintained at 12-month follow-up. Quantitative analytics confirmed statistically significant outcomes. Conclusions: The SoF mindfulness intervention was effective in reducing verbal and physical aggression in three adolescents with PWS. Future research should test the SoF intervention with this clinical population in a larger clinical trial, and the SoF intervention may be applicable to other pediatric populations.     

Support from Neurobiology for Spiritual Techniques for Anxiety: A Brief Review

Research in neurobiology supports use of spiritual techniques as a beneficial treatment for anxiety. Psychotherapy, including mindfulness CBT and meditation, has been shown to change brain structure. The amygdala—the brain structure responsible for processing emotion and anxiety—demonstrates plasticity, and the purpose of therapy may be to allow the cortex to establish more effective and efficient synaptic links with the amygdala. A main feature of spiritual approaches is changing one's focus of attention. Instead of worry, one focuses on peaceful thoughts, thoughts of helping others, etc. Research demonstrates that thought, meditation, and other manifestations of mind can alter the brain, sometimes in an enduring way. Few studies have addressed the neurobiological underpinnings of meditation. Limited evidence, however, suggests that brain changes occur during prolonged meditation and that meditation activates neural structures involved in attention and control of the autonomic nervous system.     

Prayer as Coping: A Psychological Analysis

Engaging in prayer and holding positive attitudes toward religion are empirically associated with personal wellbeing, health, and the relief of distress. This paper starts with those findings and builds on the Jamesian concept of prayer as “inward communication or conversation with a power recognized as divine.” Within this framework, the paper employs selected, well recognized psychological constructs to offer a theoretical explanation of how and why prayer contributes to the relief of distress, and to the health and psychological wellbeing of the person who engages in prayer.     

Psychological responses of medical staff during COVID-19 and the adjustment effect of brief mindfulness meditation

BackgroundCOVID-19 has posed an unprecedented threat to public health and remains a critical challenge for medical staff, especially those who have been fighting against the virus in Wuhan, China. Limited data have been reported regarding the psychological status of these medical staff members. Therefore, we conducted this study to explore the mental health status of medical staff and the efficacy of brief mindfulness meditation (BMM) in improving their mental health.MethodsA survey was conducted between April 18 and May 3, 2020. Upon completing the pre-test, participants in the treatment group received a 15-min BMM intervention every day at 8 p.m. Post-test questionnaires were completed after 16 days of therapy. The questionnaire comprised demographic data and psychological measurement scales. The levels of pre and post-test depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Athens Insomnia Scale, respectively.ResultsA total of 134 completed questionnaires were received. Of the medical staff, 6.7%, 1.5%, and 26.7% reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia, respectively. Public officials from military hospitals reported experiencing greater pressure than private officials (t = 2.39, p = 0.018, d = 0.50). Additionally, BMM treatment appeared to effectively alleviate insomnia (t = 2.27, p = 0.027, d = 0.28).ConclusionsThe medical staff suffered negative psychological effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMM interventions are advantageous in supporting the mental health of medical staff.     

Meditation-based intervention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the meditation-based intervention on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).Methods:The following databases were searched up to April 2021: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, Medline (via PubMed), PsycARTICLES, 4 Korean databases (Korean Medical Database [KMbase], Koreanstudies Information Service System [KISS], National Digital Science Library [NDSL], and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS]), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The search terms related to meditation-based intervention and OCD were used. This systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The selected articles were evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 was used to perform the meta-analysis.Results:In all, 16 randomized controlled trials were selected. The meta-analysis showed that the group receiving the treatment combining medication and meditation-based intervention for OCD showed a more significant post-treatment improvement in Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale than the group receiving medication only. Compared with other non-medication interventions that are known to be effective in treating OCD, the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale showed a significant improvement immediately after the meditation-based intervention. However, no significant difference was found in the follow-up monitoring data across all examined cases.Conclusion:This study was conducted to verify the effects of meditation-based intervention on OCD. The results suggested that combined treatment with medication and meditation-based intervention was more effective in treating OCD than medication alone; the positive effects of meditation-based intervention may be greater than the effects of other non-medication interventions. However, the lack of significant difference in the follow-up indicates that long-term effect of meditation-based interventions is unclear.Trial registration number:PROSPERO CRD42021244408     

Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual and Empirical Review

Interventions based on training in mindfulness skills are becoming increasingly popular. Mindfulness involves intentionally bringing one's attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment, and is often taught through a variety of meditation exercises. This review summarizes conceptual approaches to mind-fulness and empirical research on the utility of mindfulness-based interventions. Meta-analytic techniques were incorporated to facilitate quantification of findings and comparison across studies. Although the current empirical literature includes many methodological flaws, findings suggest that mindfulness-based interventions may be helpful in the treatment of several disorders. Methodologically sound investigations are recommended in order to clarify the utility of these interventions.