Exploring the Mind-Body Connection (long)

[Guest guest]

I've got this on a MedPulse mailing. I'm gambling that it's of sufficient

interest (especially to those involved in journalling) to be worth quoting in

full.

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Ged

 

 

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Exploring the Mind-Body Connection

[Clinician Reviews 9(7):41-48, 1999. © 1999 Clinicians Publishing Group and

Williams & Wilkins.]

 

 

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Writing about emotionally stressful experiences may help reduce severity of

symptoms of such chronic diseases as asthma or rheumatoid arthritis (RA),

according to a study published recently in JAMA. Smyth and colleagues noted

clinically relevant improvement in nearly half the study participants during a

4-month period. The authors add this study to growing evidence documenting the

interplay between mind and body in disease processes.

 

The researchers recruited 107 volunteer patients, 58 with confirmed asthma and

49 with confirmed RA, for their randomized controlled trial, which was conducted

between October 1996 and December 1997. Individuals were excluded if they had a

defined psychiatric disorder, were using a mood-altering medication, or were

taking more than 10 mg of prednisone per day. Participants were randomized into

an experimental group or a control group. There were no differences between the

two groups regarding demographics, health behaviors, psychological elements, or

baseline severity of disease.

 

Participants were instructed to write for a 20-minute timed period on each of

three consecutive days. The experimental group members were to write about their

most stressful experience, while the control subjects wrote about their plans

for the day. Subjects wrote continuously in private rooms located in the

researchers' laboratory. The essays were anonymous and were not discussed with

the staff.

 

Disease activity outcomes were measured at baseline, 2 weeks, 2 months, and 4

months after writing. For those with asthma, pulmonary function was assessed by

spirometry and by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). A rheumatologist

rated the participants with RA on a scale of 0 (asymptomatic) to 4 (very

symptomatic). Clinically relevant improvement was defined as a gain of at least

15% in FEV1 for patients in the asthma group, and a shift of 1 or more

categories toward asymptomatic for RA group members.

 

Improvement was noted 4 months after the writing intervention for both the

asthma and the RA groups. Overall, 47.1% of experimental patients had clinically

relevant improvement at 4-month follow-up, as did 24.3% of controls. Generally,

the experimental group showed greater rates of improvement and lower rates of

worsening than did controls, regardless of disease.

 

The authors caution that their results are provocative but preliminary. They

question the mechanism of improvement, whether the positive effects will extend

beyond 4 months, whether the results can be generalized to other conditions, and

why nearly half of the participants did not improve.

 

In an accompanying editorial, David Spiegel, MD, explains the possible

physiologic processes by which the mind, stress, and emotions are connected with

physical wellness: " The interaction between disease and the stress it causes can

set up an interaction that reinforces the illness, through autonomic

hyperactivity, increased [hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis] activity or

dysregulation, and effects on immune function. " Spiegel concludes, " In this and

a growing number of studies, it is not simply mind over matter, but it is clear

that mind matters. "

 

 

Smyth JM, Stone AA, Hurewitz A, et al. Effects of writing about stressful

experiences on symptom reduction in patients with asthma or rheumatoid

arthritis: a randomized trial. JAMA. 1999;281:1304-1309.

 

Spiegel D. Healing words: emotional expression and disease outcome [editorial].

JAMA. 1999;281:1328-1329.

[Guest guest]

Hi

Could you send me the site where you got this information about journalling.

Journaling has helped me very much on my healing journey and I would like

to send it to a few of my friends.

Thanks Cathy

[Guest guest]

Mcv1052 wrote:

>

> Hi

> Could you send me the site where you got this information about journalling.

> Journaling has helped me very much on my healing journey and I would like

> to send it to a few of my friends.

> Thanks Cathy

>

 

I would also like to reference you to http://www.about.com where you

can explore their " healing " page; Phyl Desy has several references and

links for journalling, including my healing journal page,

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/5114/journal.html

 

--

Blessings,

Crow

" Look for Rainbows in the Darkness "

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[Guest guest]

Oops. The URL for my page (in case you have tried it already) is

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/5114/journal.htm (I gave you

" html " last time, and it won't take you anywhere) :-)

 

Crow

 

Caroline Abreu wrote:

>

> Mcv1052 wrote:

> >

> > Hi

> > Could you send me the site where you got this information about

> journalling.

> > Journaling has helped me very much on my healing journey and I would like

> > to send it to a few of my friends.

> > Thanks Cathy

> >

>

> I would also like to reference you to http://www.about.com where you

> can explore their " healing " page; Phyl Desy has several references and

> links for journalling, including my healing journal page,

> http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/5114/journal.html

>