Body Talk

By Brandon Twyford
[Body Talk]

Mindfulness Training Proves Effective for Postpartum Depression
A new study led by University of Colorado at Boulder researchers found pregnant and postpartum women at risk of depression are less likely to suffer from the condition when they meditate or practice yoga than when they are treated with psychotherapy and antidepressants.
The study focused on pregnant women with histories of depression. Forty-three subjects were randomized to a group that underwent mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and 43 subjects were assigned to a conventional treatment group.
Only 18 percent of the women in the mindfulness group experienced depression during pregnancy or after they gave birth, while 50 percent of the women in the conventional treatment group experienced depression.
Lead researcher Sona Dimidjian, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado at Boulder, writes, “The choice between antidepressants and having untreated depression is not the only option.”
Read more at www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2016/01/11/mindfulness-training-more-
effective-against-postpartum-depression-conventional.
For more information on mindfulness meditation, read “3 Steps to Mindfulness
Meditation” in the Autumn 2015 issue of Body Sense magazine at www.bodysensemagazine
digital.com/i/574078-autumn-2015/14.

Back Massage Improves Conditions in Family Caregivers
A randomized controlled trial, published in Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, concludes that 44 family caregivers of oncology patients benefitted from 15-minute daily back massage over the period of one week. The caregivers reported improved blood pressure, cortisol levels, heart rates, and sleep quality, as well as reduced anxiety.
The study concluded that oncology nurses can take advantage of back massage—a nonpharmacologic and easily implemented method—as an independent nursing action to support these caregivers.
Learn more at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26745049.

New Study Suggests Reiki’s Effectiveness for Pain Reduction

In a pilot study published in Nursing that aimed to determine the impact of reiki therapy on pain perception, reiki was shown to have a statistically significant effect on pain reduction.
The study sample included 43 patients undergoing total knee arthoplasty (TKA). All subjects had unilateral TKA at the same hospital and were randomized into reiki and nonreiki groups. Pain was assessed before and after reiki therapy using a numeric rating scale.
While several study limitations were noted, the findings are promising and provide valid groundwork for future studies.
As a result of the positive feedback from patients and decreased pain ratings following reiki sessions, a reiki program was established at the hospital, and 10 nurses became trained and certified in reiki.
Read the abstract at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26760383.
For more information about reiki, read “Reiki and PTSD” in the November/December 2014 issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine at www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/398416-november-december-2014/66.