Relaxation Therapy

STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a structured review of eight mind-body interventions for older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and evidence for pain reduction in older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain in the following mind-body therapies: biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, guided imagery, hypnosis, tai chi, qi gong, and yoga. METHODS: Relevant studies in the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, AMED, and CINAHL databases were located. A manual search of references from retrieved articles was also conducted.

Cognitive hypnotherapy (CH) is a comprehensive evidence-based hypnotherapy for clinical depression. This article describes the major components of CH, which integrate hypnosis with cognitive-behavior therapy as the latter provides an effective host theory for the assimilation of empirically supported treatment techniques derived from various theoretical models of psychotherapy and psychopathology. CH meets criteria for an assimilative model of psychotherapy, which is considered to be an efficacious model of psychotherapy integration.

BACKGROUND: Many people with schizophrenia continue to experience symptoms despite conventional treatments being used. Alternative therapies such as hypnosis, in conjunction with conventional treatments, may be helpful. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of hypnosis for people with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like illnesses compared with standard care and other interventions.

BACKGROUND: Many people with schizophrenia continue to experience symptoms despite the use of conventional treatments. Alternative therapies such as hypnosis, in conjunction with conventional treatments, may prove beneficial to them. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of hypnosis for people with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like illnesses compared to standard care and other interventions.

BACKGROUND: The pain that women experience during labour is affected by multiple physiological and psychosocial factors and its intensity can vary greatly.  Most women in labour require pain relief. Pain management strategies include non-pharmacological interventions (that aim to help women cope with pain in labour) and pharmacological interventions (that aim to relieve the pain of labour). OBJECTIVES: To summarise the evidence from Cochrane systematic reviews on the efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions to manage pain in labour.

Hypnosis is regarded as an effective treatment for psychological and physical ailments. However, its efficacy as a strategy for managing chronic pain has not been assessed through meta-analytical methods. The objective of the current study was to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of hypnosis for managing chronic pain. When compared with standard care, hypnosis provided moderate treatment benefit. Hypnosis also showed a moderate superior effect as compared to other psychological interventions for a nonheadache group.

AIMS: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of hypnosis/relaxation therapy compared to no/minimal treatment in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). METHODS: Studies reviewed included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) where investigators randomized patients with TMD or an equivalent condition to an intervention arm receiving hypnosis, relaxation training, or hyporelaxation therapy, and a control group receiving no/minimal treatment.

This study systematically reviews the hypnosis apps available via iTunes that were compatible with iPhone or iPad. Of 1455 apps identified on iTunes, 407 met inclusion criteria and were further reviewed. Most common hypnosis app targets were weight loss (23%), boosting self-esteem (20%), and relaxation/stress reduction (19%); 83% of apps delivered hypnosis via audio track, and 37% allowed tailoring. Less than 14% of apps reported disclaimers. None of the apps reported having been tested for efficacy, and none reported being evidence based.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has gained increasing popularity, particularly among individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) for which traditional medicine has generally been ineffective. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs on CAM studies for FMS was conducted to evaluate the empirical evidence for their effectiveness. Few RCTs achieved high scores on the CONSORT, a standardized evaluation of the quality of methodology reporting.

OBJECTIVE: An increasing number of patients with asthma are attracted by complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Therefore, it is of importance that scientific evidence about the efficacy of this type of therapy is regarded. METHOD: We searched the electronic databases Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library for controlled trials and systematic reviews to evaluate the evidence of the most popular alternative therapies, i.e. acupuncture, homeopathy, breathing techniques, herbal and nutritional therapies.