The Role of Touch in Acupuncture Treatment

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Younbyoung Chae ◽  
Håkan Olausson
Keyword(s):  
Acupuncture Treatment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Social Touch ◽  
Acupuncture Stimulation ◽  
Touch Response ◽  
Body Acupuncture ◽  
De Qi

Acupuncture is a therapeutic treatment that is characterised by the insertion of a needle at a particular location on the body. Acupuncture stimulation includes sensory-discriminative and affective-social touch dimensions. In this review, we discuss the role of touch during acupuncture stimulation with an emphasis on the therapeutic, sensory-discriminative and affective-social aspects. In the discriminative dimension, de qi, which is associated with needling, includes a combination of various sensations, such as heaviness, numbness, soreness and distension. Achieving the appropriate de qi sensation appears to be fundamental to the therapeutic outcome following acupuncture treatment. In the affective dimension, the acupuncture procedure typically includes gentle manual touch stimulation, which induces feelings of calm and well-being, perhaps by activating C tactile fibres. Enhanced activity of C tactile afferents may induce a ‘limbic touch’ response, resulting in emotional and hormonal reactions. Because acupuncture is a ‘therapist intensive’ and complex intervention, it is necessary to understand the role of social touch between the practitioner and patient. Both sensory-discriminative and affective-social touch aspects play an important role in the therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment in clinical practice.

How perceived information transparency and psychological attitude impact on the financial well-being: mediating role of financial self-efficacy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman ◽  
Khalid Latif ◽  
Muhammad Mohsin ◽  
Zahid Hussain ◽  
Sajjad Ahmad Baig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Productivity Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Transparency ◽  
Psychological Attitude

PurposeThe basic intention of this research is to investigate the role of information transparency of financial institutions and psychological attitude of the individuals toward their attention to saving and borrowing. This study also tries to know how an individual's psychological factor affects a person's attitude to motivate them to save or borrow and contribute to well-being by giving them confidence that they can face financial challenges. So, the main concern of this study is to explore different factors that ultimately contribute to the financial well-being (FWB) of individual.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted by using a well-structured questionnaire to collect data and test the developed hypotheses by using SmartPLS. Data were collected from 120 customers of seven different commercial banks in Pakistan.FindingsThe findings of this study show that perceived information transparency positively affects FWB. It is also because transparent shared information creates positive change in individuals' perceived self-efficacy and leads to FWB. Furthermore, an individual's psychological attitude toward borrowing and saving did not contribute to the FWB of people who belong to Pakistan.Research limitations/implicationsThe research area is limited to one city of Pakistan and analysis is done with small numbers of sample, it can be increased and more areas can be explored.Practical implicationsThis research provides significant implications for people and economists by providing awareness about the antecedents of FWB. The policymakers or managers who work in financial institutions should provide more transparent information and create less risky opportunities to improve the individual's well-being. If person, manager and financial institution can properly utilize the information of this study, then they are able to improve their FWB. By providing more transparent services and favorable experience with your dealings, it could help to obtain and retain more loyal internal (employees) and external customers. The loyal customers and sincere employees can increase the productivity level of organization. The more productive organizations in countries means better society and progress in the economy.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the body of knowledge that how perceived information transparency and psychological attitude of borrowing create improvement and upward changes in the FWB of a person.

scholarly journals Immunity against COVID-19: Potential role of Ayurveda: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 989-992
Author(s):  
Mula Ram Suthar ◽  
◽  
Manjry Anshumala Barla ◽  
Rakesh Roushan ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
The Body ◽  
Disease Concept ◽  
First Case ◽  
Modern Perspective

The Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an infectious disease caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has affected people's lives globally, since first case was detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world’s attention to the immune system, the body’s defense mechanism against disease. Concept of Ojas is well explained in all ayurvedic classics, in modern perspective it is considered as immunity (Vyadhikshamatava). Ojas is necessary for well-being of the body, and mind. In Ayurveda textbook, the epidemics and along with their management are discussed under the term of Janapadodhvansa. The preventive and curative treatments for communicable diseases of the Janapadodhvansa (epidemics) are Panchkarma (five bio-purification therapies), Rasayana Chikitsa (rejuvenation treatment), Achara Rasayana (good conducts), and migrate to the place, free from communicable diseases. The intake of all types Rasayanas leads to increase of Ojas and reduce all psychological (mainly stress and emotional) disorder, thereby causes increase immunity responses and help to fight against covid-19. Key Words: Ayurveda, Covid-19, Immunity, Janapadodhvansa, Ojas, Rasayana Chikitsa.

Post-Piagetian Perspectives of Cognitive Development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Martí
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Dynamic Systems ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Processing Theory ◽  
Progressive Loss ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Piagetian Theory

Piaget’s constructivism theory influenced deeply the study of cognitive development in the last century. Despite the progressive loss of influence of this theory, some contemporary perspectives have recently extended some of his ideas, enriching the way cognitive development is understood. These contributions face two important questions that remained problematic in Piaget’s theory: how to integrate dynamic aspects and variability of development and how to understand the role of the body and the signs in cognition. Thanks to information processing theory, functional and executive components of cognition have been progressively integrated into Piaget’s theory. Two main perspectives have contributed to doing so. The first one, defended by Pascual-Leone and Case, among other authors, has been called “neo-Piagetian theory.” It offers a more dynamic way to understand cognitive development and present particular solutions to explain the Piagetian stages. The second one, the theory of dynamic systems, has contributed to explaining variability in cognitive development, a central aspect underestimated by Piaget, who was more interested in universal aspects of cognition. Thanks to the perspective of embodied cognition, the main role of action and body has been taken into account to understand the characteristics of cognition. From this perspective, a nuclear idea of Piaget’s constructivism, the importance of action in cognition, has been investigated in a more accurate way. Finally, considering the poor contribution of signs in Piaget’s theory, some authors inspired in Vygotskyan theory have emphasized the role of semiotic systems and social aspects in cognitive development. The research generated by all these theoretical perspectives has had important consequences in education.

Children as Language Brokers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachele Antonini
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
North African ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Brokers

Child language brokering (CLB) is a widespread practice of linguistic and cultural mediation or brokering that is generally performed by the children of immigrant and minority groups and that takes place in all those domains that pertain to these families’ social and daily life. It is a very young topic of interest; hence the body of research and literature available on CLB is still limited and highly fragmented and discipline-based, and attempts at bringing together researchers with different disciplinary and methodological perspectives are quite recent. Nonetheless, the increased interest in this topic of study has contributed to make it a fully fledged and freestanding area of study. Until the mid-1970s, the study of CLB was never the primary research question, and any observation on its existence was considered a byproduct of research focusing on other topics and issues. In the 1980s, articles and essays describing this practice started appearing in a variety of journals and volumes from a wide array of disciplinary perspectives. In the mid-1990s, research on CLB gained momentum and shifted to other aspects and issues of CLB, namely, the who, what, and where of CLB and its positive and negative effects on the language brokers’ education, identity construction, and psychological well-being. These include parentification and adultification issues that emerge when children assume the role of the decision-maker in the family and that may have a significant impact on family relationships, the children’s acculturation and learning process, and their attitudes toward their native and/or second language and culture. The study of CLB in Europe was introduced in the late 1990s and was initially almost exclusively UK-based. Since the end of the 1990s, it has developed in other European countries too, by focusing on the communities that represent the largest migrant groups present in each country, like for instance Moroccan communities in Spain, North African and Italian immigrants in Germany, and a variety of immigrant groups in Italy. CLB is now a topic of research in, inter alia, anthropology, bi- and multilingualism studies, educational studies, interpreting and translation studies, sociolinguistics, and psychology.

The Interoceptive Mind

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mental Life ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
Cognitive Neurosciences ◽  
Affect And Cognition

This volume focuses on the role of interoception for mental life and lived experience, from the perspectives of neurosciences, psychological sciences, and philosophy. Interoception is the body-to-brain axis of signals originating from the internal body and visceral organs (such as gastrointestinal, respiratory, hormonal, and circulatory systems), and plays a unique role in ensuring homeostasis. This volume goes beyond the traditional role of interoception for homeostasis and offers a state-of-the-art overview of and new insights into the role of interoception for mental life, awareness, subjectivity, affect, and cognition. Structured across three parts, this multidisciplinary volume highlights the role that interoceptive signals and awareness thereof play in our mental life (Part I), considers deficits in interoceptive processing and awareness in various mental health conditions but also the equally important role of interoception for well-being (Part II), and approaches interoception from a theoretical and philosophical perspective, representing a highly novel departure for philosophy of mind and subjectivity (Part III). The chapters share a common concern for what it means to experience oneself, for the crucial role of emotions, and for issues of health and well-being, discussed on the joint basis of our bodily existence and interoception. The research presented here will hopefully accelerate the much-anticipated coming of age of interoceptive research in psychology, cognitive neurosciences, and philosophy.

Anthropomorphic Clay Figurines of the Jomon Period of Japan

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Mizoguchi
Keyword(s):  
Female Body ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Visual Representation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Japanese Archipelago ◽  
Bodily Experiences ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Japanese Archipelago

This chapter charts the trajectory of change of Jomon period clay anthropomorphic figurines in the Japanese archipelago. The earliest specimens embodied the perception of the body and female bodily experiences rather than accurately representing the body itself. Emphasis gradually shifted from the material embodiment of unmediated bodily perception and experiences to the visual representation of the body. Through this process, the subject of the representation expanded from the female body to the bodies of various categories of being, including animals and fantastic/supernatural beings, and the figurines came to embody the mutual transformability. These beings were networked to form an ‘animistic’ cosmology whose successful reproduction was metaphorically linked to that of human life and community. The decline of the symbolic role of the female reproductive faculty as the universal referent in the prayer for communal well-being led to the end of the Jomon clay anthropomorphic figurines.

Harmonious homegoings: alleviating consumer vulnerability through service fluidity and compassion

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Nations Azzari ◽  
Natalie A. Mitchell ◽  
Charlene A. Dadzie
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
The Body ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Vulnerability ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Service Ecosystem

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of service flexibility in addressing consumer vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers within the funerary context. Design/methodology/approach Using phenomenological philosophy and a grounded approach, data was collected and analyzed through 12 depth interviews with funeral service providers, coupled with observations and photographs of three second-line funeral processionals. Findings Study results include the following three primary roles of service providers in supporting chronically-traumatized consumers: the role of service fluidity in addressing trauma, mitigating vulnerability via service providers as community members and alleviating suffering through compassionate service. Service flexibility and value co-creation efforts were executed through an expansive service ecosystem of vendors. Practical implications When consumers experience vulnerability that demands reliance upon service industries, service providers can intentionally implement fluidity and agility in service design, adopt understanding and altruistic practices, and operate with empathy and compassion to orchestrate mutually-beneficial service outcomes. Social implications Rooted in transformative service research, providers are advised to consider modifying services to improve well-being and mitigate vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers via fluidity, community and compassion. Originality/value This study contributes originality to the body of service marketing literature by illustrating how service providers alleviate vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers through three adaptive service strategies.

scholarly journals Role of Acupuncturists in Acupuncture Treatment

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Acupuncture Treatment ◽  
Pharmacological Therapy ◽  
The Body ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Treatment Delivery ◽  
Tcm Theory

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is based on a paradigm of the body different to that of modern biomedicine. Inherent characteristics of TCM necessitate an active and central role of acupuncturists in acupuncture treatment. The author looks at acupuncture in the practical context and analyzes the role of acupuncturists in diagnostic process and treatment delivery. Acupuncture as a complex non-pharmacological therapy depends solely on the acupuncturists' skills, competence and understanding of TCM theory to work. More attention should be given to this important role of acupuncturists in either clinical practice or research on acupuncture.

scholarly journals The scientific study of consciousness cannot, and should not, be morally neutral

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matan Mazor ◽  
Athena Demertzi ◽  
Johannes Jacobus Fahrenfort ◽  
Nathan Faivre ◽  
Jolien Francken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Moral Status ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Scientific Study ◽  
Strongly Coupled ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Societal Norms ◽  
Law And Ethics ◽  
Explicit Consideration

Normative decisions about moral status are strongly coupled with beliefs and assumptions about consciousness. Whether an individual is able to experience their environment, feel pain and pleasure or reflect on their own experiences, have all been judged at some point as relevant to the moral question of whether they should be protected by law. The scientific study of consciousness has advanced our understanding of some of these empirical questions by revealing the capacities and limits of these dimensions of consciousness in different states and animal species. In light of the tight link with moral status, scientific discoveries in this field have direct implications on law and ethics. Furthermore, this link with ethics may place implicit pressure on the scientific community studying consciousness to justify current societal norms, rather than challenge them. Finally, given the important role of consciousness in determining moral standing, the use of non-human animals in the scientific study of consciousness introduces a direct conflict between scientific relevance and ethics – the more scientifically valuable an animal model is for studying consciousness, the more difficult it becomes to ethically justify compromises to its well-being for consciousness research. Here we call for a discussion of the immediate ethical corollaries of the body of knowledge that has been accumulated, and for a more explicit consideration of the role of ideology and ethics in the scientific study of consciousness, including the question of animal models of consciousness.

Withania Somnifera in Neurological Disorders: Ethnopharmacological Evidence, Mechanism of Action and its Progress in Delivery Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anees Ahmed Syed ◽  
Mohammad Irshad Reza ◽  
Pragati Singh ◽  
Ganesh K. Thombre ◽  
Jiaur R. Gayen
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Withania Somnifera ◽  
Data Retrieval ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
The Body ◽  
Neuroprotective Activity ◽  
Current Review

Background: The underlying cause of major neurodegenerative disorders remains a health-care mystery. The thoroughly investigated causes include oxidative stress, inflammation, environmental factor, mitochondrial dysfunction, and irregular neuronal protein aggregation. Withania somnifera has been used for more than 2500 years as a useful medicinal plant to improve disease defense, prevent aging, rejuvenate the body in a vulnerable situation, and generate a feeling of mental well-being. However, a persuasive paper emphasizing its neuroprotective nature is missing. Objective: In the current review, we have delineated the protective role of W. somnifera against various neurological disorders and its progress in delivery systems. Methods: The database used in the retrieval of data were PubMed, Scopus, Science direct, and SciFinder. The keywords used were W. somnifera, Ashwagandha, neuroprotective activities, etc. The principal source of the data retrieval includes research articles, review papers, and short communications from reputed publishers, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Elsevier, Nature, Springer, and Taylor & Francis. Results: After an extensive literature review, we found that W. somnifera mitigates various neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington disease, tardive dyskinesia, stroke, and anxiety. Furthermore, natural compounds in nano sizes range possess the better neuroprotective activity. Consequently, polymeric nanomicelles, nanoparticles, and nanofibers of natural products are used in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases Conclusion: The current review substantially deciphered the protective role of W. somnifera against various neurological disorders. However, future studies are further required better to understand the molecular mechanisms behind their neuroprotective nature.

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