scholarly journals Postural Responses to Sudden Horizontal Perturbations in Tai Chi Practitioners

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2692
Author(s):  
Jernej Sever ◽  
Jan Babič ◽  
Žiga Kozinc ◽  
Nejc Šarabon
Keyword(s):  
Tai Chi ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Postural Responses ◽  
Force Increase ◽  
Load Release

Tai Chi has been shown to elicit numerous positive effects on health and well-being. In this study, we examined reactive postural control after sudden unloading horizontal perturbations, which resembled situations encountered during Tai Chi. The study involved 20 participants, 10 in the Tai Chi group (age: 37.4 ± 7.8 years), who had been regularly training the push-hand technique for at least 7 years, and 10 in the control group, consisting of healthy adults (age: 28.8 ± 5.0). Perturbations were applied at three different positions (hips, shoulders, and arms) via the load-release paradigm. Twenty measurements were carried out for each perturbation position. We measured peak vertical and horizontal forces on the ground (expressed percentage of body mass (%BM)), peak center of pressure displacement and peak horizontal and vertical velocities at the knee, hip and shoulder joints. The Tai Chi group exhibited smaller increases in vertical ground reaction forces when perturbations were applied at the hips (11.5 ± 2.1 vs. 19.6 ± 5.5 %BW; p = 0.002) and the arms (14.1 ± 4.2 vs. 23.2 ± 8.4 %BW; p = 0.005). They also responded with higher horizontal force increase after hip perturbation (16.2 ± 3.2 vs. 13.1 ± 2.5 %BW; p < 0.001). Similar findings were found when observing various outcomes related to velocities of vertical movement. The Tai Chi group also showed lower speeds of backward movement of the knee (p = 0.005–0.009) after hip (0.49 ± 0.13 vs. 0.85 ± 0.14 m/s; p = 0.005) and arm perturbations (0.97 ± 0.18 vs. 1.71 ± 0.29 m/s; p = 0.005). Center of pressure displacements were similar between groups. Our study demonstrated that engaging in Tai Chi could be beneficial to reactive postural responses after sudden perturbations in a horizontal direction; however, future interventional studies are needed to directly confirm this. Moreover, because of the age difference between the groups, some confounding effects of age cannot be ruled out.

scholarly journals A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tai Chi for Tension Headaches

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan B. Abbott ◽  
Ka-Kit Hui ◽  
Ron D. Hays ◽  
Ming-Dong Li ◽  
Timothy Pan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Tension Type Headaches ◽  
Headache Impact

This study examined whether a traditional low-impact mind–body exercise, Tai Chi, affects health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) and headache impact in an adult population suffering from tension-type headaches. Forty-seven participants were randomly assigned to either a 15 week intervention program of Tai Chi instruction or a wait-list control group. HRQOL (SF-36v2) and headache status (HIT-6™) were obtained at baseline and at 5, 10 and 15 weeks post-baseline during the intervention period. Statistically significant (P< 0.05) improvements in favor of the intervention were present for the HIT score and the SF-36 pain, energy/fatigue, social functioning, emotional well-being and mental health summary scores. A 15 week intervention of Tai Chi practice was effective in reducing headache impact and also effective in improving perceptions of some aspects of physical and mental health.

scholarly journals Psychological Effects of Motivational Aquatic Resistance Interval Training and Nutritional Education in Older Women

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1665
Author(s):  
Alejandro Martínez-Rodríguez ◽  
Bernardo José Cuestas-Calero ◽  
José Manuel García-De Frutos ◽  
Pablo Jorge Marcos-Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Autonomy Support ◽  
Interval Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
And Control

Several studies have demonstrated the positive effects of physical exercise programs on physical and mental health throughout life. It is necessary to know the factors that contribute to the well-being of older adults in order to achieve healthy aging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between well-being perception and the use of autonomy supportive coaching behaviours across a motivational aquatic resistance interval training program. Thirty-four women over 65 years of age from the province of Alicante, Spain, participated, and were randomly assigned to: motivational aquatic resistance interval training group (MART; age: 69.6 ± 5.01 years, height: 1.62 ± 7.88 m, weight: 75.3 ± 12.8 kg) and control group (CG; age: 67.7 ± 3.60 years, height: 1.54 ± 5.47 m, weight: 66.9 ± 10.2 kg). The MART program was conducted for 14 weeks, with three training sessions/week. The CG did not perform any physical activity during the study. Perception of autonomy support was assessed through the Autonomy-Supportive Coaching Questionnaire (ASCQ), Psychological needs by the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES), Intrinsic motivation to exercise was assessed through Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and Perception of Physical Activity by the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). In MART, compared to CG, significant differences were observed in BPNS, IMI and IPAQ questionnaires used, except in the ASCQ. The differences were significant in all three cases in BPNS (p < 0.05 in autonomy and competence and p = 0.001 in relationship with others), obtaining better scores after intervention than previously. As for the IMI scale, significant differences were also obtained in both subscales. The level of physical activity also improved significantly, with higher scores on the IPAQ after the intervention than before (p < 0.001). In conclusion, when practitioners perceive greater well-being, satisfaction of their basic psychological needs, greater self-selection, volition, and autonomy instead of pressure, demand and control, the result is better behaviour with greater psychological well-being, adherence and consequent health benefits.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Group Positive-Therapy (PPT) and Well-Being Therapy (WBT) on Attitude towards Drug Abuse in Patients under Methadone Maintenance Therapy

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pirnia, B
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Maintenance Therapy ◽  
Methadone Maintenance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Methadone Maintenance Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Treatment of substance abuse has been associated with many challenges. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of group positive therapy (PPT) and well-being therapy (WBT) on attitude towards drug abuse in patients under methadone maintenance therapy. The present study is a quasi-experimental with pre-test and post test analysis and control group. The population was including all substance abusers in the city of Lavasan who were resident in the clinics center of city Lavasan. Participants included thirty-six men who were eligible for the study were chosen by random selection method and randomly allocated in three groups. Two groups received positive psychotherapy (PPT) and well-being therapy (WBT)for 2 months, 14 sessions of 1hours (Two times a week), while the control group received no therapy at all. Data were collected by Questionnaire of attitude to drug which was given to the test subjects before and after completion of the therapy. The collected data was put to one way variance analysis and Scheffe’s test. The study demonstrated that group positive therapy and well-being therapy had positive effects on the attitude towards drug abuse improvement in both groups who received interventions ( P<0.00001, F =16.03) in comparison to the control group. Actually, both methods were effective in boosting attitude towards drug. Both positive therapy and well-being therapy methods were found effective in decrease attitude towards drug abuse in patients under methadone maintenance therapy but have not a significant difference between the effectiveness positive-therapy and well-being therapy

Effect of exercise during adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6524-6524
Author(s):  
Barbara K Haas ◽  
Cynthia R. C. Osborne ◽  
Svetislava J. Vukelja ◽  
Jennifer Selman ◽  
Trevor Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Peripheral Neuropathy ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Experimental Group

6524 Background: In 2018, an estimated 266,120 women faced the challenge of living with breast cancer and approximately 40,920 died from their disease. Nearly 100% of these women experienced significant treatment related side effects that negatively impact quality of life (QOL). Exercise has repeatedly demonstrated to alleviate many of the side effects, improve QOL, and decrease cancer recurrence and mortality. In spite of this evidence, women do not maintain exercise during treatment for breast cancer. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the effectiveness of exercising the day chemotherapy is administered on 1) the persistence with an exercise program, 2) side effects, and 3) QOL. Methods: Eligible women were randomly assigned to a control or experimental group. As part of their treatment plan, all participants were referred to one of 14 community-based exercise centers to exercise. Experimental group also exercised at one of two cancer centers each day chemotherapy was administered. Outcome measures include exercise retention and chemotherapy, completion; cancer-related fatigue, nausea/vomiting, peripheral neuropathy, weight gain, and QOL. Outcome measures were assessed prior to every second course of chemotherapy and 3- and 6-months post-chemotherapy. Results: 273 women with Stage I-III breast cancer receiving chemotherapy were enrolled in the study. The number of participants who withdrew from exercise was higher among those in the control group (n= 16; 12.4%) compared with those in the experimental group (n = 10; 6.9%). At cycle 5, those in the experimental group reported less motor peripheral neuropathy than those in the control group (p = .018) and higher physical well-being scores than those in the control group (p = .047). Conclusions: The highest impact of the intervention was on attrition from exercise. Since participants in both the control and experimental groups exercised throughout chemotherapy, it is not surprising that the groups performed comparably with regard to side effects and QOL. Given the positive effects exercise has demonstrated on persons receiving cancer treatment in numerous studies, having patients exercise in the cancer center on the day of chemotherapy is a significant step toward engaging persons receiving chemotherapy in an exercise program.

scholarly journals A College Freshman Mindfulness Seminar to Enhance Psychological Well-being and Cognitive Function

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongxiang Tang ◽  
Patricia Broderick ◽  
Timothy Bono ◽  
Kamila Dvořáková ◽  
Todd Samuel Braver
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
College Curriculum ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Mindfulness Skills

Mindfulness training has shown promise in improving psychological health and cognitive function. Mindfulness skills may be particularly beneficial in helping first-year students’ transition to college, as this can be a time period of considerable lifestyle changes and increased stress. Previous research has demonstrated positive effects of mindfulness training in college populations, but primarily by providing standardized mindfulness programs that are distinct from the college curriculum. Such programs may pose greater challenges for student participation, as they require a strong extracurricular time commitment. The present study examined the effects of mindfulness training incorporated into a semester-long college seminar dedicated to both practical learning of mindfulness skills and scientific understanding of mindfulness theory, based on the evidence-based Learning to BREATHE (L2B) curriculum. In a quasi-experimental design, first-year undergraduate students in the mindfulness seminar were compared with a control group enrolled in a positive psychology and study skills seminar. Students in the mindfulness seminar exhibited more improvement in satisfaction with life and trait mindfulness, as well as less anxiety; in contrast, no differences were observed in cognitive function. These results demonstrate the feasibility and potential psychological benefits of integrating mindfulness training into standard college curriculum.

scholarly journals Effect of Meditation and Breathing Exercises on the Well-being of Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection under Institutional Isolation: A Randomized Control Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Kiran Mahendru ◽  
Anuja Pandit ◽  
Vishwajeet Singh ◽  
Nandan Choudhary ◽  
Anant Mohan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Control Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Quality Of Sleep ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Breathing Exercises ◽  
Falling Asleep ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Randomized Control

Objectives: The corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected every domain of human health be it physical or mental. The uncertainty of disease progression in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to major psychological and psychiatric concerns that should not be overlooked. The interventions should be directed to the vulnerable population to help them mitigate the stress and anxiety caused by the infection and isolation. We evaluated the effect of meditation and breathing exercises on the well-being of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection under institutional isolation. Materials and Methods: We conducted a randomized control trial on 84 subjects, 18 years and above, asymptomatic, or mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected patients under institutional isolation. Subjects were randomly and equally divided into a control group and interventional group. We measured the depression, anxiety, and stress levels as well as quality of sleep in patients after 7 days of meditation and breathing exercises in the intervention group versus standard care in the control group. Results: Mediation and breathing exercises had a statistically significant effect on the depression level (P < 0.001), stress level (P = 0.004), and the quality of sleep [trouble falling asleep (P = 0.007), trouble staying asleep (P = 0.004), and feel tired after waking up in the morning (P = 0.003)]. Further, the positive effect of intervention on the level of anxiety in patients under isolation was also observed; however, the difference was not found to be statistically significant (P = 0.528). Conclusion: Meditation and breathing exercises have positive effects on depression, stress levels, and quality of sleep in COVID-19 positive patients under strict institutional isolation.

scholarly journals Therapeutic Effects of Tai Chi in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye-Jung Choi ◽  
Carol Ewing Garber ◽  
Tae-Won Jun ◽  
Young-Soo Jin ◽  
Sun-Ju Chung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Main Effects

Objective. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week program of therapeutic Tai Chi on the motor function and physical function of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients (PDs). Methods. The participants were 22 clinically stable PDs in Hoehn-Yahr stages 1-2 randomly assigned to a therapeutic Tai Chi group (TTC, N=11) or a control group (CON, N=9). Two subjects in control group did not complete the study for personal reasons. TTC was performed three days a week (60 min/session). Motor symptoms by the UPDRS were assessed, and tests of physical function were administered before and after the 12-week trial. Results. The TTC group, as compared to the CON group, showed changes in the mentation, behavior, mood, and motor scales of the UPDRS (P<0.05, P<0.01, resp.), with no significant main effects on the activities of daily living scale (ADL). However, there was a significant interaction between the time and intervention group on ADL (P<0.05). There were no significant main effects for any of the physical function variables. There were significant interaction effects in balance and agility (P<0.05, resp.). Conclusions. This study showed that TTC training had modest positive effects on the functional status of Parkinson’s disease patients.

scholarly journals Impact of a University-Wide Interdisciplinary Mind-Body Skills Program on Student Mental and Emotional Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 216495612097398
Author(s):  
Brenna K Novak ◽  
Anna Gebhardt ◽  
Harini Pallerla ◽  
Susan Blocksom McDonald ◽  
Aviad Haramati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Sleep Disturbance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public University ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Booster Sessions ◽  
The Mind

Background Positive effects of mind-body skills programs on participant well-being have been reported in health professions students. The success seen with medical students at this university led to great interest in expanding the mind-body skills program so students in other disciplines could benefit from the program. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a 9-week mind-body skills program on the mental and emotional well-being of multidisciplinary students compared to controls. We also sought to determine if the program’s effects were sustained at 1-year follow-up. Methods A cross-sectional pre-post survey was administered online via SurveyMonkey to participants of a 9-week mind-body skills program and a control group of students from 7 colleges at a public university from 2017–2019. Students were assessed on validated measures of stress, positive/negative affect, resilience, depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbance, mindfulness, empathy, and burnout. Scores were analyzed between-groups and within-groups using bivariate and multivariate analyses. A 1-year follow-up was completed on a subset of participants and controls. Results 279 participants and 247 controls completed the pre-survey and post-survey (79% response rate; 71% female, 68% white, mean age = 25 years). Participants showed significant decreases in stress, negative affect, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and burnout, while positive affect, resilience, mindfulness, and empathy increased significantly ( P <  .05). Only sleep disturbance showed a significant decrease in the control group. Follow-up in a subset of participants showed that only mindfulness remained elevated at 1-year ( P <  .05), whereas the significant changes in other well-being measures were not sustained. Conclusion Participation in a 9-week mind-body skills program led to significant improvement in indicators of well-being in multidisciplinary students. A pilot 1-year follow-up suggests that effects are only sustained for mindfulness, but not other parameters. Future programming should focus on implementing mind-body skills booster sessions to help sustain the well-being benefits.

scholarly journals A STUDY OF POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-57
Author(s):  
Taekyoon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Experimental Group

In this study, the objective was to test the influence of Yoga on diabetes patients by comparing the pre and post-test scores of subjective well-being. The study nature is pre and post experimental design. We used two groups including control group and the experimental group or group on which intervention is administered. The intervention in this case is the Yoga exercise. The sampling is based on convenience non-random sampling consisted of 30 patients who were diabetic patients. For experiment purpose, we divided the group into two equal parts including control group and the experiment group. The data is collected from survey method and target of the survey was diabetic type II patients. The duration of the study was 6 months. The results show that for experimental group, subjective wellbeing in the pre-test score was 153.73 which increased to 172.84 in post-test. In control group, the mean score of subjective-wellbeing in pre-test was 154.71 while in post-test, the score was 155.56. This result shows that in control group, the subjective wellbeing did not change much compare to the experiment group. The results support the notion that Yoga if administered can help diabetic patients in reducing the overall wellbeing including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.

Clowns in Paediatric Surgery: Less Anxiety and More Oxytocin? A Pilot Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 229 (05) ◽  
pp. 274-280
Author(s):  
Tabea Scheel ◽  
Dorothea Hoeppner ◽  
Anne Grotevendt ◽  
Winfried Barthlen
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ward Round ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Hospitalized Children ◽  
Paediatric Surgery ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Positive Effects

Abstract Background Hospital stays and medical interventions are accompanied by worries and anxiety in children and parents. Recent studies show that hospital clowns may reduce anxiety and enhance well-being. However, so far studies are based solely on subjective measures and clowns are usually not integrated in medical routine. With this pilot study, we aim to provide both psychological and physiological evidence of positive effects of clowns’ interventions in hospitalized children. Patients/Method In a consecutive randomized intervention-control group design with 31 children aged 4 to 13 years, 17 patients were accompanied by a clown prior to surgery or during ward round (intervention group) and 14 were not (control group). Saliva samples for oxytocin measurement were taken from all patients before hospitalization (T1) and prior to surgery or after ward round (T2). Self- and parents-reports were obtained at T1, T2 as well as at time of discharge from hospital (T3) regarding children’s anxiety (STAI), worries and well-being. Clowns evaluated their success in cheering up the child. Health professionals were asked for their acceptance of clowns in hospitals. Results Children in the intervention group had lower anxiety ratings and a higher oxytocin concentration at T2 as compared with T1; the control group showed no changes. Parents rated the well-being of their children higher if their child had clown’s contact and were more willing to recommend the hospital. The staff judged the clowns as helpful for patients. Discussion Consistent psychological and physiological results suggest the positive impact of a clown’s intervention in hospitalized children.

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