Past studies have documented interpersonal benefits of natural environments. Across four studies, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to more beautiful nature, relative to less beautiful nature, increases prosocial behavior. Study 1 yielded correlational evidence indicating that participants prone to perceiving natural beauty reported greater prosocial tendencies, as measured by agreeableness, perspective taking, and empathy. In Studies 2 and 3, exposure to more beautiful images of nature (versus less beautiful images of nature) led participants to be more generous and trusting. In Study 4, exposure to more beautiful (versus less beautiful) plants in the laboratory room led participants to exhibit increased helping behavior. Across studies, we provide evidence that positive emotions and tendencies to perceive natural beauty mediate and moderate the association between beauty and prosociality. The current studies extend past research by demonstrating the unique prosocial benefits of beautiful nature.
Introduction. Cancer diagnosis and treatment are often associated with physical and psychosocial impairments. Many cancer patients request complementary and alternative therapies such as mind-body medicine. Concept. The department of internal and integrative medicine at the Essen-Mitte Clinics offer a mind-body medicine day care clinic for cancer patients that is based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program and the mind-body medicine cancer program of the Harvard Mind/Body Medical Institute. The program encompasses mindfulness training, yoga, mindful exercise, nutrition, naturopathic self-help strategies, and cognitive restructuring. Cases. Two patients who had participated in the day care clinic program are presented here. One patient presented with anxiety and depression after recently diagnosed breast cancer and the other with psychological impairments as a result of multiple nevi excision after malignant melanoma surgery. Both patients improved in terms of anxiety and further psychological symptoms. Conclusions. The Essen-Mitte Clinics mind-body medicine day care clinic appears to alleviate psychological consequences of cancer and its treatment. Further studies and randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm these results.
Introduction. Cancer diagnosis and treatment are often associated with physical and psychosocial impairments. Many cancer patients request complementary and alternative therapies such as mind-body medicine. Concept. The department of internal and integrative medicine at the Essen-Mitte Clinics offer a mind-body medicine day care clinic for cancer patients that is based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program and the mind-body medicine cancer program of the Harvard Mind/Body Medical Institute. The program encompasses mindfulness training, yoga, mindful exercise, nutrition, naturopathic self-help strategies, and cognitive restructuring. Cases. Two patients who had participated in the day care clinic program are presented here. One patient presented with anxiety and depression after recently diagnosed breast cancer and the other with psychological impairments as a result of multiple nevi excision after malignant melanoma surgery. Both patients improved in terms of anxiety and further psychological symptoms. Conclusions. The Essen-Mitte Clinics mind-body medicine day care clinic appears to alleviate psychological consequences of cancer and its treatment. Further studies and randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm these results.
This study examined whether patients’ expectations of treatment outcome predict treatment completion, homework compliance, and depressive symptom improvement in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Study participants were patients with diabetes and comorbid depressive symptoms who were randomized to 8 sessions of either CBT (n = 45) or MBCT (n = 46), both individually delivered. The results showed that high outcome expectations were predictive of post-treatment depressive symptoms in CBT and MBCT, but not of early and mid-treatment symptoms. Patients’ outcome expectations predicted treatment completion in CBT and MBCT as well as homework compliance in MBCT. Homework compliance did not mediate the association between patients’ outcome expectations and post-treatment depressive symptom improvement. The findings do not support the hypothesis that patients’ expectations have an immediate impact on patients’ mental state and partially support the notion that patients are less involved in treatment when they hold low expectations for improvement.
Objectives: Mind and Body Practice (MBP) use (e.g., chiropractic, acupuncture, meditation) among Emergency Department (ED) patients is largely unknown. We aimed to determine the period prevalence, nature of MBP use, and perceptions of MBP among adult ED patients. Design and Setting: We undertook a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of patients presenting to three EDs between February and June 2016. Subjects: Patients were eligible for inclusion if they were aged 18 years or more and had presented for medical treatment. Intervention: An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire, based upon a validated pediatric questionnaire, was completed by the patient, with assistance if required. Outcome measures: The primary outcome was the nature and 12 month period prevalence of MBP use. Secondary outcomes were variables associated with use and patient perceptions of MBP. Results: 674 patients were enrolled. In the previous 12 months, 500 (74.2%) patients had used at least one MBP. MBP users and nonusers did not differ in gender, ancestry, or chronic illness status (p>0.05). However, users were significantly younger and more likely to have private health insurance (p<0.001). A total of 2094 courses of 68 different MBP had been used including massage (75.0% of users), meditation (35.2%), chiropractic (32.6%), acupuncture (32.0%), and yoga (30.6%). Users were significantly more likely (p<0.01) to believe that MBP prevented illness, treated illness, were more effective than prescription medicines, assisted prescription medications, and were safe and provided a more holistic approach. Forty-one (6.1%) patients used MBP for their ED presenting complaint. However, only 14 (34.1%) advised their ED physician of this. Conclusion: The period prevalence of MBP use among ED patients is high. Knowledge of the MBP used for a patient's presenting complaint may better inform the ED physician when making management decisions.
Objective
To investigate the effect of mindfulness training on pain tolerance, psychological well-being, physiological activity, and the acquisition of mindfulness skills.
Methods
Forty-two asymptomatic University students participated in a randomized, single-blind, active control pilot study. Participants in the experimental condition were offered six (1-h) mindfulness sessions; control participants were offered two (1-h) Guided Visual Imagery sessions. Both groups were provided with practice CDs and encouraged to practice daily. Pre–post pain tolerance (cold pressor test), mood, blood pressure, pulse, and mindfulness skills were obtained.
Results
Pain tolerance significantly increased in the mindfulness condition only. There was a strong trend indicating that mindfulness skills increased in the mindfulness condition, but this was not related to improved pain tolerance. Diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased in both conditions.
Conclusion
Mindfulness training did increase pain tolerance, but this was not related to the acquisition of mindfulness skills.
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Large vertebrates are strong interactors in food webs, yet they were lost from most ecosystems after the dispersal of modern humans from Africa and Eurasia. We call for restoration of missing ecological functions and evolutionary potential of lost North American megafauna using extant conspecifics and related taxa. We refer to this restoration as Pleistocene rewilding; it is conceived as carefully managed ecosystem manipulations whereby costs and benefits are objectively addressed on a case‐by‐case and locality‐by‐locality basis. Pleistocene rewilding would deliberately promote large, long‐lived species over pest and weed assemblages, facilitate the persistence and ecological effectiveness of megafauna on a global scale, and broaden the underlying premise of conservation from managing extinction to encompass restoring ecological and evolutionary processes. Pleistocene rewilding can begin immediately with species such as Bolson tortoises and feral horses and continue through the coming decades with elephants and Holarctic lions. Our exemplar taxa would contribute biological, economic, and cultural benefits to North America. Owners of large tracts of private land in the central and western United States could be the first to implement this restoration. Risks of Pleistocene rewilding include the possibility of altered disease ecology and associated human health implications, as well as unexpected ecological and sociopolitical consequences of reintroductions. Establishment of programs to monitor suites of species interactions and their consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem health will be a significant challenge. Secure fencing would be a major economic cost, and social challenges will include acceptance of predation as an overriding natural process and the incorporation of pre‐Columbian ecological frameworks into conservation strategies.
We examine the interdisciplinary nature of ethnobotany from a broad perspective and consider its application to the biology classroom and lab. The concept of biophilia and students' relationships with plants are integral components. Botanical nature journaling, discussion of diverse cultural practices, and collection of plants are used to encourage students' interest in local plants. Interwoven with these topics is a plant/microbial lab, which focuses on the local environment and the potential antimicrobial properties of plant parts.
Background: Yoga seems to be an effective means to cope with a variety of internal medicine conditions. While characteristics of yoga users have been investigated in the general population, little is known about predictors of yoga use and barriers to yoga use in internal medicine patients. The aim of this cross-sectional analysis was to identify sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological predictors of yoga use among internal medicine patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among all patients being referred to a Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine during a 3-year period. It was assessed whether patients had ever used yoga for their primary medical complaint, the perceived benefit, and the perceived harm of yoga practice. Potential predictors of yoga use including sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, internal medicine diagnosis, general health status, mental health, satisfaction with health, and health locus of control were assessed; and associations with yoga use were tested using multiple logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for significant predictors. Results: Of 2486 participants, 303 (12.19%) reported having used yoga for their primary medical complaint. Of those, 184 (60.73%) reported benefits and 12 (3.96%) reported harms due to yoga practice. Compared to yoga non-users, yoga users were more likely to be 50-64 years old (OR = 1.45; 95%CI = 1.05-2.01; P = 0.025); female (OR = 2.45; 95%CI = 1.45-4.02; P < 0.001); and college graduates (OR = 1.61; 95%CI = 1.14-2.27; P = 0.007); and less likely to currently smoke (OR = 0.61; 95%CI = 0.39-0.96; P = 0.031). Manifest anxiety (OR = 1.47; 95%CI = 1.06-2.04; P = 0.020); and high internal health locus of control (OR = 1.92; 95%CI = 1.38-2.67; P < 0.001) were positively associated with yoga use, while high external-fatalistic health locus of control (OR = 0.66; 95%CI = 0.47-0.92; P = 0.014) was negatively associated with yoga use. Conclusion: Yoga was used for their primary medical complaint by 12.19% of an internal integrative medicine patient population and was commonly perceived as beneficial. Yoga use was not associated with the patients' specific diagnosis but with sociodemographic factors, mental health, and health locus of control. To improve adherence to yoga practice, it should be considered that male, younger, and anxious patients and those with low internal health locus of control might be less intrinsically motivated to start yoga.
Background: Fast and accurate staging is essential for choosing treatment for non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this randomized study was to evaluate the clinical effect of combined positron-emission tomography and computed tomography (PET–CT) on preoperative staging of NSCLC. Methods: We randomly assigned patients who were referred for preoperative staging of NSCLC to either conventional staging plus PET–CT or conventional staging alone. Patients were followed until death or for at least 12 months. The primary end point was the number of futile thoracotomies, defined as any one of the following: a thoracotomy with the finding of pathologically confirmed mediastinal lymph-node involvement (stage IIIA [N2]), stage IIIB or stage IV disease, or a benign lung lesion; an exploratory thoracotomy; or a thoracotomy in a patient who had recurrent disease or death from any cause within 1 year after randomization. Results: From January 2002 through February 2007, we randomly assigned 98 patients to the PET–CT group and 91 to the conventional-staging group. Mediastinoscopy was performed in 94% of the patients. After PET–CT, 38 patients were classified as having inoperable NSCLC, and after conventional staging, 18 patients were classified thus. Sixty patients in the PET–CT group and 73 in the conventional-staging group underwent thoracotomy (P=0.004). Among these thoracotomies, 21 in the PET–CT group and 38 in the conventional-staging group were futile (P=0.05). The number of justified thoracotomies and survival were similar in the two groups. Conclusions: The use of PET–CT for preoperative staging of NSCLC reduced both the total number of thoracotomies and the number of futile thoracotomies but did not affect overall mortality. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00867412.) N Engl J Med 2009;361:32-9.
The American constitutional system and the realities of American politics make the personal qualities of the American chief executive of great importance for the nation and the world. A variety of intellectual strategies have been proposed for studying presidential psychology. Because the matter of who occupies the Oval Office can have literal life and death consequences, presidential personality requires close, continuing intellectual attention.
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The inclusion of social and emotional learning (SEL) curricula in preschools may help prevent emotional and behavioral problems. This study evaluated the effects of a SEL curriculum, "Strong Start Pre-K," on the social and emotional competence of 52 preschool students using a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design. Teachers rated students' emotional regulation, internalizing behaviors, and the quality of the student-teacher relationship. Results indicated a significant decrease of internalizing behaviors and more improvement in the student-teacher relationship in the treatment conditions. Results also supported the use of the optional booster lessons contained in the curriculum. Treatment integrity and social validity ratings of "Strong Start Pre-K" were high. Limitations and implications of this study are addressed.
The promotion of social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools may help prevent emotional and behavioral problems of students. This study evaluated the effects of a SEL curriculum, "Strong Start," on the social-emotional competence of 26 second grade students, using a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design. Results revealed statistically significant and meaningful improvements in teacher ratings of students' internalizing and peer-related pro-social behaviors, particularly for students at greater risk. Conversely, control group students experienced significant worsening of internalizing behaviors and decreased levels of peer-related pro-social behaviors. No changes were reported in externalizing behaviors for either group. Treatment integrity and social validity ratings of "Strong Start" were high. Limitations and implications of this study are addressed.
The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment Mini (DESSA-Mini; Naglieri, LeBuffe, & Shapiro, 2011/2014) was designed to overcome practical obstacles to universal prevention screening. This article seeks to determine whether an entirely strength-based, 8-item screening instrument achieves technical accuracy in routine practice. Data come from a district-wide implementation of a new social emotional learning (SEL) initiative designed to promote students' social-emotional competence. All students, kindergarten through Grade 8, were screened using the DESSA-Mini. A random 5 students per classroom received additional assessment. Concurrent and predictive criterion studies were conducted using the full DESSA as well as administrative records of serious disciplinary infraction. The DESSA-Mini showed excellent internal reliability, exceeding .90. Negligible to small differences were found between scores on the DESSA-Mini screen and the DESSA full assessment. Classification consistency between the DESSA-Mini and the DESSA was high (87%-94%) in routine practice, with sensitivity and specificity estimates exceeding Glascoe's (2005) standards. Finally, predictive validity of the DESSA-Mini was reliable; students screened as having a Need for SEL Instruction at the beginning of the year were 4.5 times more likely to have a record of serious disciplinary infraction at the end of the school year compared with those who were not identified (p < .001). These findings compare quite favorably with other instruments used in schools to screen entire student populations, in cases where such analyses have been conducted, and is consistent with a practice preference of identifying, but not overidentifying, students for accelerated preventative interventions for mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. (PsycINFO Database Record
The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment Mini (DESSA-Mini; Naglieri, LeBuffe, & Shapiro, 2011/2014) was designed to overcome practical obstacles to universal prevention screening. This article seeks to determine whether an entirely strength-based, 8-item screening instrument achieves technical accuracy in routine practice. Data come from a district-wide implementation of a new social emotional learning (SEL) initiative designed to promote students' social-emotional competence. All students, kindergarten through Grade 8, were screened using the DESSA-Mini. A random 5 students per classroom received additional assessment. Concurrent and predictive criterion studies were conducted using the full DESSA as well as administrative records of serious disciplinary infraction. The DESSA-Mini showed excellent internal reliability, exceeding .90. Negligible to small differences were found between scores on the DESSA-Mini screen and the DESSA full assessment. Classification consistency between the DESSA-Mini and the DESSA was high (87%-94%) in routine practice, with sensitivity and specificity estimates exceeding Glascoe's (2005) standards. Finally, predictive validity of the DESSA-Mini was reliable; students screened as having a Need for SEL Instruction at the beginning of the year were 4.5 times more likely to have a record of serious disciplinary infraction at the end of the school year compared with those who were not identified (p < .001). These findings compare quite favorably with other instruments used in schools to screen entire student populations, in cases where such analyses have been conducted, and is consistent with a practice preference of identifying, but not overidentifying, students for accelerated preventative interventions for mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. (PsycINFO Database Record
Mindfulness-based interventions are effective for reducing depressive symptoms. However, the psychological and neural mechanisms are unclear. This study examined which facets of trait mindfulness offer protection against negative bias and rumination, which are key risk factors for depression. Nineteen male volunteers completed a 2-day functional magnetic resonance imaging study. One day utilized a stress-induction task and the other day utilized a mindful breathing task. An emotional inhibition task was used to measure neural and behavioral changes related to state negative bias, defined by poorer performance in inhibiting negative relative to neutral stimuli. Associations among trait mindfulness [measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)], trait rumination, and negative bias were examined. Non-reactivity scores on the FFMQ correlated negatively with rumination and negative bias following the stress induction. Non-reactivity was inversely correlated with insula activation during inhibition to negative stimuli after the mindful breathing task. Our results suggest non-reactivity to inner experience is the key facet of mindfulness that protects individuals from psychological risk for depression. Based on these results, mindfulness could reduce vulnerability to depression in at least two ways: (i) by buffering against trait rumination and negative bias and (ii) by reducing automatic emotional responding via the insula.
BACKGROUND: The Pulmonary Function Tests are important for measuring the fitness of an individual from a physiological point of view. Lung function parameters tend to have a relationship with lifestyle such as regular yoga, an ancient system of Indian Philosophy. Yoga is probably the best lifestyle ever devised in the history of mankind. Hence the present analytical study was undertaken to assess the effects of yoga on respiratory system when compared with sedentary subjects. OBJECTIVE: To compare the pulmonary function test among the yogic and sedentary groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted on 50 subjects practicing yoga and 50 sedentary subjects in the age group of 20-40 years. They were assessed for pulmonary function test in which sedentary group acted as controls. The tests which were recorded as per standard procedure using Medspiror as determinants of pulmonary function were FVC, FEV1, FEV3, PEFR and FVC/FEV1 ratio. RESULTS: Pulmonary Functions were compared between the yoga practitioners and sedentary group. Yoga exercise significantly increased chest wall expansion as observed by higher values of pulmonary functions compared with sedentary controls. The study group were having higher mean of percentage value of FVC 109.1 +/- 18.2%, FEV1 of 116.3 +/- 15.9%, FEV3 of 105.7 +/- 14.9 %, PEFR of 109.2 +/- 21.3% and FEV1/FVC ratio of 111.3 +/- 6.9% as compared to sedentary group. CONCLUSIONS: Regular Yoga practice increases the vital capacity, timed vital capacity, maximum voluntary ventilation, breath holding time and maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures.
Qigong is a form of exercise developed in China over millennia to prevent illness and foster physical and mental health. Despite many claims of the therapeutic effects of Qigong, the fundamental concepts and principles underlying this holistic therapy remain unfamiliar to Western populations. This article helps practitioners to understand the art of Qigong based on three main principles, harmonising the breath, the body and the mind.
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