scholarly journals Effects of Flotation-Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique on Stress-Related Muscle Pain: What Makes the Difference in Therapy - Attention-Placebo or the Relaxation Response?

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven A Bood ◽  
Ulf Sundequist ◽  
Anette Kjellgren ◽  
Gun Nordstrom ◽  
Torsten Norlander
Keyword(s):  
Pain Treatment ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Positive Affectivity ◽  
Pain Anxiety ◽  
Muscular Pain ◽  
Environmental Stimulation ◽  
Restricted Environmental Stimulation ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Stimulation Technique

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the present study was to examine the potential effects of attention-placebo on flotation tank therapy. Flotation-restricted environmental stimulation technique is a method whereby an individual lies in a floating tank and all stimuli are reduced to a minimum.METHODS: Thirty-two patients were diagnosed as having stress-related muscular pain. In addition, 16 of the participants had received the diagnosis of burnout depression. The patients were treated with flotation-restricted environmental stimulation technique for six weeks. One-half of the patients were also given special attention for 12 weeks (high attention), while the remainder received attention for only six weeks (normal attention).RESULTS: The participants exhibited lowered blood pressure, reduced pain, anxiety, depression, stress and negative affectivity, as well as increased optimism, energy and positive affectivity. The results were largely unaffected by the degree of attention-placebo or diagnosis.CONCLUSION: It was concluded that flotation therapy is an effective, noninvasive method for treating stress-related pain, and that the method is not more affected by placebo than by other methods currently used in pain treatment. The treatment of both burnout depression and pain related to muscle tension constitutes a major challenge for the patient as well as the care provider, an area in which great gains can be made if the treatment is effective. Flotation therapy may constitute an integral part of such treatment.

scholarly journals Treating Stress-Related Pain with the Flotation Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique: Are There Differences between Women and Men?

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Å Bood ◽  
Anette Kjellgren ◽  
Torsten Norlander
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Pain Treatment ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Environmental Stimulation ◽  
Restricted Environmental Stimulation ◽  
First Time ◽  
Stimulation Technique ◽  
Experimentally Induced

The aim of the present study was to explore, for the first time, sex differences among patients diagnosed with stress-related pain before and after flotation restricted environmental stimulation technique (REST) treatment, delivered 12 times during seven weeks. The present study included 88 patients (69 women, 19 men) from three different studies (post hoc analysis). They had been diagnosed by a physician as having chronic stress-related muscle tension pain. The analyses indicated that the flotation-REST treatment had beneficial effects on stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality and pain and that there were few sex differences. Women were more depressed than men before treatment, but after treatment there was no difference between sexes. However, there was a sex difference in the ability to endure experimentally induced pain, suggesting that men exhibited greater endurance both before and after the flotation-REST treatment. The results also showed, for the first time, that both sexes improved their ability to endure experimentally induced pain (higher scores for upper pain threshold) following the successful flotation-REST pain treatment.

EFFECTS OF FLOTATION REST (RESTRICTED ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULATION TECHNIQUE) ON STRESS RELATED MUSCLE PAIN: ARE 33 FLOTATION SESSIONS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN 12 SESSIONS?

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Å. Bood ◽  
Ulf Sundequist ◽  
Anette Kjellgren ◽  
Gun Nordström ◽  
Torsten Norlander
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Similar Pattern ◽  
Negative Affectivity ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Subjective Pain ◽  
Environmental Stimulation ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Stimulation Technique

The aim of the study was to investigate whether or not 33 flotation sessions were more effective for stress-related ailments than 12 sessions. Participants were 37 patients, 29 women and 8 men, all diagnosed as having stress-related pain of a muscle tension type. The patients were randomized to one of two conditions: 12 flotation-REST treatments or 33 flotation-REST treatments. Analyses for subjective pain typically indicated that 12 sessions were enough to get considerable improvements and no further improvements were noticed after 33 sessions. A similar pattern was observed concerning the stress-related psychological variables: experienced stress, anxiety, depression, negative affectivity, dispositional optimism, and sleep quality. For blood pressure no effects were observed after 12 sessions, but there was a significant lower level for diastolic blood pressure after 33 sessions. The present study highlighted the importance of finding suitable complementary treatments in order to make further progress after the initial 12 sessions.

Do newly diagnosed cancer patients require palliative care? An audit at a regional cancer center in India.

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 65-65
Author(s):  
Sushmita Ghoshal Chakrabarti ◽  
Raviteja Miriyala ◽  
Arun Elangovan ◽  
Bhavana RAI
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Statistical Correlation ◽  
Holistic Care ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Pain Anxiety ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Loss Of Appetite ◽  
Anxiety Depression

65 Background: The present study was planned to record the distressing symptoms of newly diagnosed cancer patients and to evaluate how the symptoms were addressed by the treating oncologists. Methods: All newly diagnosed cancer patients referred to the department of Radiotherapy during the month of May 2014 were asked to fill a questionnaire after taking their consent. The ESAS-r questionnaire was used to assess the frequency and intensity of distressing symptoms. The case records of these patients were then reviewed to compare the frequency and intensity documented by the treating physician. The difference in the two sets of symptoms documented were statistically analysed by non-parametric tests using SPSS. Results: Eighty-nine patients participated in this study out of which only 19 could fill the questionnaire on their own. Anxiety was the commonest symptom (97.8%) followed by depression (89.9%), tiredness (89.9%) and pain (86.5%). The treating physicians recorded pain in 83.1% while the other symptoms were either not documented or grossly under reported. Anxiety was documented in 3/87 patients but depression was not documented in any. Tiredness was documented in 12/80 patients, loss of appetite in 54/77 patients mentioning them in the questionnaire. Significant statistical correlation could be seen between the presence of pain, anxiety, depression, tiredness and loss of appetite in the patients. Conclusions: The study reveals that the distressing symptoms experienced by newly diagnosed cancer patients are grossly under reported and inadequately addressed by treating oncologists. Sensitizing the oncologists and incorporating palliative care principles early in the management of cancer patients could improve their holistic care.

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