by Jennifer Kim Penberthy  , Dinesh Chhabra  , Jennifer Morgan Penberthy  , Nina Avitabile  , Ngan Le  , Yiqin Xu  , Seara Mainor  , Natalie Schiavone  , Paul Katzenstein  and Janet Lewis

Received: 18 April 2018;  Published: 28 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804039

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by symptoms including chronic fatigue, joint pain, swelling, skin rashes, pain, and anemia. Symptoms can flare or be in remission unpredictably, often affect multiple organ systems, and can be life-threatening. SLE is [...]

by Joseph Pergolizzi  , Robert Taylor  , Robert Raffa  and Jo Ann LeQuang

Received: 27 July 2018;  Published: 28 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804038

(1) Background: The leaves of Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), a tropical tree indigenous to Southeast Asia, have been used traditionally to increase stamina, as a digestive aid, and for pain relief. Defined as a novel psychoactive substance, it is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., Europe, and [...]

by Andrew Hede

Received: 27 July 2018;  Published: 23 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804037

Background: Meditation has developed over many centuries within a diverse range of religious traditions including Middle-Eastern, Indian, and East-Asian. Of these, mindfulness meditation from the Buddhist (Indian) tradition, has been the most extensively adopted in the Western secular world primaril [...]

by Peta Stapleton  , Ulf Sandstrom  and Gunilla Hamne

Received: 12 September 2018;  Published: 22 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804036

(1) Background: This feasibility trial investigated whether a 3-week self-help model for stress reduction using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) would impact traumatized youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on post-traumatic stress symptoms and general happiness. It was also focussed on [...]

by James D Adams

Received: 14 January 2018;  Published: 19 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804035

Background: This study presents several anecdotal case reports of chronic pain patients cured with two different plant medicines from the Chumash Indian tradition. Methods: Patients suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, chronic bursitis, chronic tendinitis and other conditions were treated [...]

by Lauren Ferguson  , Justin Cantrelle  and Paul Loprinzi

Received: 06 September 2018;  Published: 17 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804034

Background: There are mixed findings regarding the effectiveness of selected directed forgetting (SDF). On psychological and physiological grounds, SDF may influence forgetting and subsequent memory enhancement via multiple mechanisms, including, for example, executive control and the Rac1-Cofilin p [...]

by Megan A. Roney  , Pat L. Sample  , Lorann Stallones  , Marieke Van Puymbroeck  and Arlene Schmid

Received: 04 November 2018;  Published: 16 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804033

(1) Background: An adapted yoga intervention was delivered to seven individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the participants’ experience of engaging in the 8-week intervention. (2) Methods: Using a phenomenological design, data were col [...]

by Nicole Thibodeaux  and Matt J. Rossano

Received: 16 July 2018;  Published: 02 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804032

As alternative forms of medicine have become increasingly popular, research on the health benefits of meditation has grown. Specifically, Mindfulness Meditation, Transcendental Meditation, and Qigong have been shown to be effective in treating psychological disorders, enhancing immune function, and [...]

by Katarina Mark  and Maria Arman

Received: 09 June 2018;  Published: 27 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804031

Background: People suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) commonly use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) due to the partial efficacy of conventional treatment, the chronic aspect of MS, the impact of pain and the side effects of medication. An exploratory descriptive case study consisting [...]

by Megan Berberich  and Bettina Bernstein

Received: 10 March 2018;  Published: 13 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804030

Abstract: (1) Background: • Treatment of mood and anxiety disorders with supplements, herbs and nutraceuticals (dietary supplements) is at this point viewed as an integrative or alternative treatment, however these substances have been around for quite some time and are regarded as basic to the unde [...]

by Mariya Shiyko

Received: 17 July 2018;  Published: 08 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804029

What is meditation? A tool that empowers you to create your life through working it from inside out, beginning with a thought. There is a story. A father had two sons: one felt a victim of life. He viewed his life through the prism of “My childhood was difficult. My father was an alcoholic. The rea [...]

by Nancy Poirier  , Serge Beaulieu  , Sybille Saury  and Sonia Goulet

Received: 24 July 2018;  Published: 05 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804028

Background: This time series analysis investigated variations in psychic and somatic anxiety during and after completion of MBCT compared to baseline in patients diagnosed with BD. Secondary variables considered were sleep quality and quality of life, as well as depressive and manic symptoms. Method [...]

by Marcus Alexander Henning  , Tae Joo Park  , Fiona Moir  , Chris Krägeloh  , Christopher Mysko  , Jennifer Hobson  and Craig Webster

Received: 25 May 2018;  Published: 26 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804027

Abstract: (1) Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to appraise the empirical evidence and refereed literature pertaining to medical students and the integration of mindfulness and physical exercise regimens. (2) Methods: A systematic review protocol was implemented. Five databases [...]

by Ethan G. Lester  , Amy R. Murrell  and Dickson E. Dickson

Received: 19 June 2018;  Published: 14 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804026

Background: Mindfulness meditation (MM) is an increasing area of interest for health professionals and the general public alike. Beneficial outcomes are associated with this practice; however, definitions of mindfulness and meditation are varied, and anecdotal accounts suggest that people hold misco [...]

by Marcel Allbritton  and Carrie Heeter

Received: 30 July 2018;  Published: 09 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804025

We propose a framework for understanding meditation that can support greater scientific rigor in conducting meditation research, and selecting meditation health interventions. There are no consistent and rigorous standards for describing meditation research interventions. This impedes rigor of medit [...]

by Paul Barclay  and Clint Bowers

Received: 27 July 2018;  Published: 07 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804024

(1) Background: Meditation is a common intervention for college students suffering from issues with anxiety. Due to this popularity, several meditation-based video games have been released which can be used to supplement or motivate meditation practice. However, these tools are not often given scrut [...]

by Holly Hazlett-Stevens

Received: 20 April 2018;  Published: 29 September 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804023

Background: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based intervention developed to teach mindfulness meditation to a wide range of patients. Although the efficacy of MBSR has been established for a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions, measured outcomes typically are limit [...]