Effects of complementary eurythmy therapy on heart rate variability

Seifert, Georg; Driever, Pablo Hernáiz; Pretzer, Kim; Edelhäuser, Friedrich; Bach, Susanne; Laue, Hans-Broder von; Längler, Alfred; Musial-Bright, Lindy; Henze, Günter; Cysarz, Dirk

doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2008.09.005

Cited by 20 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…[15][16][17] Usually, higher HRV is associated with better health and improved prognosis. Previous studies revealed that two therapies characteristic of the anthroposophic medicine (therapeutic eurythmy 19 and speech therapy 20 ) can favorably influence HRV.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiologic Effects of Rhythmical Massage: A Prospective Exploratory Cohort Study

WälchliChantal¹,

SaltzwedelGeorg²,

KrüerkeDaniel³

et al. 2014

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiologic Effects of Rhythmical Massage: A Prospective Exploratory Cohort Study

WälchliChantal¹,

SaltzwedelGeorg²,

KrüerkeDaniel³

et al. 2014

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

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“…This observation is corroborated by a previous investigation of the impact of (active) eurythmy therapy on HRV, which revealed a strong sympathetic activation during the exercises (i.e., empowerment of patients). 6 Interestingly, very recent studies on another anthroposophic therapy, namely, rhythmical massage, revealed no change of saliva cortisol, 13 but rather empowerment of patients as detected by an analysis of HRV. 14 It should be noted that the observed (small) reductions of cortisol on the day of surgery might at least, in part, reflect the well-known daily fluctuations of cortisol blood concentrations, that increase markedly after waking up and then decrease during the first half hour after waking relatively quickly and, afterward, decreasing more slowly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…5 Recently, in a controlled crossover study in healthy volunteers, heart rhythm variability (HRV) was measured during and after eurythmy therapy sessions. 6 The therapy exercises resulted in an increase of HRV. During the rest period after therapy, a decrease of the ratio of low-frequency:high-frequency was detected in the frequency domain, which can be interpreted as a balancing effect of eurythmy therapy exercises on the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities of the autonomic nervous system.…”

Section: Original Articlementioning

confidence: 98%

“…Patients were excluded if: (1) they were taking sedatives; (2) patients were already receiving eurythmy therapy treatment; (3) the operations were likely to prevent patients from responding to the questionnaires; (4) patients presented with jawbone injuries (dislocations, fractures); (5) patients had acute loss of consciousness, acute psychosis, or dementia; and/or (6) acute life-threatening conditions occurred. Participation in the study was interrupted if: (1) a new exclusion criterion occurred;…”

Section: Study Design and Participating Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eurythmy Therapy in the Preparation of Patients for Surgery

PedrazzoliLiliana¹,

WälchliChantal²,

Brouver

et al. 2013

Alternative and Complementary Therapies

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Objectives: Eurythmy therapy, an artistic movement therapy characteristic of anthroposophic medicine, is used at the Paracelsus-Hospital Richterswil, in Canton Zurich, in Switzerland. This therapy is used to help prepare patients for surgery, often in a passive way, with the therapist moving the patient's limbs. The goal of the present study was to find out if this intervention leads to alterations in cortisol levels, pulse, and blood pressure (BP), and to investigate the therapy's effectiveness as perceived by patients who receive it. Design and subjects:This was a prospective, sham-controlled, nonrandomized clinical study. Patients undergoing surgery at the hospital were recruited upon giving signed informed consent. Subjects were then allocated either to a therapy group (30 minutes of eurythmy therapy, n = 30) or to the control group (sham treatment consisting of 30 minutes of lying down in the presence of the therapist, n = 30). The decision to prescribe eurythmy therapy was made by the operating surgeon independently of the study.Outcome measures: Physiologic outcomes-salivary cortisol, heart rate, and BP-were measured pre and post therapy. Two days after surgery, patients filled in a questionnaire on how effective they perceived the treatment to be.Results: Eurythmy therapy directly before surgery did not lead to significant changes in the physiologic outcomes. However, patients assessed the effects of eurythmy therapy and control treatment on their preparation for surgery distinctly. Patients in the eurythmy therapy group perceived favorable effects of the therapy more often and more strongly than did patients in the control group, with the difference between the various scores in the 2 groups being always statistically significant. The lack of prior knowledge of eurythmy therapy reported by the majority of the patients in the eurythmy therapy group suggests an unbiased appreciation of the therapy.

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“…Moreover, EYT claims to stimulate somatic healing processes through the soulful experience of the respective movements [4]. A recent study by Seifert et al investigated the effects of EYT on heart rate variability and found stimulation effects with a decrease of low frequency/high frequency ratio, indicating an improved relaxation of healthy individuals [5]. A recent systematic review on the effects of EYT in clinical studies found positive treatment effects with clinically relevant effect sizes in most cases [6], that is, significant improvement of disease and symptom scores in patients with various chronic diseases and in children with anorexia nervosa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inner Correspondence and Peacefulness with Practices among Participants in Eurythmy Therapy and Yoga: A Validation Study

Büssing

Edelhäuser

Weißkircher

et al. 2010

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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Several mind body medicine interventions require an active participation of the practitioners. We intended to develop a questionnaire to operationalize and measure the “inner correspondence” of individuals practicing Yoga or Eurythmy Therapy. In an anonymous cross-sectional study we enrolled 501 individuals (61% yoga). Exploratory factor analysis (study 1) of the 12-item instrument (Cronbach's alpha = .84) pointed to a 3-factor solution, with one major scale and good internal consistency (alpha = .83) and two minor scales with weak internal consistency. To improve the quality of the main scale, we added 8 new items which were tested in a sample of 135 individuals (study 2: 71% Yoga). Factor analysis confirmed a 12-item single factor (alpha = .95), that is, Inner Correspondence/Peaceful Harmony with Practices (ICPH). The scale correlated strongly with mindfulness (FMI; r > .50), moderately with life and patient satisfaction (BMLSS; r between .32 and .43), and weakly negative with symptom score (VAS; r = −.23). In conclusion, the scale ICPH was confirmed as a relevant tool to measure the inner correspondence and feelings of peacefulness with practices. It can be used in clinical studies to assess the efficacy of mind-body practices involving physical movements.

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Effects of complementary eurythmy therapy on heart rate variability

Cited by 20 publications

References 21 publications

Physiologic Effects of Rhythmical Massage: A Prospective Exploratory Cohort Study

Physiologic Effects of Rhythmical Massage: A Prospective Exploratory Cohort Study

Eurythmy Therapy in the Preparation of Patients for Surgery

Inner Correspondence and Peacefulness with Practices among Participants in Eurythmy Therapy and Yoga: A Validation Study

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