Relaxation and music therapies for asthma among patients prestabilized on asthma medication

Lehrer, Paul M.; Hochron, Stuart M.; Mayne, Tracy J.; Isenberg, Susan; Carlson, V. R.; Lasoski, Ann Marie; Gilchrist, James J.; Morales, Daisy; Rausch, Lawrence

doi:10.1007/bf01856879

Cited by 68 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(38 reference statements)

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“…Lehrer et al (1994) found that relaxation may not produce clinically significant effects on asthma when subjects are completely prestabilized on medication, which they referred to as a "floor effect." As this relates to the present investigation, two of the participants were prescribed daily long-term control medication.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Relaxation and guided imagery: A school‐based intervention for children with asthma

Peck¹,

Bray²,

Kehle³

2003

Psychology in the Schools

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Asthma, a disease of the respiratory system, is the most common chronic medical condition among children. School-aged children with asthma evidence increased absenteeism, decreased school performance, restriction of various activities, poor peer relationships, and emotional and behavioral difficulties. Asthma can be triggered and exacerbated by emotions and stress, and therefore, it has been treated with psychological interventions. Relaxation and guided imagery (RGI), an intervention based on the theoretical position that the mind and body interact in determining health, has been shown to be effective in improving mental and physical health outcomes with a myriad of medical conditions, yet it has not been adequately studied with childhood asthma. This investigation analyzed the effect of RGI on lung function [forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) and forced expiratory flow 25-75 (FEF 25-75 )] and anxiety by employing a multiple baseline design across four middle school students with asthma. With the introduction of the intervention, it was found that FEV 1 improved and anxiety decreased in all students. FEF 25-75 improved in three of the four participants. The effect sizes for the four participants ranged from Ϫ0.98 to Ϫ1.88 for FEV 1 , 0.20 to Ϫ1.93 for FEF , and 2.19 to 4.06 for anxiety.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Relaxation and guided imagery: A school‐based intervention for children with asthma

Peck¹,

Bray²,

Kehle³

2003

Psychology in the Schools

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“…However, it provides only indirect information on the resistive properties of the airway passages. Ambulatory monitoring is one of the major fields of application, using peak-flow meters or miniature electronic spirometers~e.g., Hyland, 1990; In the laboratory and in the clinic, spirometry has been used to assess effects of emotional states and relaxation therapy on asthma~e.g., Florin, Freudenberg, & Hollaender, 1985;Lehrer et al, 1994!. The primary disadvantage of spirometry is that the forced expiratory maneuvers take several minutes. Because the participant's effort and concentration may affect this measure, a minimum of three consecutive maneuvers are prescribed by current standards~ATS, 1995!.…”

Section: Potential and Limitations For Psychophysiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for mechanical lung function measurements in psychophysiology

Ritz¹,

Dahme²,

DuBois³

et al. 2002

Psychophysiol.

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Studies in psychophysiology and behavioral medicine have uncovered associations among psychological processes, behavior, and lung function. However, methodological issues specific to the measurement of mechanical lung function have rarely been discussed. This report presents an overview of the physiology, techniques, and experimental methods of mechanical lung function measurements relevant to this research context. Techniques to measure lung volumes, airflow, airway resistance, respiratory resistance, and airflow perception are introduced and discussed. Confounding factors such as ventilation, medication, environmental factors, physical activity, and instructional and experimenter effects are outlined, and issues specific to children and clinical groups are discussed. Recommendations are presented to increase the degree of standardization in the research application and publication of mechanical lung function measurements in psychophysiology.Descriptors: Mechanical lung function, Airway resistance, Respiratory resistance, Spirometry, Pneumotachography, Body plethysmography, Forced oscillation technique, Interrupter technique, Respiratory perception Despite long-standing interest in respiration by psychophysiologists, it is surprising that little attention has been directed to methodological issues of specific measurement techniques in this area. Although occasional textbook chapters have been devoted to respiration measurements, a more in-depth discussion of techniques dealing with the assessment of mechanical lung function is still missing. Mechanical lung function relates to lung volumes and airflow through the respiratory system as well as the pressurevolume and pressure-flow characteristics as indicators of elastic and resistive properties of the airways, lungs, and chest wall. In clinical practice, mechanical lung function measures are widely used for the diagnosis and management of various pulmonary diseases, most importantly bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease~COPD!. In psychophysiology and behavioral medicine, potential associations between psychological or behavioral processes and mechanical lung function offer an exciting perspective both for basic research and clinical application. Due to the particular importance of the vagal system in governing airway function, the airways offer a unique window into the autonomic nervous system regulation of behavior, emotion, and cogThomas Ritz acted as coordinator and contributor to this report. The authorship of the other contributors was determined by alphabetical order. Different sections were drafted by individual contributors, submitted to internal peer review, and revised until consensus was achieved. We are indebted to

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“…However, related efficacy studies have shown contradictory results. Occasionally, the effect of muscular relaxation on pulmonary function variables proved to be significant on a statistical level, but its effect has rarely been of clinically significant magnitude [6, 7]. One example of sufficient peripheral relaxation was provided by Glaus and Kotses [8, 9], who found a reliable correlation between facial muscle tension and airway caliber.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of ‘Functional Relaxation’ in Comparison to Terbutaline and a ‘Placebo Relaxation’ Method in Patients with Acute Asthma

Loew

Tritt

Siegfried³

et al. 2001

Psychother Psychosom

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Background: ‘Functional relaxation’ (FR) according to Marianne Fuchs is a body-oriented psychotherapy that involves teaching the patient a type of relaxation techniques aimed at maintaining equilibrium of the nervous system. Methods: In order to determine whether the practice of elementary parts of this therapy has an immediate beneficial effect on pulmonary function, a randomized, single-blind, prospective crossover study was done with 21 asthmatics with acute bronchoconstriction. On 3 consecutive days they were given either (1) a 5-min verbal standard instruction in elementary exercises of FR (eFR), which they were to practice during subsequent bodyplethysmographic measurement or (2) inhalative terbutaline (IT), a β₂-sympathomimetic drug, or (3) an unspecific ‘placebo relaxation’ technique (PRT), so that all subjects tried all 3 treatments in random order. Spirometric variables were assessed. Results: There was a significant decrease in specific airway resistance with eFR, which, though not as pronounced as with IT, was significantly greater than with PRT. This study shows that clinically relevant effects can be achieved for patients with asthma through mind-body interaction, which can be triggered by reproducible procedures. Conclusion: Further development of the FR approach could lead to a nonpharmacological and effective supplementary treatment for asthma, which is in high demand by many patients.

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Relaxation and music therapies for asthma among patients prestabilized on asthma medication

Cited by 68 publications

References 49 publications

Relaxation and guided imagery: A school‐based intervention for children with asthma

Relaxation and guided imagery: A school‐based intervention for children with asthma

Guidelines for mechanical lung function measurements in psychophysiology

Efficacy of ‘Functional Relaxation’ in Comparison to Terbutaline and a ‘Placebo Relaxation’ Method in Patients with Acute Asthma

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