Analizzando le riviste medico-scientifiche presenti su Mediline la banca dati che raccoglie articoli scientifici pubblicati nelle riviste medico-scientifiche, si trovano svariati articoli che riportano dati riguardanti l’uso dello yoga e delle tecniche di rilassamento nella prevenzione e nel trattamento dello Stress,  dei disturbi d’ansia, degli attacchi di panico.

Cosa è la nevrosi d’ansia o disturbo d’ansia generalizzata

“La nevrosi d’ansia o disturbo d’ansia generalizzata è un disturbo nevrotico caratterizzato da un’ansia cronica non legata alla realtà che spesso si  manifesta in maniera acuta e si accompagna a reazioni di panico... Approssimativamente 1/3 dei pazienti si riprende e la prognosi è migliore negli uomini.”

LA TERAPIA:

oltre alla terapia farmacologica vengono indicate come terapie “la psicoterapia individuale psicodinamicamente orientata, …la psicoterapia di supporto, …le tecniche di rilassamento permettono un certo controllo volontario sul sistema nervoso autonomo  in grado di diminuire l’iperattività.

La Meditazione è una specifica e spesso efficace forma di rilassamento…..”

(tratto da MERCK, Manuale di diagnosi e terapia medica)

Dallo Stress al Rilassamento

- Reazioni emozionali  quali: comportamenti nevrotici (ansia ipocondriaca, isteria, fobia, depressione e ossessioni) o comportamenti psicotici. 

- Reazioni di natura psicosomatica (asma nervosa ,mal di testa , insonnia e infarto)

L'eccessivo stress può peggiorare a causa della irritabilità, degli atteggiamenti sbagliati sul lavoro,  delle frustrazioni lavorative, e  della tensione familiare.

  Il rilassamento é l'unico mezzo positivo per controllare la tensione nervosa indesiderabile ; a questo scopo é necessario apprendere delle tecniche.

Vengono descritte varie tecniche quali: rilassamento progressivo, rilassamento differenziato, ipnosi, il biofeedback , lo YOGA, la meditazione trascendentale e la loro applicazione nella pratica dentistica.”

(Tratto dall’articolo Tension and relaxation in the individual)

.

La meditazione e gli esercizi di rilassamento hanno un campo di applicazione vasto ma sono soprattutto utili nel trattamento dello stress e delle malattie connesse. Sono facilmente utilizzabili nella medicina generale da parte di medici adeguatamente preparati che ne hanno fatto esperienza personale. ..”

(Tratto dall’articolo Meditation in General practice - La Meditazione in Medicina generale)

A seguito della seduta di rilassamento si sono notate diminuzione dello stato d'ansia, dell'irrequietezza, un aumento della percezione emozionale nel primo gruppo, ma non nel gruppo di controllo.

Si é inoltre  notato nei pazienti con disturbi d'adattamento e in 1/3  dei depressi del 1° gruppo una diminuzione dei livelli di CORTISOLO e nessun cambiamento nel gruppo di controllo.”

(NB. Il Cortisolo è un ormone la cui  eccessiva produzione è proporzionale al livello di “stress” dell’individuo. La sua diminuzione evidenzia il reale cambiamento fisico e mentale che la terapia del rilassamento ha apportato all’individuo)

Conclusioni:

sia le persone depresse che quelle affette da Disturbi Di Adattamento hanno tratto beneficio dalla seduta di pratiche di rilassamento.”

Tratto dall’articolo: “La terapia basata sul rilassamento  riduce l’ansia in bambini e adolescenti pazienti psichiatrici - Relaxation therapy reduces anxiety in child and adolescent psychiatric   patients”.

ridurre ansia e l’attacco di panico attraverso la Meditazione?

Articolo: “Effetti di un programma di riduzione dello Stress basato sulla Meditazione nel  trattamento  dei disturbi d’ansia)

“..noi concludiamo che un intervento di gruppo intensivo ma limitato nel tempo basato sulla meditazione consapevole può avere effetti benefici a lungo termine nella terapia delle persone con diagnosi di disturbi d'ansia

Articolo:

HealthGate DocumentRecord from database:    MEDLINE

TitleTension and relaxation in the individual.

AuthorNewbury CR

SourceInt Dent J, 29: 2, 1979 Jun, 173-82

Abstract

Increasing materialism in society is resulting in more wide spread

nervous tension in all age groups. While some degree of nervous tension

is necessary in everyday living, its adverse effects require that we

must learn to bring it under control. Total tension is shown to have two

components: a controllable element arising from factors in the

environment and the inbuilt uncontrollable residue which is basic in the

individual temperament.

The effects of excessive or uncontrolled stress can be classified as

1) emotional reactions such as neurotic behaviour

(anxiety hypochondria, hysteria, phobia, depression obsessions and

compulsions) or psychotic behaviour and

2) psychosomatic reactions (nervous asthma, headache, insomnia, heart attack).

Nervous energy can be wastefully expended by such factors as loss of temper, wrong

attitudes to work, job frustration and marital strains.

Relaxation is  the only positive way to control undesirable nervous tension and its  techniques require to be learned. A number of techniques (progressive

relaxation, differential relaxation, hypnosis, the use of biofeedback,

Yoga and Transcendental Meditation) are described and their application

to dental practice is discussed.

Language of PublicationEnglish

Unique Identifier79215358

Publication TypeJOURNAL ARTICLE

ISSN0020-6539

Country of Publicatio

HealthGate DocumentRecord from database: MEDLINE  

TitleRelaxation therapy reduces anxiety in child and adolescent psychiatric 

       patients.

Author: Platania-Solazzo A; Field TM; Blank J; Seligman F; Kuhn C; Schanberg S;

Saab P

Address:  Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami, School of Medicine, FL

33101.

Source:  Acta Paedopsychiatr, 55: 2, 1992, 115-20

Abstract

The immediate effects of relaxation therapy (RT) were assessed in 40  hospitalized children and adolescents with diagnoses of adjustment  disorder and depression. These effects were assessed using a within  subjects pre-test/post-test design and by comparison with a control  group of 20 depressed and adjustment disorder patients who watched a 1-h  relaxing videotape. The 1-h RT class consisted of yoga exercise, a brief  massage and progressive muscle relaxation. Decreases were noted in both  self-reported anxiety and in anxious behavior and fidgeting as well as  increases in positive affect in the RT but not the video group. In  addition, adjustment disorder patients and a third of the depressed  patients showed decreases in cortisol levels following RT, while no  changes were noted in the video group. Thus, both diagnostic groups  appeared to benefit from the RT class.

Language of PublicationEnglish

Unique Identifier92264149, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Publication TypeJOURNAL ARTICLE

ISSN0936-7012

Country of Publication :GERMANY

National Library of Medicine

                                                               

TITLE:    

Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders             

AUTHOR: Kabat-Zinn J; Massion AO; Kristeller J; Peterson LG; Fletcher KE; Pbert L; 

                     Lenderking, WR; Santorelli SF

AUTHORAFFILIATION: Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical  School, Worcester 01605.

  SOURCE: Am J Psychiatry 1992 Jul;149(7):936-43

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a group stress reduction program based on mindfulness meditation for patients with anxiety disorders.

METHOD: The 22 study participants were screened with a structured clinical interview

and found to meet the DSM-III-R criteria for generalized anxiety disorder or panic

disorder with or without agoraphobia. Assessments, including self-ratings and therapists' ratings were obtained weekly before and during the meditation-based stress reduction and relaxation program and monthly during the 3-month follow-up period.

RESULTS:

Repeated measures analyses of variance documented significant reductions in anxiety anddepression scores after treatment for 20 of the subjects--changes that were maintained at follow-up. The number of subjects experiencing panic symptoms was also substantially reduced. A comparison of the study subjects with a group of nonstudy participants in the program who met the initial screening criteria for entry into the study showed that both groups achieved similar reductions in anxiety scores on the SCL-90-R and on the Medical Symptom Checklist, suggesting generalizability of the study findings.

CONCLUSIONS:

A group mindfulness meditation training program can effectively reduce symptoms of

anxiety and panic and can help maintain these reductions in patients with generalized

anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or panic disorder with agoraphobia.

Record from database: MEDLINE 

Title

Three-year follow-up and clinical implications of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

AuthorMiller JJ;

Fletcher K; Kabat-Zinn JAddressDepartment of Psychiatry, University of

Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester 01655, USA.SourceGen Hosp

Psychiatry, 17: 3, 1995 May, 192-200

Abstract

A previous study of 22 medical patients with DSM-III-R-defined anxiety disorders showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in subjective and objective symptoms of anxiety and panic following an 8-week outpatient physician-referred group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation. Twenty subjects demonstrated significant reductions in Hamilton and Beck Anxiety and Depression scores postintervention and at 3-month follow-up. In this study, 3-year follow-up data were obtained and analyzed on 18 of the original 22 subjects to probe long-term effects. Repeated measures analysis showed maintenance of the gains obtained in the original study on the Hamilton [F(2,32) = 13.22; p < 0.001] and Beck [F(2,32) = 9.83; p < 0.001] anxiety scales as well as on their respective depression scales, on the Hamilton panic score, the number and severity of panic attacks, and on the Mobility Index-Accompanied and the Fear Survey.

A 3-year follow-up comparison of this cohort with a larger group of subjects from the intervention who had met criteria for screening for the original study suggests generalizability of the results obtained with the smaller, more intensively studied cohort. Ongoing compliance with the meditation practice was also demonstrated in the majority of subjects at 3 years.

We conclude that an intensive but time-limited group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation can have long-term beneficial effects in the treatment of people diagnosed with anxiety disorders.

National Library of Medicine

TITLE: Meditation in general practice.

Titolo:   La meditazione in medicina generale

AUTHOR: Hassed C

AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Department of Community Medicine at Monash University.

SOURCE: Aust Fam Physician 1996 Aug;25(8):1257-60

NLM CIT. ID: 96367770

ABSTRACT: 

Growing scientific evidence, clinical experience and community attitudes

are encouraging a shift to more natural and holistic forms of therapy as

alternatives or adjuncts to pharmacological approaches to a variety of

conditions. Meditation and relaxation exercises have a wide range of

applications but are especially useful in treating stress and related

disorders. They are easily adapted to the general practice setting by

adequately trained practitioners who have first hand experience of them.

In this short article the practical and experiential aspects of such

exercises are examined which, combined with examining the scientific

evidence, provide a much more complete understanding of their potential

uses and therapeutic effects.