Behavioral Strategies to Lower Postprandial Glucose in Those with Type 2 Diabetes May Also Lower Risk of Coronary Heart Disease.

Introduction: Efforts to lower glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are intended to reduce the risk of diabetic complications, but A1c is not the only factor contributing to this risk. Consequently, we re-analyzed published data from a broad-spectrum lifestyle intervention that lowered A1c to assess its effectiveness in lowering the overall risk of two complications of T2D, namely, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

Methods: Data from 37 adults who participated in a randomized clinical trial of a lifestyle intervention intended to reduce postprandial glucose (PPG) were re-analyzed for their pre- and post-treatment risk of CHD and stroke using the T2D-specific UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) v2.

Perspectives on Living With Fibromyalgia.

Perceptions of people living with chronic illness change over time, contributing to health-related stress that necessitates coping skills. Paterson's shifting perspectives model provides an explanation of chronically ill people's variations in attention to their symptoms. In this qualitative study, 20 people with fibromyalgia living in a rural setting were interviewed in 2013 with the aim of gaining insight into their experiences and the meaning-making associated with their chronic condition.

Living in the epilepsy treatment gap in rural South India: A focused ethnography of women and problems associated with stigma.

In India, women with epilepsy face unique challenges. A focused ethnography of six women within the epilepsy treatment gap was conducted in rural South India. Women were asked to describe their day-to-day lives.

Stress, Inflammation and Pain: A Potential Role for Monocytes in Fibromyalgia-related Symptom Severity.

The possibility that immunological changes might contribute to symptom severity in fibromyalgia (FM) prompted this proof-of-concept study to determine whether differences in monocyte subpopulations might be present in persons with FM compared with healthy controls. Relationships were assessed by comparing specific symptoms in those with FM (n = 20) and patterns of monocyte subpopulations with healthy age-matched and gender-matched controls (n = 20). Within the same time frame, all participants provided a blood sample and completed measures related to pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, perceived stress, positive and negative affect and depressed mood (and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire for those with FM).

An Integrated Methodology to Assess Compliance with Delphi Survey Key Components of Yoga Interventions for Musculoskeletal Conditions as Applied in a Systematic Review of Fibromyalgia Studies.

Objective: The objective of this article was to present a methodology incorporating existing guidelines and tools for systematic reviews and to evaluate the Delphi survey 33 key component recommendations of yoga interventions for musculoskeletal conditions as a tool for a systematic review in fibromyalgia studies.

Data Sources: Databases searched included PubMed, Ovid Medline, PsychINFO, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ALT HealthWatch, PEDro, and Web of Science.

Article Selection: Selected were articles published between November 14, 2004 and November 13, 2014, written in English, reporting original research of yoga interventions for adults with fibromyalgia.

Glycemic load, exercise, and monitoring blood glucose (GEM): A paradigm shift in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: This preliminary RCT investigated whether an integrated lifestyle modification program that focuses on reducing postprandial blood glucose through replacing high with low glycemic load foods and increasing routine physical activities guided by systematic self-monitoring of blood glucose (GEM) could improve metabolic control of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, without compromising other physiological parameters.

Methods: Forty-seven adults (mean age 55.3 years) who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus for less than 5 years (mean 2.

A Culturally Appropriate Self-Management Program for Hispanic Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Low Health Literacy Skills.

Purpose: This study assessed the feasibility of adapting a patient-centered educational intervention for type 2 diabetes (T2D) self-management for a Hispanic population with low health literacy skills.

Design: A descriptive qualitative study design and phenomenological analyses were used. Nine Hispanic adults with T2D recruited from a rural community health center participated in an educational program that instructed on low glycemic food choices, meaningful glucose self-monitoring, and physical activity to decrease blood glucose spikes.

Feasibility and Acceptability of an Internet-Based, African Dance-Modified Yoga Program for African-American Women with or at Risk for Metabolic Syndrome.

African-American (AA) women are the segment of the population that experiences the highest mortality from metabolic syndrome (MetS). Yoga decreases risk of MetS, yet there have been no yoga studies of AA women with or at risk for MetS. The purpose of this 4-week study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally tailored, Internet-based intervention, yogic dance (YD), using digital videos in a sample of AA women (ages 35-64) at risk for or with MetS.

Gentle Massage Improves Disease- and Treatment-Related Symptoms in Patients with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia.

Objective: Cancer treatment is reported to be stressful, and patients diagnosed with hematologic cancers often exhibit higher levels of anxiety and emotional distress than individuals with other malignancies. Management of these symptoms in patients with hematologic cancer presents significant challenges, as many of them are in and out of the hospital while undergoing high dose chemotherapy. Oncology patients use complementary modalities such as therapeutic massage in an attempt to alleviate disease and treatment-related symptoms, including anxiety and emotional distress.

Effects of n-3 fish oil on metabolic and histological parameters in NASH: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background & Aims: This study's aim was to assess the histological and metabolic effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) vs. placebo while adjusting for the impact of age and weight change in NASH patients. (ClinicalTrials.

A high-fiber diet may improve bowel function and health-related quality of life in patients with Crohn disease.

Crohn disease is a chronic disorder characterized by episodes of epithelial inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract for which there is no cure. The prevalence of Crohn disease increased in civilized nations during the time period in which food sources were industrialized in those nations. A characteristic of industrialized diets is the conspicuous absence of cereal fiber.

Importance of meaning-making for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose/objectives: The purpose of this integrative literature review of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for hematologic malignancies was to determine whether meaning-making might be helpful to improve coping and psychological adaptation as patients navigate HSCT.

Data Sources: CINAHL®, MEDLINE®, and PsychINFO databases, and ancestry searches. Search terms included bone marrow transplant, hematopoietic stem cell transplant, hematologic malignancy, quality of life, lived experience, psychosocial, psychological, isolation, and social support.

Cranial electrical stimulation improves symptoms and functional status in individuals with fibromyalgia.

To investigate the effects of microcurrent cranial electrical stimulation (CES) therapy on reducing pain and its associated symptoms in fibromyalgia (FM), we conducted a randomized, controlled, three-group (active CES device, sham device, and usual care alone [UC]), double-blind study to determine the potential benefit of CES therapy for symptom management in FM. Those individuals using the active CES device had a greater decrease in average pain (p = .023), fatigue (p = .

Dietary fiber information for individuals with Crohn disease: reports of gastrointestinal effects.

The experiences of individuals with Crohn disease before and after receiving dietary fiber information have not been described in the literature. This article offers findings from a study that used four semistructured audiorecorded interviews during a 4-week time period for the purpose of exploring the experiences of 11 individuals before and after receiving dietary fiber information from a healthcare professional. The first and second interviews occurred immediately before and after the presentation of information.

No stone left unturned: challenges encountered during recruitment of women with advanced ovarian cancer for a phase I study.

The recruitment and accrual of participants for cancer clinical trial research is often challenging. Chronic low accrual rates negatively influence the findings and generalizability that can be drawn from the available pool of research. There is a need for further evidence regarding both unsuccessful and successful approaches and useful strategies that investigators have used to counter common recruitment challenges.

"A feeling of connectedness": perspectives on a gentle yoga intervention for women with major depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common and debilitating health conditions in women in the United States and worldwide. Many women with MDD seek out complementary therapies for their depressive symptoms, either as an adjunct or alternative to the usual care. The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of women who participated in a yoga intervention for their depression.

Feasibility, acceptability, and effects of gentle Hatha yoga for women with major depression: findings from a randomized controlled mixed-methods study.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common, debilitating chronic condition in the United States and worldwide. Particularly in women, depressive symptoms are often accompanied by high levels of stress and ruminations, or repetitive self-critical negative thinking. There is a research and clinical imperative to evaluate complementary therapies that are acceptable and feasible for women with depression and that target specific aspects of depression in women, such as ruminations.

Qigong as a novel intervention for service members with mild traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: To describe the experience of internal qigong practice in service members diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Theoretical Framework: The study used qualitative descriptive phenomenological methods originally described by Husserl and later refined by Giorgi.

Methodology: Participants were interviewed about their experiences while learning qigong to determine their level of interest, benefits, and/or adverse effects; ease of learning/performing the routine; and any barriers to practice.

Preprocedural distress in children with cancer: an intervention using biofeedback and relaxation.

Children diagnosed with cancer experience many invasive procedures throughout diagnosis and treatment of their disease. These procedures, oftentimes a source of distress in children, can elicit a variety of anticipatory symptoms prior to the actual procedure. Although there have been efforts to develop approaches to alleviate this distress through use of distraction, relaxation, sedation, guided imagery, and hypnosis, there has not been a combination treatment that merged relaxation techniques and biofeedback within a pediatric framework.

Fire in the belly and the professionalization of nurses: a historical analysis of Crohn disease care.

Today, professional nurses around the world are stepping up to meet the needs of individuals with Crohn disease, using their specialized knowledge and skills that demonstrate areas of expertise that have not always existed. The gastrointestinal-specific knowledge being used by these 21st-century nurses exists today because progressive efforts of nurses in previous decades moved the profession of nursing forward. The purpose of this article was to describe and analyze the development of the role of nurses in responding to new challenges patients with Crohn disease face since the emergence of the disease in the early 20th century.

A randomized, controlled, double-blind pilot study of the effects of cranial electrical stimulation on activity in brain pain processing regions in individuals with fibromyalgia.

Objective: To investigate the effects of microcurrent cranial electrical stimulation (CES) therapy on activity in pain processing brain regions.

Design: A randomized, controlled, three-group, double-blind pilot study.

Participants: Persons with physician-diagnosed fibromyalgia.

A complementary care study combining flaxseed oil, caffeine, fasting, and exercise in women diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer: findings from a case study.

This article presents the experiences of 1 participant with advanced ovarian cancer enrolled in a proof of concept complementary therapy study evaluating the effects of a combined intervention of flaxseed oil, fasting, caffeine, and exercise. Improvements were observed in physical and psychological symptoms. The participant adopted positive lifestyle modifications.

Chiropractic use, health care expenditures, and health outcomes for rural and nonrural individuals with arthritis.

Objective: Arthritis is considered the leading cause of disability among adults in the United States today and contributes substantially to the rising cost of health care. Residents of rural areas are especially affected. The purposes of this article are to describe chiropractic use by rural and nonrural individuals with arthritis and to identify differences in other health care use and health status by those using chiropractic care plus conventional care or conventional care alone.