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Hemostatic factors and blood lipids in young Buddhist vegetarians and omnivores.

A comparison was made between the hemostatic and lipid profiles of 55 young Chinese Buddhist vegetarians (23 men, 32 women) and 59 Chinese medical students (20 men, 39 women) aged 20-30 y. The modern Buddhist vegetarian diet is high in carbohydrate (63% of energy in men, 58% in women) and has a high polyunsaturated-saturated fatty acid ratio, with moderate fat content (25% for men, 30% for women). Rice and soybean proteins are the major protein sources. This study demonstrated that the major beneficial effects of a modern Buddhist vegetarian diet are on blood concentrations of cholesterol, the ratio of apolipoprotein A-I to apolipoprotein B, glucose, and uric acid, but not on most hemostatic factors studied, which included fibrinogen, factor VIIc, factor VIIIc, and plasminogen. Vegetarian men had significantly higher concentrations of antithrombin III than nonvegetarian men.

Adult↗

Religion, death of a loved one, and hypertension among older adults in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To see whether three dimensions of religion (private religious practices, religious coping, and belief in the afterlife) buffer the effect of the death of a significant other on change in self-reported hypertension over time. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with a nationally representative sample of people aged 60 and older in Japan at two points in time, 1996 and 1999. Complete data were available on 1,723 older Japanese. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their religious beliefs and practices, whether a family member or close friend had died in the past year, and whether they had hypertension. RESULTS: The data suggest that older adults in Japan who experienced the death of a loved one but who believed in a good afterlife were less likely to report they had hypertension at the follow-up interview than elderly people in Japan who lost a close other but did not believe in a good afterlife. DISCUSSION: The results suggest how one overlooked dimension of religion (i.e., religious beliefs) may bolster the health of older people in the face of adversity.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

A Thai monk: an agent for smoking reduction in a rural population.

Monks in a rural community in northern Thailand were observed to conduct anti-smoking activities. To evaluate the effects of the monks' efforts on change of people's smoking behaviour and attitudes, we conducted a survey of adults > or = 15 years of age in this village (intervention village sample) and a randomly selected village (control village sample) in the same subdistrict. Between March and April 1991, we interviewed 372 individuals in the intervention village and 664 in the control village. The two villages were of similar socioeconomic status. The proportion of ever smokers who had tried to quit was greater in the intervention sample (79.6%) than in the control sample (72.0%) (P = 0.048). The proportion of former smokers who had stopped smoking for > or = 1 year was significantly greater in the intervention sample (25.5% of ever smokers) than in the control sample (16.6%) (P = 0.011). Of current smokers in the intervention village, 45.8% reported smoking less tobacco during the year preceding the survey than in the previous 1-year period compared with 35.2% in the control village (P = 0.034). Many former smokers (80.3%) in the intervention village cited the suggestion of a monk as one important reason for quitting compared with 25.6% in the control village (P = 0.000). The proportion of individuals who were well aware of the harmful effects of smoking on health was greater in the intervention village than in the control village. Religious leaders may be helpful in a community-based smoking prevention programme.

Adolescent↗

An east Asian perspective of mind-body.

This paper addresses a need to re-examine the mind-body dualism established since Descartes. Descartes' dualism has been regarded by modern philosophers as an extremely insufficient solution to the problem of mind and body, from which is derived a long opposition in modern epistomology between idealism and empiricism. This dualism, bifurcating the region of spirit and matter, and the dichotomous models of thinking based on this dualism, have long dominated the world of modern philosophy and science. The paper examines states of conscious experience from an East Asian perspective allowing analysis on achieved supernormal consciousness rather than a focus on "normal" or "subnormal." The nature of the "transformation" of human consciousness will be studied both philosophically, as a transformation from "provisional" dualism to non-dualism, and neurophysiologically. The theoretical structure of the transformation will, in part, be examined through the model provided by a Japanese medieval Zen master, Takuan Sôhô. Then, to verify Takuan's theoretical explanation, toposcopic analysis of electroencephalographs will be presented of the performance of individuals practicing the martial arts technique of tôate.

Buddhism↗

The empowerment model: a critical reflection of empowerment in Chinese culture.

The empowerment model has long dominated social work practice in Western countries. Many social workers in Hong Kong use this model regardless of the social or cultural context. In this article the author shares local social work practice experiences in Hong Kong and suggests that the empowerment model may need adaptation in Chinese communities. An empowerment approach in communities influenced by traditional Chinese culture may result in types of pseudo empowerment: pragmatic empowerment, autocratic empowerment, hidden empowerment, lonely romantic empowerment, and fashionable empowerment. A culturally sensitive empowerment model for Chinese communities may have to be gradual and harmonious and empower both the individual and his or her significant others.

Buddhism↗

Thai Buddhist patients with cancer undergoing radiation therapy: feelings, coping, and satisfaction with nurse-provided education and support.

Ninety male and 89 female Thai Buddhist patients with cancer undergoing radiation therapy at a Bangkok hospital outpatient radiation therapy clinic were subjected to a questionnaire study. The purpose of the study was to (i) describe feelings, coping, and satisfaction with nurse-provided education and support and (ii) identify possible gender differences. The results showed that the most common feelings of both genders at first knowledge about radiation therapy were "acceptance/calmness," and the women more often than the men felt "anxiety" and "fright/fear." The most common ways of coping with radiation therapy for both genders were "rest," "talk with family/friends," "visit doctor," and "meditate," and in this regard there were no significant gender differences. The men expressed their highest satisfaction with "nurse has knowledge about disease/treatment" and "nurse listens to patient's problem," whereas the women expressed their highest satisfaction with "patient dares to ask questions" and "nurse likes to explain information." The satisfaction with different aspects of nurse-provided education and support was commonly higher among the men. When oncology nurses are to provide education to radiation therapy patients, it is essential that they are aware of their patients' characteristics, such as the ones identified here, that are related to cultural values and religious beliefs as well as to gender.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Refugee trauma versus torture trauma: a retrospective controlled cohort study of Tibetan refugees.

A retrospective cohort study of 35 refugee Tibetan nuns and lay students who were arrested and tortured in Tibet matched with 35 controls who were not arrested or tortured was carried out in India. Subjects were administered the Hopkins Checklist-25, evaluating anxiety symptoms, effective disturbances, somatic complaints, and social impairment. The prevalence of symptom scores in the clinical range for both cohorts was 41.4% for anxiety symptoms and 14.3% for depressive symptoms. The torture survivors had a statistically significant higher proportion of elevated anxiety scores than did the nontortured cohort (54.3% vs. 28.6%, p = .05). This was not true for elevated depressive scores. The results suggest that torture has long-term consequences on mental health over and above the effects of being uprooted, fleeing one's country, and living in exile as a refugee, though the additional effects were small. Political commitment, social support in exile, and prior knowledge of and preparedness for confinement and torture in the imprisoned cohort served to foster resilience against psychological sequelae. The contribution of Buddhist spirituality plays an active role in the development of protective coping mechanisms among Tibetan refugees.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Zen leadership: balancing energy for mind, body, and spirit harmony.

This article explores leadership characteristics and practices that assist us both professionally and personally to be authentic and integrated in mind, body, and spirit for harmony. The transformational leadership characteristics--courage; belief in people; value driven; a life-long learner and teacher; a complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty expert; and a visionary leader--all deal with the leader's ability to develop relationships through teamwork, collaboration, networking, mentoring, and establishing boundaries. The author realized the importance of reflection to maintaining a healthy relationship not only with others but also with self.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Zazen and cardiac variability.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of "tanden breathing" by Zen practitioners on cardiac variability. Tanden breathing involves slow breathing into the lower abdomen. METHODS: Eleven Zen practitioners, six Rinzai and five Soto, were each studied during 20 minutes of tanden breathing, preceded and followed by 5-minute periods of quiet sitting. During this time, we measured heart rate and respiration rate. RESULTS: For most subjects, respiration rates fell to within the frequency range of 0.05 to 0.15 Hz during tanden breathing. Heart rate variability significantly increased within this low-frequency range but decreased in the high-frequency range (0.14-0.4 Hz), reflecting a shift of respiratory sinus arrhythmia from high-frequency to slower waves. Rinzai practitioners breathed at a slower rate and showed a higher amplitude of low-frequency heart rate waves than observed among Soto Zen participants. One Rinzai master breathed approximately once per minute and showed an increase in very-low-frequency waves (<0.05 Hz). Total amplitude of heart rate oscillations (across frequency spectra) also increased. More experienced Zen practitioners had frequent heart rhythm irregularities during and after the nadir of heart rate oscillations (ie, during inhalation). CONCLUSIONS: These data are consistent with the theory that increased oscillation amplitude during slow breathing is caused by resonance between cardiac variability caused by respiration and that produced by physiological processes underlying slower rhythms. The rhythm irregularities during inhalation may be related to inhibition of vagal modulation during the cardioacceleratory phase. It is not known whether they reflect cardiopathology.

Adult↗

The spiritual intelligence of nurses in Taiwan.

The purposes of the study included: (1) defining the profile of nurses' spiritual intelligence; (2) examining the relationship between nurses' demographic characteristics and spiritual intelligence; and (3) exploring the mode of nurses' spiritual intelligence and related factors, among nurses in Taiwan. A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed and administered to 299 hospital registered nurses, who were distributed throughout metropolitan Taipei. Wolman's (2001) PsychoMatrix Spirituality Inventory, a 4-point scaled, self-reported, 49-item questionnaire covering seven spiritual factors (divinity, mindfulness, extrasensory perception, community, intellectuality, trauma, and childhood spirituality) was used to measure nurses' spiritual intelligence. Results showed that nurses' spiritual intelligence was centralized in a moderate degree, while trauma and childhood spirituality were either moderate or high. Age and childhood spirituality were the most significant variables affecting nurses' spiritual intelligence, accounting for 61.4% of the variance in nurses' spiritual intelligence. This study may contribute to a better understanding of the spiritual intelligence profile of nurses and may also help facilitate a program for nurses' spiritual development as well as improve the quality of spiritual care.

Adult↗