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PubMed1986

Relaxation therapy for hypertension. Comparison of effects with concomitant placebo, diuretic, and beta-blocker.

We compared the effects of relaxation therapy in hypertensive patients taking placebo, a beta-blocker (atenolol, 100 mg/d), or a diuretic (chlorthalidone, 50 mg/d), and we also compared the effects of relaxation therapy with the effects of the latter two drugs alone. Blood pressures were measured not only in the relaxation therapists' office and at a hypertension clinic, but also in the patient's environment by means of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure recordings. The effect of relaxation therapy, while statistically significant, was modest. There was no generalization of effect to ambulatory blood pressure. Atenolol was significantly more effective than relaxation in reducing both systolic and diastolic pressure. Chlorthalidone was significantly more effective than relaxation in reducing systolic but not diastolic pressure in the hypertension clinic only. The long-term effects of relaxation were independent of concomitant drug use, but within the actual relaxation sessions blood pressure dropped further during chlorthalidone than during placebo or atenolol treatment.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed2003

A randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavior therapy, relaxation training, and routine clinical care for the irritable bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Psychological treatments are considered to be useful in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), although the evidence is based on small, often flawed trials. Although cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and relaxation therapy have both been promising, we hypothesized that CBT would be superior to relaxation and standard care alone in IBS patients. The objective of this study was to test this assumption by comparing the effects of cognitive behavior therapy with relaxation therapy and routine clinical care alone in individuals with IBS. METHODS: Patients (n = 105) with Rome I criteria for IBS were recruited from advertisement (n = 51) and outpatient clinics (n = 54); those patients with resistant IBS were not included. A randomized controlled trial with three arms (standard care for all groups plus either CBT or relaxation) for 8 wk was conducted, which applied blinded outcome assessments using validated measures with 1 yr of follow-up. The primary outcome for this study was bowel symptom severity. RESULTS: Of 105 patients at the commencement of treatment, the mean bowel symptom frequency score for the whole sample was 21.1 and at the end of treatment had fallen to 18.1; this persisted at the 52-wk follow-up, with a significant linear trend for scores to change over time (F = 39.57 p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences among the three treatment conditions. Significant changes over time were found for physical functioning (F = 4.37, p < 0.001), pain (F = 3.12, p < 0.05), general health (F = 2.71, p < 0.05), vitality (F = 2.94, p < 0.05), and the social functioning scales on the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (F = 4.08, p < 0.05); however, all three arms showed similar improvement. There were significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and locus of control scales, but no significant differences among the treatment groups were detected. CONCLUSION: Cognitive behavior and relaxation therapy seem not to be superior to standard care alone in IBS.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Relaxation therapy lowers blood pressure more effectively in hypertensives with raised plasma norepinephrine and blunts pressor response to anger.

The effects of relaxation therapy on blood pressure and neural responses to "social stress"-anger instigation were determined in 30 male patients with mild primary hypertension. "Social stress"-anger induced increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures (both p less than 0.01) and plasma norepinephrine (p less than 0.05) before therapy. Diastolic blood pressure before and during anger challenge were related to simultaneous plasma norepinephrine (r = 0.56, p less than 0.01 and r = 0.39, p less than 0.05). Relaxation reduced resting diastolic blood pressure (p less than 0.01), the reduction of blood pressure was related to baseline plasma norepinephrine (p less than 0.05). The pressor response of systolic blood pressure to anger challenge (p less than 0.02) was blunted by relaxation therapy. These findings suggested that noradrenergic control of blood pressure was amplified during stress and relaxation therapy was effective in lowering blood pressure and neutralizing the response to "social stress" anger instigation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[The influence of 5-week relaxation therapy on arterial blood pressure in patients with borderline hypertension].

The present study was performed to evaluate the influence of 5-week relaxation therapy on office and ambulatory blood pressure in young borderline hypertensives. Thirty patients were studied. The office blood pressure decreased significantly after 5 weeks of relaxation therapy (P < 0.001 for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure). Ambulatory monitoring revealed only a slight decrease of 24-hour blood pressure (P = 0.02). Our results indicate limited efficacy of relaxation therapy in treatment of borderline hypertensives.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Investigations into synchronisation of heart rate and musical rhythm in a relaxation therapy in patients with cancer pain].

OBJECTIVE: Registration of the influence of musical rhythm on synchronisation and coordination of heart rate. DESIGN: Randomized pilot study. PROBANDS: 28 patients with chronic cancer pain in a stable phase of the disease. INTERVENTION: 14-day training of a relaxation therapy designed for improving the falling asleep, including a 30-minute lullaby-like, rhythmically dominated music with gradually decreasing tempi. No training in the control group. OUTCOME MEASURES: Continuous registration of heart rate and comparison with musical beat on day 1 and 15. Analysis of the degree of synchronisation, i.e. the coordination of systole and musical central time point (1st beat of the 6/8 time alla breve). Recording of the time of falling asleep and registration of the patient's subjective evaluation of the relaxation therapy and the pain intensity using verbal rating scales. Documentation of the use of analgetics. RESULTS: Under the relaxation therapy trained patients showed an increasing synchronisation and coordination of heart rate and musical beat. At a musical tempo between 48 and 42 beats per min a very stable 2 : 3 synchronisation occurred. Trained patients who reported the best relaxing and analgetic effects showed the highest degree of synchronisation. Relaxation therapy led to an improvement of falling asleep and to a decrease in consumption of analgetics. CONCLUSIONS: Lullaby-like music within a special range of tempi can induce a trainable synchronisation of heart rate, functionally associated with the formation and intensity of a relaxation reaction. Further investigations are promising, however, substantial improvements in the measurement and documentation methods are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Psychic effects of physical training and relaxation therapy after myocardial infarction.

The psychological impact of exercise training and relaxation therapy was investigated in 156 myocardial infarction patients. They were randomly assigned to either exercise plus relaxation and breathing therapy (Treatment A: n = 76) or exercise training only (Treatment B: n = 80). Patients in Treatment A improved on three out of eight psychological measurements (anxiety, well-being, feelings of invalidity). No change was demonstrable in Treatment B. The difference between the treatments was significant for wellbeing (p less than 0.005). Physical outcome, measured by exercise testing was positive in about half of the patients (Treatment A: 55%, Treatment B: 46%). A negative outcome occurred less in Treatment A (p less than 0.05). Training success was not associated with psychic benefit. The association differed for the two treatments. It was concluded that exercise training was effective for some but not for all cardiac patients, and that a psychic effect of exercise could not be demonstrated. Relaxation therapy enhanced physical and psychic outcome of rehabilitation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Processes of body perception and their therapeutic use in pediatrics. From nonspecific relaxation therapy to training to recognize disease-specific symptoms].

Focussing on processes of body perception is a major pathway of relaxation therapies (progressive relaxation, autogenic training, guided imagery, hypnotherapy, biofeedback). Traditionally its application has been related to psychosomatic and psychotherapeutic indications. Beyond this classical approach, recent behavioral medicine has emphasized the relevance of interoception processes and adequate attribution patterns concerning bodily sensations as a major source of adequate coping and self-management with somatic illness. Clinical application may refer to an improved cognitive-behavioral pain management in disease and treatment related conditions. Especially children and adolescents suffering from chronic conditions that may exacerbate rapidly may benefit from an education approach that teaches them to perceive their disease-related complaints and symptoms accurately and to attribute them correctly. A precise, panic-free and immediate symptom recognition of sudden airway obstruction is an important precondition of adequate coping with acute asthma crisis and starting risk orientated antiasthmatic treatment. In a similar way, the child with diabetes mellitus may identify early signs of hypoglycemia by self-observation, recognition and discrimination of physical, vegetative and psychological indicators of blood glucose decline that enable the child to take appropriate countermeasures. Other childhood disorders that offer chances for symptomatic self-monitoring and self-control comprise atopic dermatitis or epileptic seizures. Training young patients in precise symptom recognition may not only empower them in handling acute crisis but also strengthen global development of autonomy, control beliefs, self-responsibility and self-esteem.

Asthma↗
PubMed2002

Beneficial therapeutic effects of physical training and relaxation therapy in women with coronary syndrome X.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: New types of illness are being identified continuously. Owing to the demands for evidence-based practice, physiotherapeutic interventions need to be investigated scientifically prior to application in a new patient population. Coronary syndrome X (syndrome X) is a chronic pain disorder with exercise-induced chest pain despite angiographically normal coronary arteries. Patients with syndrome X constitute a therapeutic problem with considerable residual morbidity associated with functional limitation and reduced quality of life. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of physical training and relaxation therapy on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with syndrome X. METHOD: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial design was used. Twenty-four female patients aged 41-65 years were randomly assigned to three groups: A, B and C. All groups were similar at baseline for physical fitness level. Group A performed physical training for eight weeks at 50% of baseline VO2max and group B participated in relaxation therapy for eight weeks. Group C acted as control subjects without any intervention. Before and after the eight-week periods, subjects were assessed by means of several measures of exercise capacity and quality of life. RESULTS: The measured variables did not change in the control group during the eight weeks. VO2max (< 0.02), work rate (< 0.002) and distance walked during six minutes (< 0.003) increased only after physical training. The tolerated exertion during six minutes of walking (< 0.05) and the health-related quality of life, measured both by the Stress and Crisis Inventory (SCI) and the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) (< 0.04), improved after both physical training and relaxation therapy. The general coping capacity, measured by the Sense of Coherence (SOC) questionnaire, remained unchanged in all the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Female patients with syndrome X benefit from physical training in terms of exercise capacity and quality of life and from relaxation therapy in terms of quality of life.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[Results of the use of relaxation therapy in hypertension].

To assess the efficiency of relaxation therapy (RT) as part of the treatment for essential hypertension (EH), 100 male EH patients, aged 20 to 55 years, were repeatedly examined at 12 months' intervals, using clinical, psychological and psychophysiologic tests. The patients were divided into 2 groups: the main group received RT as autotraining (AT) or using biologic feedback devices, and the control group was not exposed to mental influences. Patients from the main group showed a more marked resting BP drop as well as a smaller and shorter hypertensive response to emotional stress, improved psychosocial status and psychologic adaptation, and better working capacity. A comparative five-year follow-up study of 90 patients was carried out to assess the value of RT for secondary EH prevention. The use of AT is associated with a slower progress of the disease, as compared to the controls, as evidenced by lower BP values, more limited growth of left-ventricular hypertrophy, and lesser neurotization as well as shorter EH-related temporary disability periods.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of frontal electromyographic biofeedback training, trapezius electromyographic biofeedback training, and progressive muscle relaxation therapy in the treatment of tension headache.

This study is the first systematic examination of a trapezius EMG biofeedback training regimen with tension headache sufferers. It evaluated the differential effects of three psychophysiological treatments for tension headache: (1) a standard 12-session frontal EMG biofeedback training regimen (n = 8), (2) a 12-session upper trapezius EMG biofeedback training regimen (n = 10), and (3) a standard seven-session progressive muscle relaxation therapy regimen (n = 8). Posttreatment assessment at 3 months following cessation of treatment revealed clinically significant decreases in overall headache activity (50% or greater) in 50% of subjects in the frontal biofeedback group, 100% in the trapezius biofeedback group, and 37.5% in the relaxation therapy group. Chi-squared analyses indicated that the trapezius biofeedback group was more effective in obtaining significant clinical improvement than the frontal biofeedback and relaxation therapy groups (which did not differ from each other). The three treatments did not differ on secondary measures of headache improvement (number of headache-free days, peak headache activity, and medication index). Implications for the psychophysiological treatment of tension headache, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Relaxation therapy for essential hypertension: a Veterans Administration Outpatient study.

Twenty-nine patients who had been treated with antihypertensive medication for at least the preceding 6 months were randomly assigned to (1) therapist-conducted, face-to-face progressive, deep-muscle relaxation training for 10 weekly sessions, or (2) progressive deep-muscle relaxation therapy conducted mainly by home use of audio cassettes, or (3) nonspecific individual psychotherapy for 10 weekly sessions. No differences between the groups were found immediately after therapy; however, the therapist-conducted relaxation therapy group showed the greatest changes: -17.8 mm Hg systolic, -9.7 mm Hg diastolic at 6 months follow-up. Some significant trends in results among the three therapists were also found. No correlation existed between blood pressure changes and changes in dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DbH) levels.

California↗
PubMed1981

Relaxation therapy in asthma: a critical review.

This review discusses the relationship between the psychological and physiological factors responsible for airways in asthma and indicates the mechanisms by which psychological methods of treatment may influence airway caliber. The effects of mental and muscular relaxation therapy, systematic desensitization, and biofeedback-assisted relaxation are evaluated in children and adults with asthma. The methodology and results of studies are analyzed critically to present a balanced opinion of the subjective and objective effects of these methods of treatment. Muscular relaxation therapy alone appears to have no effect. Certain mental relaxation techniques, such as autogenic training and transcendental mediation, systematic desensitization, and biofeedback-assisted relaxation, can produce subjective improvement as well as clinically significant improvement in respiratory function and other objective parameters. As with any therapy the response is variable and is influenced by factors such as age and severity of asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Relaxation therapy for tension headache in the elderly: a prospective study.

We evaluated the effects of an 8-week progressive muscle-relaxation therapy regimen on the headache activity of 10 elderly tension-headache subjects. Posttreatment assessment at 3 months revealed significant decreases in overall headache activity (50% or greater) in 7 subjects. Significant clinical or statistical prepost differences, or both, were also found for the number of headache-free days, peak headache activity, and medication index. This is the first prospective study of tension headache in an elderly population, and, unlike previous retrospective studies, it suggests that relaxation therapy may be an effective intervention in the treatment of such headaches.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Muscle relaxation therapy for anxiety disorders: it works but how?

Muscle relaxation therapy (MRT) has continued to play an important role in the modern treatment of anxiety disorders. Abbreviations of the original progressive MRT protocol [Jacobson, E. (1938). Progressive relaxation (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press] have been found to be effective in panic disorder (PD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This review describes the most common MRT techniques, summarizes recent evidence of their effectiveness in treating anxiety, and explains their rationale and physiological basis. We conclude that although GAD and PD patients may exhibit elevated muscle tension and abnormal autonomic and respiratory measures during laboratory baseline assessments, the available evidence does not allow us to conclude that physiological activation decreases over the course of MRT in GAD and PD patients, even when patients report becoming less anxious. Better-designed studies will be required to identify the mechanisms of MRT and to advance clinical practice.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of relaxation therapy on preterm labor outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of relaxation on preterm labor outcome. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental, with women who experienced preterm labor randomly assigned to a control or experimental group. The experimental group was to do a daily relaxation exercise. A third group was added to the study: women who were originally assigned to the relaxation group but were unable to adhere to the daily practice. Final data were analyzed for three groups: control (n = 40), experimental (n = 44), and nonadherent (n = 23) participants. SETTING: Women were referred to the study from physician offices and a hospital-based obstetric triage clinic in the Northwest. PARTICIPANTS: Total sample was comprised of 107 women with singleton gestations, documented contractions with cervical change, and intact membranes. INTERVENTIONS: The experimental group was instructed in a progressive relaxation exercise. The participants were given tapes of the exercise and instructed to do it daily. OUTCOME MEASURES: Study outcomes included gestational age at birth, rate of pregnancy prolongation, and birth weight. RESULTS: The outcome variables were analyzed using analysis of covariance, with the preterm labor risk score entered as a covariate to compensate statistically for group differences. A positive response to the relaxation intervention was found: The experimental group had significantly longer gestations and larger newborns when compared to the control and nonadherent groups. CONCLUSIONS: Relaxation therapy made a difference in preterm labor outcome. Women who practiced relaxation had larger newborns, longer gestations, and higher rates of pregnancy prolongation. Given the low cost of the intervention, it should be offered to all women at risk for preterm labor.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Supportive care and the use of relaxation therapy in a district cancer service.

The development of a cancer support organisation, CancerCare, for North Lancashire and South Lakeland is described. The use of relaxation therapy is described to illustrate the demand for supportive care. Between January 1990 and 1991, 513 patients, 243 relatives and 143 bereaved were referred to five cancer support nurses. One hundred and sixty-two (32%), 29 (12%) and 49 (34%) respectively, used relaxation therapy. The high demand for supportive care suggests that services should be made available in any district health provider unit. Measures of benefit and better definition of services are required before clear recommendations can be made.

Cancer Care Facilities↗