ARTICLE IN PRESS
Abstracts / European Journal of Integrative Medicine 1 (2009) 223260
(n 6), and one experimental study with healthy individuals.
Fourteen studies addressed pain perception or disability, 6
mood states (anxiety/depression) and distress, and one study
health-related quality of life. Nine studies were randomized, 2
controlled, and 3 had a single arm design; one study was an
experimental study with yoga trained and non-trained
individuals. The number of patients in the randomized or
controlled studies ranged from 15 to 101. The randomized and
controlled studies described positive effects in terms of
decreased pain frequency and intensity, decreased anxiety/
depression, and improvement of fatigue- and health-related
quality of life.
Conclusions: There is reasonable evidence that yoga practices
may have positive effects on pain perception and mood states.
The overall positive ndings in the identied studies indicate
that yoga may enhance patients self-efcacy, inner balance,
adjustment and coping abilities. Nevertheless, there are several
research questions, which have to be addressed in future
studies, i.e., adequate control interventions; patients positive
expectations; patients ability and will to change behavior, etc.
Several of the unspecic effects of distinct mindbody therapies
are nevertheless critical aspects (i.e., expectancy, sense of
control, mindfulness, etc.) which cannot be ignored as they
contribute to the intended treatment effect. Mindbody
interventions such as yoga may become important adjunctive
interventions in the multi-modal treatment of patients with
chronic pain conditions as they foster self-control and self-
management.
10.1016/j.eujim.2009.08.027
PO-025
Chronic pain in Ayurveda Medicine and NeuroscienceAn
Integrative medical approach
F. Fischer
Schmerzpraxis, Integrative Medizin, Koln, Germany
With the present work I am setting out to use an integrative
medical approach to describe the perception and proces-
sing of chronic pain. Neuroanatomical and biological
(neuroscience) concepts and the associated computer-
controlled high-tech brain examination methods will be
integrated with the concepts of Ayurvedic medicine in a
complementary semantic manner.
Although positron emission tomography (PET) and
fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) can be
used to make the perception of pain in the brain visible and
thus forms of mental experience can be displayed
objectively as a snapshot, many questions remain unan-
swered. This is especially true with regards to the many
individual differences in this experience of pain. The
subjective analysis method of Ayurveda, which has been
tried and tested for over 2000 years and is assured by its
reproducible explanatory power, can contribute to com-
237
prehension here. An important part of traditional Ayurve-
dic medicine consists of examining the individual inuences
within the subjective sensation of perception (e.g. pain)
with regards to personal constitution and as the conse-
quence of personal living circumstances.
Connections within the ow of bodily functions and mental
processes are always described as holistic conditionalities in
Ayurveda.
Combining both medical approaches using existing
analogies can contribute to a deeper understanding of
chronic pain. This especially holds true in cases in which no
ndings, physical ndings or tangible diagnoses accom-
pany processing and treatment to explain the causes to
physicians, therapists and, most importantly, to the
patients. Acceptance and compassion often no longer take
place in the world of modern medicine due to the lack of
objective data.
With the increasing understanding of the signicance of
emotional intelligence (limbic system) and the discovery of
mirror neurons, we know that, with few exceptions, healing
relationships depend on empathy and treatment of pain cannot
be successful without care. Not only those affected by pain, but
also treatment providers suffer from this.
Many therapeutic options provided by Ayurvedicmedi-
cine have to do with contact and touch, serve to strengthen
inner experience and can help break through the often fatal
cycle of pain and stress. I hope to make a small
contribution to revealing the importance of integrative
medical approaches and stimulating the dialog required for
this to happen.
10.1016/j.eujim.2009.08.028
PO-026
Pain, stress and relaxation: Involvement of basic biological
principles and healthy autoregulation
T. Escha,b, S.M. Eschc, G.B. Stefanob
a
Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Division of Inte-
grative Health Promotion, Coburg, Germany
b
State University of New York, Neuroscience Research
Institute, Old Westbury/New York, United States
c
Institut fur MindBody-Medizin, Mind/Body Medicine,
Potsdam, Germany
Trauma and stress often involve the expression of pain. In the
course of traumatic and stressful events, an orchestra of
neurobiological mechanisms and signaling molecules get
activated with the primary goal of ensuring survival and
ghting against the perturbating event, i.e., stressor. Pain can
be a major process in this phenomenon, directing attention to
the initial trigger situation. It is now known that pain processes
also involve local and/or systemic immune as well as
cardiovascular and neuronal pathways, including proinamm-
tory endogenous opioid peptides (e.g., endorphins) and