Annals of Palliative Medicine
July 1, 2017
David M Steinhorn, Jana Din, Angela Johnson
100 citations
Spirituality is important for most palliative patients, whether or not they follow a specific religion. Many patients lack a strong religious community, especially those identifying as spiritual but not religious. Encouraging exploration of spiritual beliefs through chaplains or the palliative care team can provide meaning and purpose. Integrative medicine—including massage, acupuncture, Reiki, aromatherapy, and dietary supplements—offers non-verbal, non-cognitive ways to achieve a peaceful inner state similar to deep prayer or meditation. This can help patients gain self-awareness and meet spiritual needs without religious overtones, facilitating personal growth and resilience in facing serious illness.
Annals of Palliative Medicine
July 1, 2021
Jingjing Li, Zhu Cai, Xiaoming Li et al.
58 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions and cognitive behavioral therapy are similarly effective for reducing anxiety, depression, and improving sleep quality. A meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials found no significant difference between the two approaches on these outcomes after treatment. Subgroup analyses suggested that mindfulness-based interventions may offer a small advantage for general anxiety symptoms, while CBT showed a small advantage for social anxiety measured by specific scales. Mindfulness-based stress reduction also showed a slight benefit compared to other mindfulness types. The findings indicate that mindfulness-based interventions can serve as an alternative to CBT for treating anxiety symptoms.
Annals of Palliative Medicine
August 22, 2024
Arum Kim, Barley Halton, Akash Shah et al.
11 citations
Existential distress, a distinct condition from depression or anxiety, is common among patients with life-threatening illnesses and is linked to worse quality of life, suicidal ideation, and requests for hastened death. Traditional medications and psychotherapy show limited effectiveness for this condition. Psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin and LSD, combined with psychotherapy, have produced rapid and sustained reductions in existential and psychiatric distress, offering a promising treatment for palliative care patients. This narrative review covers the history of psychedelic medicine, including early studies and modern clinical trials, and outlines practical considerations for psilocybin-assisted therapy, such as pharmacokinetics, patient selection, dosing, protocol design, and safety measures. The review aims to help palliative care providers become familiar with the current science and potential of this treatment.
Annals of Palliative Medicine
May 1, 2025
Jill Shainhouse, Pauline Sok Yin Hwang, Mark Fontes et al.
4 citations
Integrative therapies are widely used by breast cancer survivors to improve lifestyle and manage symptoms from cancer or its treatment. A balanced diet emphasizing plant-based foods and limiting red meat, processed meats, alcohol, and refined sugar is recommended, along with 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Mind-body approaches like meditation and yoga improve emotional self-regulation, anxiety, and depression. Acupuncture shows potential benefits for musculoskeletal symptoms, hot flashes, peripheral neuropathy, and fatigue. Massage may help with pain, anxiety, stress, and quality of life. Supplement use requires caution during active treatment due to possible interactions. Collaborative care with integrative practitioners supports survivors' diverse needs and empowers active participation in recovery.
Annals of Palliative Medicine
January 1, 2018
Joachim Keppler
Hypnotic analgesia arises because the brain shifts into an altered operating mode that blocks synchronization of spatially separated regions, preventing a dolorogenic stimulus from generating the conscious experience of pain. A novel theoretical framework treats consciousness as a fundamental property of the universe, positing that all phenomenal qualities are embedded in the frequency spectrum of a ubiquitous background field. In the normal operating mode, the brain acts as a filter extracting those qualities from the field; in the hypnotic state, extraction is partially prevented. Thus, hypnotic analgesia results from impairment of the fundamental mechanism underlying conscious perception.