Psychometric and physiological impact of anthroposophic therapies as part of mind-body therapies

In den letzten Jahren konnten wichtige Fortschritte wie erhöhte Überlebensraten in der pädiatrischen Onkologie verzeichnet werden. Dadurch rückten komplementäre Therapien wie Mind-Body Therapien (MBT) zur Reduzierung unerwünschter Nebenwirkungen und Stärkung eigener Ressourcen zunehmend in den Fokus der Forschung. Gegenstand der hier vorliegenden publikationsbasierten Promotion ist die quantitative und qualitative Untersuchung der Wirkungen zweier Anthroposophischer Therapien (AT) auf ausgewählte Zielparameter aus dem Bereich der MBT Forschung. Hierfür wurden gesunde, erwachsene Probanden im Rahmen von drei durchgeführten Studien im kontrollierten Vergleich nach sechs Wochen (Eurythmietherapie vs. Kontrollgruppe), im randomisierten Vergleich sequentiell über den Verlauf einer einmaligen Intervention (Rhythmische Massage vs. Scheinmassage) oder nach sieben Wochen (Eurythmietherapie vs. Steppaerobic) untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Eurythmietherapie zu einer nachweislichen Verbesserung der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität, Stresscopingstrategien1, Fatigue2 und einer höheren Herzgesundheit3, 4 führt (Studie 1). Die Befindlichkeit und Cortisol im Speichel verändern sich nicht nachweislich über den Verlauf einer Rhythmischen Massage im Vergleich zu einer Scheinmassage5 (Studie 2). Die qualitative Auswertung zeigt6, dass die EYT Gruppe, nicht jedoch die Steppaerobic Gruppe, zu einer veränderten Wahrnehmung derjenigen Faktoren kommt, die zuvor als Stressursachen erlebt wurden, was eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für einen besseren Stressumgang ist. Bewegung allein kann insofern nicht als hinreichende Intervention zur Stressreduktion angesehen werden. Diese Arbeit liefert wichtige Hinweise für die spezifischen Wirkungen zweier Anthroposophischer Therapien und bestärkt deren Bedeutsamkeit als erfolgsversprechende MBT.In the last decades, there has been considerable progress in investigating pediatric oncology research including increased survival rates. Complementary Therapies such as Mind-Body Therapies (MBT) to reduce side effects and promote stress coping strategies are therefore warranted. The subject of this Promotion is to assess the effect of two Anthroposophic Therapies (AT) on health-related quality of life, stress coping strategies, fatigue, well-being as well as salivary cortisol and heart rate variability. Within a third trial interviews were conducted and analyzed by content analysis and phenomenologically. Therefore, healthy adults participated in a controlled Trial of six weeks (Eurythmy Therapy vs. Control Group) or two randomized Trials to assess immediate effects (Rhythmical Massage vs. Sham massage) or after seven weeks (Eurythmy Therapy vs. Step Aerobics). Results suggest, that EYT can lead to an improvement of health-related quality of life, stress coping strategies and heart rate variability (Study 1). Well-being and salivary cortisol did not differ statistically significant after one RM compared to SM but there is a trend towards more alertness after RM that still needs to be validated (Study 2). The qualitative Study revealed that EYT but not Step Aerobics can create an independent perceptual space, which permits a reevaluation of external stressors and inner resources. To conclude, AT as part of MBTs may have clinical potential to prevent stress and associated disorders in healthy individuals and possibly in patients with chronic diseases

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Improvement of Circadian Rhythm of Heart Rate Variability by Eurythmy Therapy Training

Background. Impairment of circadian rhythm is associated with various clinical problems. It not only has a negative impact on quality of life but can also be associated with a significantly poorer prognosis. Eurythmy therapy (EYT) is an anthroposophic movement therapy aimed at reducing fatigue symptoms and stress levels. Objective. This analysis of healthy subjects was conducted to examine whether the improvement in fatigue symptoms was accompanied by improvements in the circadian rhythm of heart rate variability (HRV). Design. Twenty-three women performed 10 hours of EYT over six weeks. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded before and after the EYT trial. HRV was quantified by parameters of the frequency and time domains and the nonlinear parameters of symbolic dynamics. Results. The day-night contrast with predominance of vagal activity at night becomes more pronounced after the EYT training, and with decreased Ultralow and very low frequencies, the HRV shows evidence of calmer sleep. During the night, the complexity of the HRV is significantly increased indicated by nonlinear parameters. Conclusion. The analysis of the circadian patterns of cardiophysiological parameters before and after EYT shows significant improvements in HRV in terms of greater day-night contrast caused by an increase of vagal activity and calmer and more complex HRV patterns during sleep