Neurophysiological Effects of Harmonisation: The Effect of Harmonisation on Heart Rate Variability, Respiratory Rate and Electroencephalograph

 Harmonisation is a practice whereby the harmoniser, who is centered in silent prayer, opens and nourishes the subject's chakras, using touch. This technique has been widely used since 1933, with substantial anecdotal evidence about its benefits, but no published, peer-reviewed data. This preliminary study aimed to discover if standard physiological measuring techniques can detect any significant changes in the central and autonomic nervous systems and the cardiopulmonary system during harmonisation. A simple, comparative design was used, with one experimental group of 20 self-selecting, healthy women, naive to harmonisation. The results were compared with reference data, matched for age and gender, from non-intervention control studies conducted by the same experimenters in the same neurophysiological laboratory. An 3D-minute recording session determined baseline, intervention and stabilization measurements of electroencephalographic, electrocardiographic, and respiratory data. A significant lowering of brain activity was found during the opening phase of harmonisation, implying a state of increased mental focus coupled with a sense of calmness and relaxation, while significant changes to heart beatlrespiration ratios were observed during the nourishing phase. This suggests that different physiological processes affecting the central and autonomic nervous systems and the cardiopulmonary system may occur during different phases of harmonisation

Neurophysiological Effects of Harmonisation: The Effect of Harmonisation on Heart Rate Variability, Respiratory Rate and Electroencephalograph

 Harmonisation is a practice whereby the harmoniser, who is centered in silent prayer, opens and nourishes the subject's chakras, using touch. This technique has been widely used since 1933, with substantial anecdotal evidence about its benefits, but no published, peer-reviewed data. This preliminary study aimed to discover if standard physiological measuring techniques can detect any significant changes in the central and autonomic nervous systems and the cardiopulmonary system during harmonisation. A simple, comparative design was used, with one experimental group of 20 self-selecting, healthy women, naive to harmonisation. The results were compared with reference data, matched for age and gender, from non-intervention control studies conducted by the same experimenters in the same neurophysiological laboratory. An 3D-minute recording session determined baseline, intervention and stabilization measurements of electroencephalographic, electrocardiographic, and respiratory data. A significant lowering of brain activity was found during the opening phase of harmonisation, implying a state of increased mental focus coupled with a sense of calmness and relaxation, while significant changes to heart beatlrespiration ratios were observed during the nourishing phase. This suggests that different physiological processes affecting the central and autonomic nervous systems and the cardiopulmonary system may occur during different phases of harmonisation

Who pays and who benefits? How different models of shared responsibilities between formal and informal carers influence projections of costs of dementia management

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The few studies that have attempted to estimate the future cost of caring for people with dementia in Australia are typically based on total prevalence and the cost per patient over the average duration of illness. However, costs associated with dementia care also vary according to the length of the disease, severity of symptoms and type of care provided. This study aimed to determine more accurately the future costs of dementia management by taking these factors into consideration.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The current study estimated the prevalence of dementia in Australia (2010-2040). Data from a variety of sources was recalculated to distribute this prevalence according to the location (home/institution), care requirements (informal/formal), and dementia severity. The cost of care was attributed to redistributed prevalences and used in prediction of future costs of dementia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our computer modeling indicates that the ratio between the prevalence of people with mild/moderate/severe dementia will change over the three decades from 2010 to 2040 from 50/30/20 to 44/32/24.</p> <p>Taking into account the severity of symptoms, location of care and cost of care per hour, the current study estimates that the informal cost of care in 2010 is AU$3.2 billion and formal care at AU$5.0 billion per annum. By 2040 informal care is estimated to cost AU$11.6 billion and formal care$AU16.7 billion per annum. Interventions to slow disease progression will result in relative savings of 5% (AU$1.5 billion) per annum and interventions to delay disease onset will result in relative savings of 14$4 billion) of the cost per annum.</p> <p>With no intervention, the projected combined annual cost of formal and informal care for a person with dementia in 2040 will be around AU$38,000 (in 2010 dollars). An intervention to delay progression by 2 years will see this reduced to AU$35,000.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings highlight the need to account for more than total prevalence when estimating the costs of dementia care. While the absolute values of cost of care estimates are subject to the validity and reliability of currently available data, dynamic systems modeling allows for future trends to be estimated.</p

General practitioners' use of online evidence during consultations

Background: Clinicians have many unanswered questions during clinical encounters which may impact on the quality and outcomes of decisions made. Provision of online evidence at the point of care is one strategy that provides clinicians with easy access to up-to-date evidence in clinical settings to support evidence-based decision-making. Aim: To determine if and when general practitioners use an online evidence system in routine clinical practice, the type of questions for which clinicians seek evidence and the extent to which the system provides clinically useful answers. Design of study: A prospective cohort study which involved a 4-week clinical trial of Quick Clinical, an online evidence system specifically designed around the needs of general practitioners. Setting: Two hundred and twenty-seven clinicians who had a computer with Internet access in their consulting rooms. Methods: Computer logs and survey analysis. Results: One hundred and ninety-three general practitioners used the online evidence system to conduct on average 8.7 searches/month. The majority of these (81%) were conducted from consulting rooms and carried out between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. (83%). The most frequent searches conducted related to diagnosis (40%) and treatment (35%). 83% of clinicians believed that Quick Clinical (QC) had the potential to improve patient care, and one in four users reported direct experience of improvements in care. In 73% of queries with clinician feedback participants reported that they were able to find clinically useful information during their routine work. Conclusion: General practitioners will use an online evidence retrieval system in routine practice, and report that its use improves the quality of patient care.12 page(s

Individualized guidelines for the management of aggression in dementia - Part 1: Key concepts

Background: Clinical guidelines have the potential to assist in the management of aggression in dementia. This study aims to develop a conceptual framework for the construction of individualized guidelines for this group. Methods: A concept map of the topic “How to manage aggression in dementia” was developed by reviewing research papers, clinical guidelines, and gray literature. Titles and abstracts of papers that met search criteria were manually scanned in an iterative process for the extraction of key ideas and terminology commonly used to describe the field. Essential ideas and concepts were recorded on a concept map and hierarchically arranged. The concept map was converted into an interactive PDF document for easy distribution and sharing. Results: Ten key concepts were found to be important when managing aggression in dementia clustered along three major dimensions: Patient, Disorder and Treatment. The dimension Patient was defined by the “Patient's individual characteristics,” the “Personal life story,” and the “Patient's environment.” Disorder was defined by the “Presentation of symptoms” and “Theory of causation.” Treatment was defined by “Goals and expectations,” “Non-pharmacological interventions,” “Pharmacological interventions,” “Ethics and Restraint Use,” and “Emergency treatment.” Concepts relating to clinical guidelines themselves were also included in the interactive map, including “Support from evidence-based medicine,” “Regular updates,” “Disclosures,” and “Usability.” Conclusion: Managing aggression in dementia requires consideration of a wide range of factors relating to the patient, the dementia and behavioral disturbance, and possible treatment options. An interactive and hierarchical concept map provides a framework to develop individualized clinical guidelines

Individualized guidelines for the management of aggression in dementia - Part 2: Appraisal of current guidelines

Background: Individualized guidelines have the potential to offer clinicians assistance in decision-making at the point of consultation to improve health outcomes for patients. This project aims to develop individualized guidelines for the management of aggression in dementia. At an earlier stage, we developed a map of concepts to consider when managing aggression. The purpose of the current study is to appraise paper-based guidelines for their representation of these concepts. Methods: Two reviewers used a four-point scale (absent, weak, moderate, strong) to rate the guidelines on their representation of concepts relating to the patient, the aggression and dementia disorder, the treatment, and the guidelines themselves. Consensus was reached on inconsistent scores. Results: Sixteen guidelines published since 2005 were evaluated for their representation of 13 key concepts. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions were strongly represented overall in the guidelines, in conjunction with a consideration of the individual characteristics of the patients and their environment. Recommendations based on the presentation of the aggressive symptoms, goals of treatment, and theory of the cause of the aggression were moderately represented in the guidelines. Recommendations for the principles of restraint use and emergency treatment, as well as a consideration of the personal history of the patient, were poorly represented. Only 6 of 16 guidelines gave details of the expected review. Conclusion: Concepts important to the management of aggression in dementia are missing in the majority of published guidelines on dementia. This limits the ability of these tools to guide clinical practice effectively