Gomez-Beloz, A

Korn, L

Logsdon, R

Polissar, N

Ryser, R

Waters, T

English

PubMed

L Korn

R Logsdon

N Polissar

A Gomez-Beloz

T Waters

R Ryser

Springer - Publisher Connector

POSTER PRESENTATION Open Access
P02.84. A randomized trial of Polarity therapy for
stress and pain reduction in American Indian and
Alaska Native family dementia caregivers
L Korn1*, R Logsdon2, N Polissar3, A Gomez-Beloz4, T Waters4, R Ryser4
From International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health 2012
Portland, Oregon, USA. 15-18 May 2012
Purpose
Caregivers of individuals with dementia experience ele-
vated stress that places them at increased risk for health
problems. The purpose of this study was to compare a
complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) method,
Polarity therapy (PT), to an enhanced respite control con-
dition (ERC) to reduce stress, depression and pain for
American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI) family care-
givers. A mixed methods, community participatory, indi-
genous values approach was combined with a randomized
controlled clinical trial to assure both ecological validity
and scientific rigor of the investigation.
Methods
Forty-two AI family caregivers of individuals with demen-
tia, living on and off reservations in the Pacific Northwest,
were randomized to an 8-session trial of PT or ERC. PT is
a touch therapy that derives from Ayurveda and Cranial
Osteopathy to facilitate psychophysiological relaxation and
energetic and structural balance. ERC included respite
care for the person with dementia and a choice of relaxa-
tion (yoga, sauna, basketweaving, etc.) activities for the
caregiver. Primary outcome measures included caregiver
perceived stress, depression, quality-of-life, sleep quality,
worry, and physical health. Average age of caregivers was
50 years (range 27-69); 90% were female; 52% were daugh-
ters, 10% wives, 7% sons, and 31% other relatives.
Results
Baseline 24-hour cortisol demonstrated below normal
waking levels in a majority of participants, and 24-hour
Heart Rate Variability was significantly lower than the
reference population, indicating high levels of chronic
stress. Statistically significant reductions in stress,
depression, pain and increase in vitality were demon-
strated in the PT group, relative to the ERC group. Qua-
litative data from caregiver narratives provided further
insight into phenomenological and spiritual experiences.
Conclusion
A participatory, multi-methods approach is both feasible
and ideal when working with AI caregivers. Caregivers in
this sample experienced high levels of chronic stress, and
polarity therapy was an acceptable and effective interven-
tion to decrease stress and improve well-being.
Author details
1Capella University and the Center for Traditional Medicine, Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico. 2Dept. of Psychosocial & Community Health, University of
Washington, Seattle, USA. 3The Mountain-Whisper-Light Statistical Consulting,
Seattle, USA. 4Center for World Indigenous Studies, Olympia, USA.
Published: 12 June 2012
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-S1-P140
Cite this article as: Korn et al.: P02.84. A randomized trial of Polarity
therapy for stress and pain reduction in American Indian and Alaska
Native family dementia caregivers. BMC Complementary and Alternative
Medicine 2012 12(Suppl 1):P140.
1Capella University and the Center for Traditional Medicine, Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Korn et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012, 12(Suppl 1):P140
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/12/S1/P140
© 2012 Korn et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


P02.84. A randomized trial of Polarity therapy for stress and pain reduction in American Indian and Alaska Native family dementia caregivers

Crossref

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Korn L

Logsdon R

Polissar N

Gomez-Beloz A

Waters T

Ryser R

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P02.84. A randomized trial of Polarity therapy for stress and pain reduction in American Indian and Alaska Native family dementia caregivers

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