OBJECTIVES The ICU is a complex and stressful environment and is associated with significant psychologic morbidity for patients and their families. We sought to determine whether salivary cortisol, a physiologic measure of acute stress, was associated with subsequent psychologic distress among family members of ICU patients. DESIGN This is a prospective, observational study of family members ...

BACKGROUND The question of whether stress poses a risk for cancer progression has been difficult to answer. A randomized clinical trial tested the hypothesis that cancer patients coping with their recent diagnosis but receiving a psychologic intervention would have improved survival compared with patients who were only assessed. METHODS A total of 227 patients who were surgically treated for ...

BACKGROUND Psychologic distress contributes to symptom severity in patients with several musculoskeletal disorders. While numerous shoulder outcome instruments are used it is unclear whether and to what degree psychologic distress contributes to the scores. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES We asked (1) to what degree shoulder outcome instruments reflect patients' psychologic distress, and (2) whether patie...

At the Center for Lifestyle Medicine of the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute, I and my colleagues use a comprehensive lifestyle intervention for participants with multiple chronic diseases, including anxiety. Our lifestyle prescription includes mind–body approaches consisting of therapeutic restorative Hatha yoga practice and behavioral health coaching, along with cooking, nutrition, and p...

Considerable evidence demonstrating a relationship between stress and immune function is accumulating and a complex chain of biologic and psychologic processes are involved. An extensive network of central nervous system and endocrine system processes may be involved in the modulation of the immune system in response to stressors.

Hospitalization routinely lowers blood pressure (BP). This study examined the effects of race and psychologic characteristics on this phenomenon. Data are reported from two separate cohorts of hypertensive and normotensive black and white men and women who were studied following a stay at a clinical research center where sodium intake was held constant. Blacks (N = 88), as compared to whites (N...

www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 1873 Classification Psychodermatologic disorders can be broadly classified into three categories: psychophysiologic disorders, primary psychiatric disorders and secondary psychiatric disorders. The term “psychophysiologic disorder” refers to a skin disorder, such as eczema or psoriasis, that is worsened by emotional stress (Figure 1). “Primary psychiat...

OBJECTIVES This exploratory study is the first systematic outcome evaluation to examine the effects of an 8-week meditation-based program in mindfulness in a German sample. DESIGN Twenty-one (21) participants with chronic physical, psychologic, or psychosomatic illnesses were examined in a longitudinal pretest and post-treatment design with a 3-month follow-up. OUTCOME MEASURES Both quantit...