Thomley, Barbara S.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has gained acceptance throughout the industrialized world. The present study was performed to provide information about the use of CAM at Mayo Clinic, an academic medical center in Northern Midwest of the US. We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of 2680 patients visiting the CAM program at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between 1 July 2006 and 31 March 2011. Services provided included acupuncture, massage, integrative medical consultations and executive stress management training. Data including age, gender, race, diagnosis and the number of treatment/consultation sessions were collected to describe the use of CAM in our institute over the last several years. It was found that the mean (standard deviation) age of patient was 52.6 (15.5) years. Of those, 73.1% were female and 26.9% were male. Most patients were white. The number of patients referred to CAM increased significantly from 2007 to 2010. The three most common diagnostic categories were back pain (12.9%), psychological disorders (11.8%), and joint pain (9.6%). Back pain was the most common diagnosis for patients receiving acupuncture, and fibromyalgia was the most common for patients receiving massage therapy. Psychological disorders (i.e., stress) were the major diagnosis referred to both integrative medical consults and executive stress management training. These results suggest that the diseases related to pain and psychological disorders are the main fields of CAM use. It also shows the increasing trend of the use of CAM at an academic medical center in the US.

Background: A breast cancer diagnosis can entail numerous physical and psychosocial challenges. Yoga practice (YP) may contribute to improved well-being for these patients. Primary Study Objective: Investigate feasibility and impact of YP on quality of life (QoL), mood, fatigue, and perceived stress immediately after breast cancer diagnosis. Methods: Thirty women were randomly assigned to a yoga group (YG) or control group (CG) immediately after cancer diagnosis. Setting: Pilot study conducted at an academic medical center breast clinic. Participant(s): Females (N = 30) who received a biopsy-proven breast cancer diagnosis without metastatic disease. Intervention (YG): One individual YP session at baseline, then 2 individual and 8 weekly group sessions followed by weekly gentle yoga at home (DVD). Questionnaires and saliva samples (ie, cortisol) completed at baseline and 12 weeks postdiagnosis. Results: Both groups reported significant improvements in QoL postintervention but with no significant difference between groups. Emotional well-being, mood-related tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, and confusion-bewilderment scores improved for both groups, and cortisol and cortisone levels decreased. Lumpectomies were prevalent with YG (67%) and CG (47%). YP was rated as “very effective,” providing relaxation (85%), stress relief (69%), and reduced muscle tension/general feeling of wellness (each 62%). Conclusion: Feasibility of YP immediately after breast cancer diagnosis was good. Improvement in emotional well-being, anxiety, depression, and levels of confusion was found in both groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study examining the impact of YP immediately after breast cancer diagnosis. Further research in this area is warranted.