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Biomedical subjects

Gary E Schwartz

Publications and source records attributed to Gary E Schwartz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Are investigators aware of environmental noise in animal facilities and that this noise may affect experimental data?

Control of environmental factors, such as noise, in animal facilities is important to ensure that research animals respond consistently to experimental procedures and that experimental results are not confounded by outside influences. A survey of personnel involved with animal facilities (173 respondents) showed that almost all agreed with this statement. However, 48% thought that one or more environmental factors in their facilities could be stressing the animals, and a majority of respondents reported generation of audible noise from people (72% of respondents), fans (61%), and squeaky carts (56%). The presence of these noises was correlated with the perception of noise as a problem because of its psychologic and physiologic effects on the animals. The amount of time respondents spent in the facilities was strongly correlated with their perception of noise as a problem, with veterinarians spending the most time and perceiving the most problems, and professors and assistant/ associate professors spending the least and perceiving the fewest. Therefore, they may lack key knowledge that can affect their research goals. In addition, because faculty are the least aware of noise as a potential problem but are primarily responsible for designing experiments, research involving animals may be confounded by noise as an unknown variable. This effect may lead to unnecessary numbers of animals being required to achieve statistical significance and possibly to erroneous interpretation of results. On the basis of the findings of this survey, we present recommendations for improving the environment, particularly for decreasing the noise level, in animal facilities.

Animal Welfare↗
PubMed2006

Interpersonal defensiveness and diminished perceptual acuity for the odor of a putative pheromone: androstenone.

This study assessed the relationship of repressive coping and defensiveness to the perception of androstenone, which is a putative human pheromone with relevance to social perception. In Experiment 1, 34 men and 34 women between the ages of 16-28 sniffed pairs of bottles containing silicone (the solvent control) paired with either isoamyl acetate (IAA) or androstenone in an eight trial, two-alternative forced-choice task. Participants chose which hand they believed the odor was in, and rated the odor's intensity and their confidence in their response on a 0-10 scale. Defensiveness was measured with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) L scale. As predicted, defensiveness was associated with decreased perception of androstenone, but not IAA. Decreased detection accuracies, confidence, and intensity ratings for androstenone were associated with high defensiveness. The effect was stronger among women. None of the IAA detection variables correlated with the L scale for either women or men. In Experiment 2, 22 women and 18 men between the ages of 18 and 27 were given 4 concentrations of IAA ranging from subthreshold to suprathreshold, and a blank-blank control. Detection accuracies, confidence ratings, and intensity ratings for IAA were not related to defensiveness for any of the concentrations, for either men or for women. The results are discussed in terms of motives to seek social approval and avoid social disapproval as they may relate to diminished awareness of androstenone.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

The effect of Johrei healing on substance abuse recovery: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of Johrei healing, a form of energy healing, on substance use and psychologic symptoms in a sample of clients receiving substance abuse treatment. METHODS: Twenty-one (21) persons in residential substance-abuse treatment participated in a randomized, wait-list control pilot study of Johrei healing. Twelve (12) of the participants received three 20-minute Johrei sessions for 5 weeks in addition to their regular treatment. RESULTS: The results are from the first treatment wave. Individual healing sessions were evaluated pre-post with the Johrei Experience Scale. Participants showed significant decreases in stress/depression and physical pain and increases in positive emotional/spiritual state, energy, and overall well-being after an individual Johrei healing session. The Global Assessment of Individual Need (GAIN), Profile of Mood States (POMS), General Alcoholics Anonymous Tools of Recovery, and 12-Step Participation scales were administered before and after the 5-week intervention to assess change in substance use, psychologic distress, mood, and 12-Step participation. Improvements in depression and trauma symptoms, externalizing behaviors (GAIN), and vigor (POMS) were found for the treatment group. Despite comparable 12-Step attendance the treatment group showed greater improvement than the wait-list control group in the use of 12-Step recovery tools. No difference in substance use was found between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Variables related to substance use and relapse showed improvement in the treatment group suggesting that Johrei healing shows promise and should be studied with a larger sample, over a longer treatment period, with sham controls.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Cardiac torsion and electromagnetic fields: the cardiac bioinformation hypothesis.

Although in physiology the heart is often referred to as a simple piston pump, there are in fact two additional features that are integral to cardiac physiology and function. First, the heart as it contracts in systole, also rotates and produces torsion due to the structure of the myocardium. Second, the heart produces a significant electromagnetic field with each contraction due to the coordinated depolarization of myocytes producing a current flow. Unlike the electrocardiogram, the magnetic field is not limited to volume conduction and extends outside the body. The therapeutic potential for interaction of this cardioelectromagnetic field both within and outside the body is largely unexplored. It is our hypothesis that the heart functions as a generator of bioinformation that is central to normative functioning of body. The source of this bioinformation is based on: (1) vortex blood flow in the left ventricle; (2) a cardiac electromagnetic field and both; (3) heart sounds; and (4) pulse pressure which produce frequency and amplitude information. Thus, there is a multidimensional role for the heart in physiology and biopsychosocial dynamics. Recognition of these cardiac properties may result in significant implications for new therapies for cardiovascular disease based on increasing cardiac energy efficiency (coherence) and bioinformation from the cardioelectromagnetic field. Research studies to test this hypothesis are suggested.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Positive well-being changes associated with giving and receiving Johrei healing.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of giving and receiving Johrei, a spiritual energy healing practice, on measures of well-being. METHODS: Participants (N = 236) rated 21 items pertaining to feelings plus an overall well-being measure, before and after a Johrei session. RESULTS: Receivers experienced a significantly greater decrease in negative emotional state than givers; however, givers and receivers experienced a comparable increase in positive emotional state and overall well-being. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of Johrei and other energy and spiritual healing techniques, may have positive health effects for givers as well as receivers. Future research examining different energy and spiritual healing practices (for example, Reiki and Therapeutic Touch) and using various control groups (for example, treatment-naive subjects instructed to "send loving energy") can explore the generality and mechanisms underlying these apparently robust effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Influence of worldview on health care choices among persons with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to examine relationships between the Pepperian worldviews of people with chronic pain and the health care choices that they make. DESIGN: A convenience sample survey was done. SETTING: University Medical Center Pain Clinic, Tucson, Arizona. SUBJECTS: Men and women patients (n = 96) with nonmalignant chronic pain. OUTCOME MEASURES: World Hypothesis Scale; Health Care Choice List. RESULTS: Findings indicate that the combination of age and formistic worldview are statistically significant predictors of conventional health care choices by participants in this study. Older patients and persons with a predominantly formistic worldview were less likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a choice among this sample with chronic nonmalignant pain. Borderline significant associations were noted between persons with formistic or mechanistic worldviews and conventional health care choices, and persons with contextualistic, organismic, or equal scores in two worldview categories and CAM health care choices. Although rates of CAM use did not significantly differ from conventional choices, the prevalence rate for CAM use was high (55.2%) based on national findings. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study provide a link to understanding how underlying philosophies can contribute to the reasons people with chronic pain make health care decisions. Further exploration of worldviews might very well contribute to best practices for consumer health care by engaging in communication styles and belief systems consistent with consumers' personal schemas.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Human biofield and intention detection: individual differences.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a battery of biofield awareness tasks that address bioelectromagnetic and consciousness related mechanisms of action, and examine individual differences in integrative biofield awareness (IBA). METHODS: Six (6) biofield awareness tasks were designed: 2 involved the experimenter placing his or her hands near the subject, 2 involved intense staring with associated eye movements approximately 3' from the subject, and 2 involved gentle intention with virtually no movement. Each task required a binary response from the subject. There were 10 trials per task for a total of 60 trials; blocks of 6 trials contained one of each task. Subjects were 165 undergraduate psychology students at the University of Arizona Tucson, AZ. Subjects were also assessed on their awareness of their own biofields, and they filled out various questionnaires, including estimates of how well they thought they would do and their openness to spiritual beliefs and experiences. RESULTS: Percent IBA accuracy for the entire sample (n = 165) was 57.7 +/- 10.3% and was significantly above chance (50%) performance (t = 9.58, p < 0.0000001). Each of the 6 tasks was individually significant. Subjects significantly (t = -2.72; p < 0.007) underestimated their IBA performance below chance (mean, 46.1 +/- 18.4%). However, higher estimates predicted higher IBA (r = 0.26, n = 164, p < 0.0008). Measures of subjects' self-awareness of their own biofields, as well as belief in, and experience of, extrasensory perception (ESP) also predicted higher IBA. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support claims of energy healers that biofield awareness can be modulated both bioelectromagnetically (locally) and via conscious intent (distally), and that individual differences in biofield awareness are related to self-awareness and sensitivity to others.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

EEG alpha sensitization in individualized homeopathic treatment of fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia (FM) patients show evidence of sensitizability in pain pathways and electroencephalographic (EEG) alterations. One proposed mechanism for the claimed effects of homeopathy, a form of complementary medicine used for FM, is time-dependent sensitization (TDS, progressive amplification) of host responses. This study examined possible sensitization-related changes in EEG relative alpha magnitude during a clinical trial of homeopathy in FM. A 4-month randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind trial of daily orally administered individualized homeopathy in physician-confirmed FM, with an additional 2-month optional crossover phase, included three laboratory sessions, at baseline, 3 and 6 months (N = 48, age 49.2 +/- 9.8 years, 94% women). Nineteen leads of EEG relative alpha magnitude at rest and during olfactory administration of treatment and control solutions were evaluated in each session. After 3 months, the active treatment group significantly increased, while the placebo group decreased, in global alpha-1 and alpha-2 during bottle sniffs over sessions. At 6 months, the subset of active patients who stayed on active continued to increase, while the active-switch subgroup reversed direction in alpha magnitude. Groups did not differ in resting alpha. Consistent with the TDS hypothesis, sniff alpha-1 and alpha-2 increases at 6 months versus baseline correlated with total amount of time on active remedy over all subjects (r = 0.45, p = .003), not with dose changes or clinical outcomes in the active group. The findings suggest initiation of TDS in relative EEG alpha magnitude by daily oral administration of active homeopathic medicines versus placebo, with laboratory elicitation by temporolimbic olfactory stimulation or sniffing.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Measuring effects of music, noise, and healing energy using a seed germination bioassay.

OBJECTIVE: To measure biologic effects of music, noise, and healing energy without human preferences or placebo effects using seed germination as an objective biomarker. METHODS: A series of five experiments were performed utilizing okra and zucchini seeds germinated in acoustically shielded, thermally insulated, dark, humid growth chambers. Conditions compared were an untreated control, musical sound, pink noise, and healing energy. Healing energy was administered for 15-20 minutes every 12 hours with the intention that the treated seeds would germinate faster than the untreated seeds. The objective marker was the number of seeds sprouted out of groups of 25 seeds counted at 12-hour intervals over a 72-hour growing period. Temperature and relative humidity were monitored every 15 minutes inside the seed germination containers. A total of 14 trials were run testing a total of 4600 seeds. RESULTS: Musical sound had a highly statistically significant effect on the number of seeds sprouted compared to the untreated control over all five experiments for the main condition (p < 0.002) and over time (p < 0.000002). This effect was independent of temperature, seed type, position in room, specific petri dish, and person doing the scoring. Musical sound had a significant effect compared to noise and an untreated control as a function of time (p < 0.03) while there was no significant difference between seeds exposed to noise and an untreated control. Healing energy also had a significant effect compared to an untreated control (main condition, p < 0.0006) and over time (p < 0.0001) with a magnitude of effect comparable to that of musical sound. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that sound vibrations (music and noise) as well as biofields (bioelectromagnetic and healing intention) both directly affect living biologic systems, and that a seed germination bioassay has the sensitivity to enable detection of effects caused by various applied energetic conditions.

Abelmoschus↗
PubMed2004

Strength of vital force in classical homeopathy: bio-psycho-social-spiritual correlates within a complex systems context.

OBJECTIVE: To explore associations between a global rating for the classical homeopathic construct of vital force and clinician and patient ratings on previously validated bio-psycho-social-spiritual questionnaires. METHODS: Sixty-two (62) community-recruited patients with fibromyalgia (FM) were assessed at baseline prior to a clinical trial of individualized homeopathy. Two homeopaths jointly performed case-taking interviews. A conventional medical provider independently evaluated patients with a standardized history and physical examination. Homeopaths rated each patient's vital force (five-point Likert scale, with 1 = very weak to 5 = very strong). Homeopaths and the conventional medical provider rated their Clinical Global Impression (CGI) of the severity of illness (1 = normal; 7 = among the most extremely ill). Patients completed self-rating scales on pain, global health, mood, quality of life, coping style, health locus of control, multidimensional well-being, spirituality, sense of coherence, positive states of mind, and social desirability. RESULTS: Greater vital force ratings (mean 2.9 standard deviation [SD] 0.6) correlated moderately (p < or = 0.005) with less severe CGI illness ratings by the homeopaths (r =-0.59), decreased patient-rated mental confusion (r =-0.43), higher vigor (r = 0.38), and greater positive states of mind (r = 0.36). Vital force also showed correlations (p < 0.05) with lower CGI ratings by the conventional medical provider (r =-0.32), better selfrated quality of life (r = 0.33), lesser fatigue (r =-0.31), better global health (r = 0.29), greater sense of coherence (r = 0.28), powerful-others health locus of control (r = 0.27), increased emotional well-being (r = 0.27), and higher social desirability (r = 0.27), but not with age, pain, or illness duration. CONCLUSION: Homeopathic vital force ratings reflect better perceived mental function, energy, and positive dimensions of the individual, beyond absence of disease.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

Biofield detection: role of bioenergy awareness training and individual differences in absorption.

OBJECTIVE: To measure health care providers' capacity to detect biofields before and after bioenergy awareness training in relation to individual differences in the personality trait of absorption. METHODS: Twenty-seven (27) physicians, psychologists, and nurses participated in a 5-day intensive bioenergy healing training course with Rev. Rosalyn Bruyere. The course was part of the Associate Fellows Program in the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Blindfolded participants received a 24-trial hand biofield detection test (HBDT) pretraining and post-training. The experimenter placed his or her dominant hand a few inches above the participant's left or right hand for 30-second trials. After each trial, the participant guessed which hand was being tested. Blocks contained two right- and two left-hand trials in different orders. Participants filled out Tellegen's Absorption Scale, a measure of the capacity to focus attention in tasks. RESULTS: Percent HBDT accuracy for the entire sample was 50.8% (standard deviation [SD] = 12.24) at pretraining (50% is chance); accuracy increased to 55.5% (SD = 12.38) at post-training (t = p = 2.08, p < 0.05). Pretraining absorption (mean = 23.9; SD = 5.52) was significantly correlated with degree of detection accuracy increase (r = 0.42, n = 22, p < 0.05). High absorption (mean = 28.2 n = 11) participants increased to 58.3% compared to 52.7% for low absorption (mean = 19.2 n = 11) participants. CONCLUSION: The findings support claims of energy healers that (1) training can improve bioenergy awareness, and (2) there are substantial individual differences in response to training.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2004

Individual differences in response to randomly assigned active individualized homeopathic and placebo treatment in fibromyalgia: implications of a double-blinded optional crossover design.

OBJECTIVE: To assess individual difference characteristics of subgroups of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) patients with respect to the decision to stay in or switch from randomly-assigned verum or placebo treatment during an optional crossover phase of a double-blinded homeopathy study. DESIGN: Double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, optional crossover clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-three (53) community-recruited patients with FM entered the optional crossover phase. INTERVENTION: Two homeopaths jointly selected an individualized homeopathic remedy for all patients. The pharmacy dispensed either verum LM remedy or indistinguishable placebo in accord with randomized assignment for 4 months and the patient's optional crossover decision for an additional 2 months. OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients completed a battery of baseline state/trait questionnaires, including mood, childhood neglect and abuse, and trait absorption. They rated global health (whole person-centered) and tender point pain on physical examination (disease-specific) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. RESULTS: Rates of optional crossover from verum to placebo or placebo to verum were comparable (p = 0.6; 31%, and 41%, respectively). The switch subgroups had greater baseline psychologic issues (emotional neglect in placebo-switch; depression and anger in verum-switch). The verum-stay subgroup scored highest on treatment helpfulness and included all six exceptional responders who fell, prior to crossover, into the top terciles for improvement in both global health and pain. Patients staying in their randomly assigned groups, active or placebo (n = 34), scored significantly higher in trait absorption than did those who switched groups (n = 19). CONCLUSION: Individual difference factors may predict better and poorer responders with FM to specific and nonspecific effects of homeopathic and placebo treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Electroencephalographic cordance patterns distinguish exceptional clinical responders with fibromyalgia to individualized homeopathic medicines.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize initial central nervous system responses to olfactory administration of homeopathic remedies as biomarkers for subsequently exceptional, simillimum-like clinical outcomes at a systemic level (i.e., both locally and globally). DESIGN: Double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING: A private homeopathic clinic in Phoenix, AZ, and a university laboratory in Tucson, AZ. PATIENTS: Sixty-two (62) persons with physician-confirmed fibromyalgia (FM) (mean age, 49 years; 94% women) enrolled; 53 completed the 3-month assessment visit. Exceptional responders (n = 6, 23% of active treatment group; none on placebo) were those with improvements in the top one-third for both tender point pain and global health ratings after 3 months. INTERVENTION: Patients took daily oral doses of treatment solution in LM (1/50,000 dilution) potency (active group received individualized remedy; placebo group received plain solvent). Dependent measures: Baseline and 3-month difference scores for initial prefrontal electroencephalographic alpha frequency cordance (EEG-C, a correlate of functional brain activity) during 16 pairs of randomized, double-blinded bottle sniffs (treatment minus control solutions). RESULTS: Exceptional responders versus other patients exhibited significantly more negative initial EEG-C difference scores at prefrontal sites. Right prefrontal cordance findings correlated with subsequently reduced pain (r = 0.85, p = 0.03), better global health (r =-0.73, p = 0.10), and trait absorption (genetically determined ability to focus attention selectively and fully) (r = 0.91, p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest prefrontal EEG-C as an early biomarker of individualized homeopathic medicine effects in patients with FM who later exhibit exceptional outcomes. Prefrontal cortex controls executive function, including ability to redirect attention. Interactions between executive function, absorption, and the simillimum remedy could facilitate exceptional responses.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction in the treatment of sleep disturbance in women with breast cancer: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of breast cancer, the most common type of cancer among American women, elicits greater distress than any other diagnosis regardless of prognosis. Therefore, the present study examined the efficacy of a stress reduction intervention for women with breast cancer. METHODS: As part of a larger, randomized, controlled study of the effects on measures of stress of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention for women with breast cancer, the current analyses examined the effects on sleep complaints. RESULTS: Analyses of the data indicated that both MBSR and a free choice (FC) control condition produced significant improvement on daily diary sleep quality measures though neither showed significant improvement on sleep-efficiency. Participants in the MBSR who reported greater mindfulness practice improved significantly more on the sleep quality measure most strongly associated with distress. CONCLUSION: MBSR appears to be a promising intervention to improve the quality of sleep in woman with breast cancer whose sleep complaints are due to stress.

Adolescent↗