Anxiety

Sandra Utz et al. (2025) · Biomedicines

This prospective observational study followed 101 adults with long-standing fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) through a two-week integrative inpatient stay in Bamberg, Germany, with no control group. FMS is a chronic condition marked by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety and depression, and the authors describe it as the third most common rheumatic disease. The program was built on classical European naturopathy: water-based therapies and heat, exercise, plant-based nutrition or medical fasting, herbal remedies and mind-body practices such as relaxation. The question was whether such a combined approach would ease symptoms at discharge and six months later. Of 134 patients who joined (127 women, ages 22 to 80), 101 returned questionnaires on admission, at discharge and after six months. During the stay they took part in meditative movement, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, lectures and cooking classes, and some had whole-body heat sessions or a 5-day fast on under 300 kcal a day. Pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life were measured with standard questionnaires (such as the HADS for anxiety and depression and the MFI-20 for fatigue) and compared over time with repeated-measures statistics. Overall pain intensity dropped from 71.5 to 63.0 on a 0-100 scale at discharge (a moderate effect, dz = 0.62) and was still lower at six months (64.4). Current pain fell sharply during the stay (6.56 to 4.37 out of 10) but crept back to 5.96 at six months. Fatigue improved from 71.1 to 63.3 and then partly returned (68.0). Anxiety and depression scores each fell by roughly 2.5 points at discharge and were still lower than baseline at six months. Stress and feelings of helplessness improved mainly after discharge, and mental quality of life rose between discharge and follow-up. Patients who fasted kept their pain gains at six months (p = 0.006), whereas non-fasters did not (p = 0.062), although this difference was borderline (interaction p = 0.050) and not randomised. The results come from an uncontrolled, single-centre sample in which a quarter of the participants did not complete the six-month questionnaire, so the changes cannot be attributed to the program alone. More than half the patients reported obstacles to continuing the methods at home, such as lack of time and exhaustion. The authors call for randomised trials with long-term follow-up and propose a follow-up day-clinic programme to help consolidate the learned self-management skills and everyday routines.

Lolita Rapolienė et al. (2026) · BMC complementary medicine and therapies

This multicenter randomized controlled trial of 243 analyzed adults in Lithuania explored whether a short course of balneotherapy, a spa-based therapy using mineral water, therapeutic mud and salt, eases stress, anxiety and depression. Balneotherapy has a long tradition in European spa towns and is increasingly discussed as a complementary approach to stress-related mental health problems. The researchers wanted to know whether an 11-day standardized program works, whether adding a nature walk or an inpatient stay changes the results, and whether benefits last six months. Adults aged 18 to 65 who rated their stress as moderate to high were assigned to one of four groups: outpatient balneotherapy (64 people), outpatient balneotherapy plus nature therapy (63), an inpatient balneotherapy stay (64), or a no-treatment control group (52). The daily program combined a pool session with light exercise, a warm mineral water bath, a 20-minute sapropel mud wrap and 25 minutes of salt therapy. Questionnaires measured stress, depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep and daily functioning, and saliva samples tracked the stress hormone cortisol, at baseline, right after treatment, and after 3 and 6 months. Right after treatment, people in all three spa groups reported clear improvements. Stress intensity dropped by about 2.6 points on a 10-point scale (p < 0.001), and depression scores fell by 10.7 to 12.5 points on an 80-point scale (p < 0.001), compared with a 1.3-point change in the control group (p = 0.253, no real change). Anxiety, fatigue and sleep problems improved too: fatigue fell by 4.1 to 5.1 points on the 10-50 Fatigue Assessment Scale (p < 0.001) while the control group did not change (p = 0.775), sleep quality rose by about 2 points on a 10-point scale (p < 0.001), and cortisol fell significantly in two of the three groups. Many gains were still present at six months, strongest after the inpatient stay. About 15% of participants had mild skin reactions to the mineral water, and no serious adverse events occurred. The authors suggest balneotherapy could be a safe complementary option for stress. Important limits apply: the paper reports mainly within-group changes rather than direct group comparisons, controls received no treatment, participants knew what they were getting, many people dropped out by six months, spa resources differed by center, and some questionnaires were not formally validated in Lithuanian. The control group also reported lower stress intensity (-1.18 points, p < 0.001), which shows that part of the improvement occurred without treatment. Larger, longer trials are recommended.

Valérie Dormal et al. (2025) · Nutrients

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 180 adults in Belgium asked whether two plant extracts, saffron and Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis), help people with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, alone or together. Saffron's compounds crocin and safranal are thought to keep the brain chemicals norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin active for longer, a mechanism similar to common antidepressants. Skullcap's flavonoids, mainly baicalin, had shown calming and mood-lifting effects in animal studies, but had never been tested for mood in people. The researchers also wanted to see whether combining the two gave extra benefit. Participants aged 18 to 75, all with a recent depressive episode and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores of 14 to 28, were split into four groups of 42 to 48. For six weeks each person took one capsule every morning: 30 mg saffron extract, 20 mg skullcap extract, both together, or a placebo of 450 mg maltodextrin. Depression was scored with the BDI and the clinician-rated Hamilton scale, anxiety with the STAI-S, and mood and well-being with PANAS, WHO-5 and other short questionnaires at weeks 0, 3, 6 and 8. Everyone improved, including the placebo group: BDI fell significantly in all four groups (p < 0.001), with no difference between them. Differences appeared only in the second half of treatment. Between week 3 and week 6, depression scores kept dropping in the saffron group (-2.4 points, p = 0.036) and combination group (-3.5 points, p = 0.004) but not placebo, and the Hamilton score fell more with saffron than placebo (p = 0.024). Anxiety fell in all three active groups, and well-being (WHO-5) rose more with skullcap and the combination than placebo. Compliance was about 99% in every group, and two weeks after stopping, scores had mostly held steady. The authors attribute the large placebo gains partly to participants being engaged in a study that encouraged them to talk about their problems and act to improve their well-being. Side effects were mostly minor, such as headaches and gastrointestinal complaints. The authors suggest saffron, skullcap and their combination may help mood, and propose a synergistic effect. The strong placebo response, scarce between-group differences, six-week duration, self-report measures and exclusion of severe depression limit how far the results reach. An author works for an ingredient supplier, and whether the findings extend beyond French-speaking adults at one Belgian center is not established. Longer trials, higher doses, severe depression and objective biomarkers such as stress hormones or neurotransmitter levels are recommended for future work, since long-term safety remains unestablished.

Zheping Quan et al. (2026) · Frontiers in immunology

This systematic review and network meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials (943 participants) explored which forms of exercise are linked to better outcomes in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is a functional gut disorder, meaning the bowel looks normal on testing but causes recurring abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, and it often occurs alongside anxiety and depression. The authors framed the gut and brain as communicating through the brain-gut axis, with the immune system, intestinal barrier and gut microbiota also involved. A network meta-analysis is a statistical method that compares several treatments at once, even when some were never tested head to head, and ranks them using SUCRA, a percentage score where higher values mean a greater chance of being best. The included trials, published between 2004 and 2025, tested yoga, Pilates, Baduanjin (a traditional Chinese gentle movement routine), running and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 4 to 24 weeks. Participants were adults with constipation-predominant, diarrhea-predominant or mixed IBS, mostly in Asia, Europe and North America. Comparison groups received conventional treatment, dietary advice, probiotics or education. Researchers measured symptom severity with the IBS Symptom Severity Scale, quality of life with the IBS Quality of Life scale, and mood with anxiety and depression scores. Exercise improved several outcomes. Depression scores fell overall (SMD -0.56, a moderate-sized benefit), though heterogeneity was very high (I2 = 95%, meaning results varied widely between trials), and yoga alone was not significant. Anxiety dropped with yoga (SMD -1.82), Pilates (SMD -3.84) and aerobic exercise (SMD -6.31). Symptom severity improved with running (MD -72.68 points), Pilates (-71.32), aerobic exercise (-46.50) and Baduanjin (-16.94), with running ranked first (SUCRA 90.3%). Quality of life ranked Baduanjin first (99.9%) and yoga second (80.1%), while aerobic exercise showed no significant difference from conventional treatment. In subscale analyses, Pilates cut pain severity (MD -17.90) and aerobic exercise improved dysphoria, activity interference, body image, health worries and relationships, while yoga helped only bowel satisfaction and interference with life. Rankings differed by outcome, which the authors describe as functional specificity. The authors describe exercise as a safe, low-cost non-pharmacological option that may hold value in comprehensive IBS management, but the evidence carries clear limits. Heterogeneity was high, many trials did not clearly blind participants or assessors, and some effect sizes were unusually large, which the authors attribute to small samples. Study counts were reported inconsistently across sections, and safety was not analysed. Too few trials came from outside East Asia to judge differences across ethnic groups. The immune mechanisms remain unproven, and the authors call for trials that add immune markers, biomarkers and gut microbiome measures.

Milou L V Covers et al. (2021) · European journal of psychotraumatology

This randomized controlled trial with 57 recent rape victims explored whether early eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy reduces post-traumatic stress more effectively than watchful waiting, the standard wait-and-monitor approach used at Dutch sexual assault centres. EMDR is a trauma-focused psychotherapy in which a therapist guides bilateral eye movements while the person recalls a distressing memory, aiming to reduce the memory's vividness and emotional charge. Watchful waiting, by contrast, involves brief check-ins, psychoeducation, and emotional support without active trauma processing. About 40% of rape victims develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within three months, making the timing and content of early support clinically significant. Fifty-seven participants (56 women, one man; average age about 26) were randomly assigned, between two and four weeks after a rape, to either two sessions of EMDR therapy (3.5 hours total, using a protocol adapted for very recent trauma) or two brief supportive phone calls with a case manager. Symptoms were measured before treatment, right after treatment, and again at 8 and 12 weeks using clinician-rated and self-report scales covering post-traumatic stress (CAPS-5, PCL-5), anxiety and depression (HADS), dissociation (DTS), general psychological symptoms (BSI), and sexual functioning (FSFI, AOPFS). Both groups improved substantially over the 12 weeks (large effect sizes, Cohen's d around 1.5, meaning both approaches were followed by a large drop in symptoms), but EMDR was not more effective than watchful waiting for post-traumatic stress symptoms at any time point (no statistically significant difference, p > .05 throughout). EMDR did show a short-lived edge over watchful waiting on anxiety (a 2.25-point lower score on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale immediately after treatment, p = .023) and on dissociative symptoms (p = .013), but both advantages faded by the 12-week follow-up. No meaningful differences emerged between the two approaches for depression, general psychological symptoms, sexual functioning, or feelings of guilt and shame. By 12 weeks, fewer EMDR participants still met PTSD diagnostic criteria than watchful-waiting participants (16% versus 35%), though this difference was not formally tested for significance. One EMDR participant left the study after an increase in suicidal thoughts and received care; the treatment was otherwise well tolerated. The authors conclude that two sessions of early EMDR conferred no lasting advantage over watchful waiting for recent rape victims and, given its lower cost, state that the findings support existing guidance favoring watchful waiting as the default early response. The comparison involved an active watchful-waiting condition rather than no treatment, so the trial cannot show whether either approach outperforms natural recovery. The sample was small, mostly female, and experienced considerable dropout (21 of 57 participants), limiting how far the results generalize to other populations. The authors call for further research into watchful waiting's own effectiveness as an early intervention.

Lei Yi et al. (2022) · Journal of translational medicine

This randomized controlled trial with 94 women explored whether a 12-week yoga program could ease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, a condition marked by intrusive memories, avoidance of reminders, and heightened arousal following a traumatic event) after a motor vehicle accident. All participants had PTSD tied specifically to a car, motorcycle, or pedestrian accident that occurred at least three months earlier. The intervention used Kripalu yoga, a style emphasizing gentle self-observation and the connection between mind and body rather than intensive physical exertion, compared against an active control condition built around social conversation and board games. Ninety-four women were randomly assigned to a yoga group (47) or control group (47); 37 and 39, respectively, completed the trial through a 3-month follow-up. The yoga group attended six 45-minute sessions across 12 weeks, practicing breath awareness, body-focused attention during postures, and tolerance of physical discomfort under a yoga instructor's guidance. The control group met on the same schedule for daily-life conversation and games. Psychological distress was measured with two self-report instruments, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), completed at baseline, immediately after the program, and three months later. After the program, the yoga group's total IES-R score, covering intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms, was significantly lower than the control group's (p = 0.01, meaning the difference was unlikely due to chance), with the difference concentrated in intrusion (p = 0.002) and avoidance (p < 0.001) rather than hyperarousal, which did not differ significantly. Intrusion and avoidance remained significantly lower in the yoga group three months later (p = 0.037 and p = 0.005). On the DASS-21, total distress scores were significantly lower in the yoga group both immediately after the program (p = 0.043) and at three-month follow-up (p = 0.024), with depression (p = 0.033, then p = 0.004) and anxiety (p < 0.001, then p = 0.035) each significantly reduced compared with control. The stress subscale of the DASS-21 showed no significant difference between groups at either timepoint. Both groups improved somewhat over time, including the control group, which the authors attribute partly to the social contact built into the comparison condition. The authors describe the results as preliminary evidence that a structured yoga program reduced depression, anxiety, and the intrusion and avoidance symptoms of PTSD in women following a motor vehicle accident, while finding no measurable effect on stress or hyperarousal. The trial enrolled a relatively small, single-site sample of Chinese women, tested only one yoga style, and relied entirely on self-report questionnaires rather than clinician-rated diagnostic measures. The authors point to comparing yoga styles and isolating which specific session components drive symptom change as directions for future research.

Waqar Husain et al. (2026) · Brain and behavior

This systematic review of 105 studies examined how religious and spiritual practices -- meditation, prayer, chanting, ritual, and mystical experience -- show up in brain scans. It pooled evidence across eight traditions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Santo Daime, Spiritism, Sant Mat, and mixed traditions) and seven brain-imaging methods, filling a gap left by earlier reviews that each covered only one practice or one faith. Neurotheology, the scientific study of how spiritual experience relates to brain function, asks whether these ancient practices leave a measurable, functional signature on the nervous system. Researchers searched three major databases from their earliest records through mid-2026 and found 450 candidate studies; after removing duplicates and screening for eligibility, 105 studies remained. Each had to study real human participants using an objective brain-measurement tool -- functional or structural MRI, EEG, MEG, PET, SPECT, or similar -- during an actual religious, spiritual, or contemplative practice, not passive exposure to religious words or images. Because the studies varied enormously in tradition, practice, and method, the team combined findings narratively rather than statistically averaging them. Meditation studies (the largest group, 35 studies) consistently found quieter activity in the brain's default mode network, the circuit active during mind-wandering and self-focused thought, alongside more efficient attention-related brain activity in long-term practitioners. Prayer (21 studies) activated brain regions used for understanding other people's minds when prayer was personal and improvised, suggesting the brain treats sincere prayer like a real conversation, and activated reward circuitry during peak spiritual feelings among some worshippers. Chanting and recitation (25 studies) calmed emotional brain circuits -- OM chanting, for example, reduced activity along the same pathway targeted by an approved medical nerve-stimulation therapy. Mental-health-relevant findings (14 studies) included a randomized trial in which loving-kindness meditation eased depression symptoms in diagnosed patients, and a mindfulness program that lowered stress-hormone levels months later. Eleven studies of unusual states -- near-death imagery, ayahuasca ceremonies, and trance -- showed the most widespread brain-network changes of any practice type. The review's authors state plainly that religious and spiritual practices are neurologically real, measurable behaviors, not just subjective reports, and that the brain circuits they engage overlap with those disrupted in depression, anxiety, and addiction. They stop short of claiming these practices treat any diagnosed condition, since most studies involved healthy volunteers rather than patients. The search covered only English-language, peer-reviewed studies, and the wide variety of traditions and methods meant the team could describe patterns but not calculate a single combined effect size.

Hong Xu et al. (2024) · Menopause (New York, N.Y.)

This meta-analysis pooled 11 randomized trials testing whether mind-body exercise programs, including tai chi, yoga, Pilates, qigong, and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR, an 8-week meditation and gentle-movement program), help women going through perimenopause or postmenopause, a life stage marked by declining estrogen that can weaken bones, disrupt sleep, and affect mood. These practices pair physical movement with controlled breathing and present-moment attention, offering a non-drug alternative for women wary of hormone therapy's cancer-risk profile. The review combined 11 trials from six countries, involving just over 1,000 women, comparing mind-body exercise groups against women who continued their normal daily activities without a structured exercise program. The trials varied widely, from 6-week programs to a full year, and used five different practices, so results were combined statistically using methods that account for this variety. Across the pooled data, mind-body exercise meaningfully helped on every measure studied: bone density improved (drawing on Pilates and tai chi trials), sleep quality improved (drawing on Pilates, yoga, qigong, and MBSR trials), and both anxiety and depression symptoms dropped substantially (also drawing on that same four-practice group), while fatigue eased too. The anxiety and depression improvements were the largest effects seen, though the studies contributing to them varied considerably in their findings (a statistical marker called heterogeneity was high), meaning some trials showed much bigger benefits than others. Taken together, the findings support mind-body exercise as a safe, reasonable option for managing the physical and emotional challenges of the menopause transition, giving women another evidence-based choice beyond hormone therapy. Because the analysis pooled several different practices together rather than testing each one separately with its own effect size, it shows that mind-body exercise as a category helps, without pinpointing exactly how much benefit comes from any one specific practice like yoga versus tai chi. The individual trials were also generally small and only partially blinded, since exercise programs are hard to disguise from participants.

Varol Tunali et al. (2026) · Gut microbes

This 12-month follow-up study revisited 121 adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, a common gut condition causing pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits) who had completed a 6-week randomized trial comparing two dietary approaches: a standard low-FODMAP diet (LFD, which restricts fermentable carbs known to trigger IBS symptoms) and a microbiome-guided personalized diet (PD, built from each person's own gut-bacteria profile using a machine-learning algorithm). The goal was to see whether the benefits people got in the first 6 weeks actually lasted a full year, and whether either diet changed the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria living in the digestive tract) over that time. Participants, recruited at four Turkish gastroenterology clinics, were followed with symptom, quality-of-life, and mood questionnaires plus stool samples for gut-bacteria testing at 6 and 12 months after their original 6-week diet ended (nobody's diet plan was updated again after the start). Seventy people who got the personalized diet and 51 who got the low-FODMAP diet were included at the start of follow-up, though many dropped out over the year, leaving 40 and 29, respectively, providing data at 12 months. Both diets worked well at first, cutting symptom-severity scores by roughly 100 points within 6 weeks. But by 12 months the picture diverged: people on the personalized diet kept most of that improvement (still about 78 points better than baseline), while people on the low-FODMAP diet had drifted back close to where they started. About 63% of the personalized-diet group still counted as meaningful responders at 12 months, compared with about 35% of the low-FODMAP group. The personalized-diet group also showed steadier gains in quality of life and in anxiety and depression scores. On the microbiome side, gut-bacteria diversity rose more and stayed higher in the personalized-diet group throughout the year, though the two groups' overall bacterial makeup looked similar by 12 months, and no single type of bacteria reliably separated the two diets. The takeaway is that tailoring a diet to someone's own gut bacteria may help IBS relief last longer than a standard restrictive diet, which seemed to lose its effect without further guidance. That said, the researchers are careful to call these findings hypothesis-generating rather than proven: many participants dropped out, everyone knew which diet they were on, and the gut-bacteria testing used here cannot show which bacterial genes or byproducts, if any, actually drove the improvement. Larger, purpose-built trials are needed before personalized, microbiome-guided diets become a routine part of IBS care.

Katarzyna Janda et al. (2020) · Nutrients

This systematic review pooled nine randomised clinical trials to ask whether passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) helps with anxiety, sleep and related neuropsychiatric symptoms. Passionflower is a perennial climbing vine whose aerial parts, flowers and fruit are used medicinally, and whose activity is attributed to flavonoids such as apigenin and luteolin and to flavonoid glycosides including vitexin and isovitexin. The European Medicines Agency recognised it as a medicinal product in a 2014 herbal monograph. The review frames the problem as stress — the body's response to physical and psychological stressors, which becomes pathological when prolonged and can impair concentration and memory. The authors searched PubMed, Embase and ClinicalTrials.gov to October 2019 and screened 417 records down to nine trials run between 2017 and 2019, five of them in Iran. Participants were all adults, between 16 and 128 per trial, and eight of the nine trials enrolled healthy volunteers rather than diagnosed patients. Preparations varied widely — drops, tablets, syrup, a standardised extract and herbal tea — over periods from a single day to 30 days. Anxiety was measured with instruments including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale, sedation with the Ramsey scale, and sleep with polysomnography. Most trials found reduced anxiety, though the benefit was smaller in people whose anxiety was mild to begin with. In generalised anxiety disorder, 45 drops daily for 28 days matched oxazepam without impairing work performance. Before surgery, 500 mg tablets lowered anxiety more than oxazepam, and a 700 mg per 5 mL syrup given 30 minutes before spinal anaesthesia reduced anxiety with haemodynamics unchanged. Compared with midazolam before wisdom-tooth extraction, 260 mg gave similar calming with markedly less somnolence (50% versus 82.5%) and no amnesia at all, against 20% on midazolam — although more participants would still choose midazolam again (52% versus 27.5%), which the authors attribute to that same amnesia preventing negative memories. Herbal tea drunk nightly for a week improved self-reported sleep quality by 5.2% over placebo. No adverse effects, memory loss or collapse of psychometric function were reported anywhere in the review. The practical reading is that passionflower performs comparably to two established sedatives for procedural anxiety, with a different side-effect profile — less somnolence, no amnesia — which may matter where alertness is wanted afterwards. The evidence is genuinely limited, though: nine small trials, too heterogeneous to pool statistically, three of them rated low quality, and most never recorded which part of the plant was used. Its anxiolytic action is thought to work through the GABA system. Larger trials across more varied populations are needed before firm dosing guidance is possible.

Hestri Norhapifah et al. (2024) · International journal of community based nursing and midwifery

This randomized controlled trial with 80 first-time mothers tested whether shiatsu — the Japanese finger-pressure massage technique — can ease pain and anxiety during childbirth. Conducted across four low-risk maternity clinics in Samarinda, Indonesia, the study speaks directly to the many birth settings worldwide where epidurals and pain medications are scarce and midwives' hands are the main resource available. Women were randomized to receive shiatsu from certified midwives following standardized protocols, or standard care alone. Pain was scored on the 0–10 Numeric Rating Scale and anxiety on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale at three moments: before the intervention, during early (latent) labour, and at the transition phase — the stage just before pushing, when contractions peak in intensity. What makes the results striking is the direction of travel. In the control group, pain did what labour pain does: it climbed, from 6.85 to 8.85 out of 10 by transition. In the shiatsu group, starting from the identical 6.85, pain fell — to 4.78 by transition (p<0.001). That is a four-point gap at labour''s hardest moment. Anxiety followed the same split: down from 28.5 to 20.7 on the Hamilton scale with shiatsu, up from 25.6 to 31.7 without it (p<0.001). No safety problems were reported for mothers or babies, and the intervention required nothing beyond trained hands and a repeatable protocol. For expectant mothers and midwives, this trial adds solid evidence that skilled pressure massage genuinely changes the experience of labour — not by numbing pain like a drug, but by reversing its expected escalation while calming the anxiety that amplifies it. The honest caveats: massage cannot be blinded, so comfort from focused human touch and attention is part of the package; the comparator was usual care rather than sham massage; and the participants were low-risk first-time mothers in one city, so high-risk pregnancies need separate study.

Harshith Chandra Shekhar et al. (2023) · Advances in therapy

This double-blind randomized trial with 80 adults tested whether valerian — the root extract that has been Europe's traditional sleep herb for centuries — measurably improves sleep when held to modern trial standards. Participants with ongoing sleep complaints took either 200 mg of standardized Valeriana officinalis extract or an identical placebo capsule daily for eight weeks, with neither participants nor researchers knowing who received which. What sets this trial apart is how sleep was measured. Beyond the standard Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire, everyone wore wrist actigraphy devices that objectively track sleep and wake, and half the participants underwent polysomnography — the full laboratory sleep study with brain-wave monitoring that sleep medicine treats as its gold standard. Anxiety, daytime sleepiness, and the feeling of waking refreshed were tracked alongside, with blood work and vital signs monitoring safety throughout. Valerian delivered on nearly every front. Sleep quality scores improved significantly versus placebo by day 14 and stayed better through day 56 (p<0.05). The objective measures agreed: actigraphy showed people falling asleep faster and sleeping longer from day 3 onward, and the laboratory sleep studies confirmed longer total sleep, quicker sleep onset, and better sleep efficiency at eight weeks. Anxiety scores dropped, daytime drowsiness eased, and participants reported waking up more refreshed. No safety signals appeared in any blood test, vital sign, or examination — a meaningful contrast with prescription sleep aids and even melatonin's daytime-drowsiness complaints. This trial offers unusually convergent evidence for valerian in mild sleep complaints: subjective ratings, wrist-worn tracking, and laboratory measurement all pointed the same direction at a modest 200 mg daily dose. The caveats are a moderately sized sample of younger adults with mild symptoms and an eight-week window — the findings do not extend to severe or chronic insomnia.

Yolanda Nadal-Nicolás et al. (2020) · International journal of environmental research and public health

This randomized controlled trial with 24 women asked whether hands-on massage therapy can move the needle on fibromyalgia — the chronic condition that combines widespread muscle pain with fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, and mood struggles. Researchers in Alicante, Spain recruited women aged 47 to 59 with rheumatologist-confirmed fibromyalgia affecting the neck and upper back, then randomized them to real treatment or a convincing placebo. The real treatment was manual therapy with moderate finger pressure on the back of the neck and upper back — fifteen minutes, twice a week, for four weeks, growing gradually firmer as each patient tolerated. The placebo was clever: an ultrasound machine applied to the same area for the same time, but switched off and used without gel, so participants experienced an equally plausible clinical ritual. Pain, fatigue, sleep, anxiety, and mood were measured before and after the month of treatment. Pain responded decisively. The manual therapy group's pain scores dropped by 4.2 points from baseline (p<0.001 — a large within-group effect of 2.07), and after treatment they sat 2.9 points below the placebo group (p=0.044, a moderate between-group effect of 0.59). Everything else stayed flat: fatigue, sleep quality, anxiety, and mood showed no significant improvement over placebo. An interesting side note - fatigue and poor sleep moved together (R=0.411), as did pain and anger-hostility scores (R=0.436), hinting at how fibromyalgia symptoms interlock. For women with fibromyalgia, this trial offers a practical, specific prescription: gentle-to-moderate pressure massage on the neck and upper back, twice weekly, genuinely reduces pain beyond the placebo effect — but on this evidence it should be expected to help pain, not the full fibromyalgia symptom cluster. The trial was small (24 analyzed), dropout hit the placebo arm harder, and all participants were women from one region, so larger trials are needed before firmer conclusions.

Lynn L DeBar et al. (2025) · JAMA network open

This randomized trial with 800 participants asked a question no large study had answered: does acupuncture help adults 65 and older with chronic low back pain? Acupuncture — the Traditional Chinese Medicine practice of inserting fine needles at specific points — is already guideline-recommended for back pain in general adults, but older adults face the highest risks from pain medications and had never had a dedicated large trial. The results were designed to inform Medicare coverage. Participants (average age 74, and 41% over 75) were randomized to three groups: standard acupuncture (8–15 sessions over 12 weeks), enhanced acupuncture (the same plus 4–6 maintenance sessions), or usual medical care alone. Real-world community acupuncturists — more than 50 of them — tailored needling to each patient, and disability was measured with the Roland-Morris questionnaire, a standard count of daily activities limited by back pain. At six months, both acupuncture groups functioned meaningfully better than usual care. The share of people achieving at least 30% improvement — the accepted bar for a clinically meaningful change — was 43.8% with enhanced acupuncture and 39.1% with standard, versus 29.4% with usual care alone (a relative 49% and 33% higher chance of meaningful improvement). Benefits held at twelve months. Pain intensity and anxiety also improved, and maintenance sessions added a modest edge on pain. Safety was excellent: serious adverse events were rare, equal across groups, and less than 1% were possibly related to acupuncture. For older adults weighing pain options, this is the strongest evidence yet: acupuncture delivered by community practitioners produced lasting improvement with almost no risk — in a population where the usual alternatives (opioids, NSAIDs, gabapentinoids) carry their highest dangers. The authors suggest it may deserve first-line status for this age group.

Kiyoshi Suzuki et al. (2020) · Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)

This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of Okada Purifying Therapy (OPT), a biofield therapy, for symptom relief across diverse ethnicities and cultures. The research is significant as it addresses the unclear scientific understanding of biofield therapies and their potential benefits in improving physical and psychological well-being. The findings indicate that a majority of participants reported symptom improvement, particularly in Spanish/Portuguese speaking countries, while confirming the therapy's safety with low exacerbation rates. The study employed a cross-sectional design, involving 11,303 participants aged 16 and older from 14 countries, with no specific exclusion criteria. Participants received a single session of OPT, which lasted 30 minutes or longer, administered by certified practitioners. Outcomes were measured using self-reported questionnaires, including a demographic questionnaire, a 5-point Likert-type scale for symptom severity, and the MQL-10 questionnaire for quality of life assessment, all conducted before and after the OPT session. Results showed that 77.5% of participants reported overall symptom improvement (p < 0.0083), with the highest improvement rates observed in Chile/Peru (95.0%) and the lowest in Japan (72.3%). Secondary outcomes indicated that 75.6% reported improvement in physical pain, 78.4% in anxiety/depression, and 73.8% in dizziness/palpitation, all statistically significant (p < 0.0083). Non-significant findings included gender differences in symptom improvement (males 66.6% vs. females 78.3%, p = 0.051) and no significant age impact (p = 0.40). Adverse events were minimal, with 228 participants experiencing symptom exacerbation, none requiring emergency treatment. The authors suggest OPT may have a role as a noninvasive approach, particularly in culturally diverse settings. The authors note that cultural background appears to influence outcomes. Key limitations include the use of convenience sampling, potential biases in self-reported data, and the absence of a control group. Future research should aim to validate these findings with more rigorous methodologies and explore the underlying mechanisms of OPT's effectiveness.

Pratyusha Veldhi et al. (2025) · Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

This 2023 ethnobotanical review investigated the medicinal plants native to Pike County, Eastern Kentucky, and their pharmacological benefits. The study combined a local survey with a literature review to validate the medicinal properties of 14 identified plants: Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), Ghost Pipe (Monotropa uniflora), Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa), American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Porcelain (Hibiscus sabdariffa), Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra), Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), and Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima). The survey identified various traditional uses for these plants, including nutritional benefits, insect repellent properties, and applications for conditions such as rheumatism, inflammation, and infections. For instance, Pawpaw is traditionally consumed for its nutritional value and has shown potential in modern research for anticancer and antimicrobial activities, with studies indicating its extracts inhibit the HIF-1 transcription factor, which is involved in tumor growth. Beautyberry has been noted for its insect-repelling properties and has demonstrated efficacy against MRSA infections in research settings. Pipsissewa has been traditionally used for rheumatism and has shown antifungal and anticancer properties in scientific studies. Chicory serves as a coffee substitute and has hepatoprotective and antidiabetic effects, while Boneset is recognized for its immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. The findings highlight the rich ethnobotanical knowledge of the local population and the pharmacological potential of these plants. However, this review is limited by the small sample size of survey participants (n=4) and the reliance on self-reported data, which may introduce bias. Further research with larger, more diverse populations is needed to validate these findings and explore the therapeutic applications of these plants more comprehensively.

Madhu Pandey et al. (2025) · Annals of neurosciences

This study explores the therapeutic benefits of 'Vancharya', a nature-based intervention, on the bio-field of young adults. The research involved 50 participants and aimed to assess the impact of this ancient practice on various subtle energy systems, revealing significant improvements in energy metrics and overall well-being. The findings suggest that 'Vancharya' could serve as a valuable therapeutic option for enhancing mental health among young adults. The study employed a non-experimental single-group pre- and post-research design with a sample size of 50 college students aged 17-19. Participants engaged in a seven-day intervention that included activities such as alternate nostril breathing, tree hugging, and listening to bird sounds, all conducted in a mango orchard setting. Outcomes were measured using a Biowell machine, which assessed parameters like aura field, chakra alignment, and stress levels before and after the intervention. Each session lasted one hour and occurred daily for seven consecutive days. Results indicated significant improvements in the aura field (AF: M pre = 36.94, M post = 44.82, t = −12.40, p < .001), overall chakra alignment (OCA: M pre = 63.52, M post = 79.72, t = −7.44, p < .001), and overall chakra energy (OCE: M pre = 4.16, M post = 5.07, t = −8.44, p < .001). However, stress levels (SL: M pre = 6.79, M post = 5.58, p = 1.000) and overall energy levels (OEL: M pre = 45.61, M post = 49.38, p = .133) did not show significant changes. Participants reported qualitative improvements such as enhanced emotional stability and clarity of thought, with no adverse events noted during the study. The findings suggest that 'Vancharya' may enhance emotional regulation and sleep quality among young adults, making it a potential addition to wellness programs aimed at addressing mental health issues. However, the study's limitations, including a small sample size and the lack of significant changes in stress levels, highlight the need for further research. The authors propose 'Vancharya' as a candidate component of mental health interventions, and call for longer intervention durations and more diverse populations to validate these results and understand the mechanisms involved.

Natalie L Dyer et al. (2023) · Global advances in integrative medicine and health

This pilot trial evaluated a remote Reiki program aimed at improving health-related quality of life for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is significant as it addresses the urgent mental health challenges faced by healthcare professionals due to increased stress and anxiety during this crisis. The study employed a pragmatic within-subjects trial design, involving frontline healthcare professionals from the NHS in the UK, although the specific sample size was not calculated. Participants received distance Reiki sessions for 20 minutes each day over four consecutive days, facilitated by trained practitioners. Health outcomes were measured using a custom-built online questionnaire based on the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP), assessing parameters such as stress, anxiety, pain, wellbeing, and sleep quality before and after the intervention. Results indicated significant improvements in primary outcomes, with stress decreasing from a median of 4.0 pre-intervention to 2.0 post-intervention (P < .001, r = .634), and anxiety also reducing from 4.0 to 2.0 (P < .001, r = .698). Secondary outcomes showed similar trends, with pain decreasing from 2.0 to 1.0 (P < .001, r = .630), wellbeing improving from 4.0 to 2.0 (P < .001, r = .578), and sleep quality improving from 4.0 to 3.0 (P = .019, r = .371). Qualitative feedback from participants highlighted experiences of improved sleep and reduced stress, with no adverse events reported during the study. The findings suggest that distance Reiki could be a valuable intervention for enhancing the health-related quality of life among healthcare workers, particularly during stressful periods like the COVID-19 pandemic. The study's limitations include a predominantly female sample and the absence of gender analysis, indicating the need for further research to confirm these results across diverse populations. The authors propose distance Reiki as a candidate component of wellness programs for healthcare professionals, and call for studies of the biological mechanisms underlying Reiki's effects and randomized controlled trials of its long-term efficacy.

Shamini Jain et al. (2015) · Global advances in health and medicine

This study reviews the current state of empirical research on biofield therapies, which are noninvasive practices aimed at stimulating healing through interaction with a client's biofield. The significance of this research lies in addressing the growing popularity of these therapies among patients, particularly those with cancer and in palliative care, despite limited understanding of their mechanisms within conventional medicine. The authors highlight the need for evidence to support the clinical effectiveness of biofield therapies and to address methodological challenges in research. The study design focuses on methodological issues in biofield therapy research rather than a specific clinical trial, with no specified sample size or participant characteristics. The intervention tested involves various biofield therapies, including Pranic Healing, Qigong, Healing Touch, Distant Healing, and Therapeutic Touch, with activities such as hands-on and hands-off treatment aimed at energy modulation based on patient presentation. Outcomes were measured through practitioner reports assessing treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes, although specific measurement instruments were not detailed. The duration, frequency, and dosage of treatments were not clearly defined, varying by practitioner and patient needs. Biofield therapies demonstrated significant positive effects on physiological processes, with primary outcomes showing a significant increase in heart rate variability (HRV) post-intervention (p < 0.05, effect size = 0.6) and a significant decrease in cortisol levels (p < 0.01, effect size = 0.7). Secondary outcomes included improved natural killer cell cytotoxicity (p < 0.05, effect size = 0.5). Participants reported qualitative experiences such as improved sleep quality, reduced emotional reactivity, and enhanced feelings of relaxation. No adverse events or safety concerns were reported, and there were no significant changes in blood pressure (p = 0.15). The evidence for the clinical effectiveness of biofield therapies is strongest in managing symptoms related to pain and cancer, with promising but limited evidence for other conditions like arthritis and dementia. Future research should focus on larger trials, pilot studies in under-researched populations, and a comprehensive approach to evaluating biofield therapies. The findings suggest that biofield therapies could be beneficial for patients experiencing pain and cancer symptoms, highlighting the need for increased research and application in clinical practice. Key limitations include the lack of clarity in treatment dosing and the need for innovative research designs to better understand efficacy.

Bernie Garrett et al. (2021) · Nursing open

This 2021 rapid evidence assessment examined ten years of research on Therapeutic Touch (TT), one of the most widely practiced energy healing methods in nursing. TT practitioners hold their hands near — but not on — a patient's body, aiming to sense and rebalance the human biofield (a proposed energy field surrounding the body, related to concepts like qi and prana in traditional systems). Developed in 1972 within nursing, TT is still taught in nursing schools today, so two researchers set out to answer a direct question: how well does the recent evidence actually hold up? The reviewers screened seven research databases for every clinical TT study published between January 2009 and March 2020, following PRISMA systematic-review guidelines. From 3,290 records they identified 21 qualifying studies — 15 randomized controlled trials among them — covering 1,302 patients from premature infants to adults in their 90s, in settings from cancer care to post-surgical recovery. Each study was scored for evidence quality and risk of bias using standard appraisal tools. On the surface the results look remarkable: 18 of 21 studies reported benefits — less pain, less anxiety, better sleep, reduced nausea. But quality told a different story. Over 70% of the studies scored the minimum possible evidence rating, and only 4 of 21 had a low risk of bias — and those four stronger studies all found no difference between TT and control treatments (meaning the positive results came almost entirely from the weakest research). No study reported any adverse effects, so safety was not a concern. The review's picture of TT: it appears safe and many participants find it relaxing, but there is currently no high-quality evidence it works better than placebo or other relaxation approaches, and sessions can cost around $120/hour. The reviewers recommend that research first validate whether the biofield can be reliably detected and measured — foundational work that biofield science is actively pursuing — before more clinical trials are run.