Healthcare Practitioners

John Kavanaugh et al. (2022) · International journal of environmental research and public health

This randomized controlled trial with 34 physicians and healthcare workers (24 in the forest-bathing group, 10 in a waitlist control group who took a day off instead) explored whether Shinrin-Yoku, Japanese for "forest bathing," a guided practice of mindfully sensing a forest environment rather than exercising through it, could ease professional burnout. Burnout was tracked with two validated tools: the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), which scores exhaustion and disengagement from work, and the Mini-Z, a shorter survey of job satisfaction and burnout risk. Physician burnout affects an estimated 33-50% of doctors and was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants, health sciences faculty and medical residents at a New Mexico teaching hospital, were randomized through REDCap. The intervention group completed a 3-hour guided walk of under half a mile through a pinon-juniper forest, led by certified Association of Nature and Forest Therapy guides: a 15-minute grounding exercise, several sensory "invitations" to notice their surroundings, a 20-minute solo "sit spot," and a closing gratitude circle with shared tea. Both groups completed the OLBI and Mini-Z before and after their respective activity. Burnout scores stayed high in both groups throughout: median OLBI and Mini-Z scores never dropped below established burnout thresholds, before or after the walk. On the OLBI, there was no significant difference between the forest-bathing group's before-and-after scores, or between the two groups afterward (meaning the walk did not measurably shift standardized burnout scores). The Mini-Z initially showed a significant post-walk improvement in the intervention group versus control, but after adjusting for multiple comparisons (a standard statistical correction to avoid false positives), that difference was no longer significant. Separately, 34% of all participants said they had some burnout symptoms and 12% said those symptoms never let up. Yet the subjective side told a different story: of 20 participants who wrote in after their walk, 19 described feeling calmer, more relaxed, more appreciative, or less anxious; only one felt no different. This gap, unchanged scores next to strongly positive accounts, suggests one forest-bathing session may ease momentary stress without touching the deeper, cumulative syndrome burnout scales measure. The study was small (34 completers of 56 enrolled, notable dropout) and unblinded, testing only a one-time session; the authors and Shinrin-Yoku's founders note the practice is meant to be ongoing, not a single dose. Larger trials of repeated forest-bathing over months are needed before it can be recommended as a standalone burnout treatment, though it may help as a short-term stress reliever alongside other care.

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 explores the concepts of consciousness and subtle energy within Indo-Tibetan philosophical and medical systems, aiming to enhance cross-cultural dialogue on the biofield. By examining the similarities and differences among Vedic, Jain, and Tibetan traditions, the research seeks to inform contemporary biofield science and improve understanding of health and healing practices. The integration of traditional knowledge with modern scientific methods is emphasized as a means to bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and contemporary health sciences. The study employs a descriptive analysis to investigate the relationship between ancient Indo-Tibetan systems and modern biofield science. It does not involve a specific intervention or treatment but rather focuses on the philosophical concepts related to consciousness and subtle energy. The research highlights the importance of introspective inquiry in these ancient systems, paralleling modern scientific findings in health and wellness. The objective is to foster deeper cross-cultural dialogue and enhance understanding of biofields through the exploration of these traditional concepts. The findings indicate that there are significant similarities and differences in the understanding of biofields across the three traditions studied. The authors suggest that integrating traditional diagnostic methods with contemporary biomarkers could inform treatment options and improve health outcomes. However, limitations include the need for more empirical studies to validate the proposed connections and the challenges of integrating diverse methodologies. The study aligns with previous research that has explored genetic and metabolic differences associated with traditional medicine systems, suggesting a valuable intersection between traditional and modern approaches. The implications of this research are significant for practitioners and researchers in health and healing. By incorporating holistic approaches and traditional diagnostic methods alongside modern biomarkers, practitioners may enhance health assessments and treatment options. Key limitations include the necessity for empirical validation of the proposed links and the challenges in integrating methodologies from Eastern and Western perspectives. Future research should focus on empirical investigations of biofield practices and their effects on health outcomes, particularly regarding the mechanisms of subtle energy interactions.