Stroke

BACKGROUND: Survivors of stroke have long-term physical and psychological consequences that impact their quality of life. Few interventions are available in the community to address these problems. Yoga, a type of mindfulness-based intervention, is shown to be effective in people with other chronic illnesses and may have the potential to address many of the problems reported by survivors of stroke. OBJECTIVES: To date only narrative reviews have been published.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is a well-established sequela of people suffering from neurological pathologies. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of exercise intervention programs on cognitive performance in participants suffering from stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. METHODS: Four online databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PEDro) were comprehensively searched from their inception through December 2014.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility and benefits of the Merging Yoga and Occupational Therapy (MY-OT) intervention. DESIGN: This is the primary analysis of a non-controlled pretest-posttest pilot study to understand the feasibility and impact of MY-OT on balance, balance self-efficacy, and fall risk factor management in people with chronic stroke. SETTING: University research laboratory.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility and benefits of the Merging Yoga and Occupational Therapy (MY-OT) intervention. DESIGN: This is the primary analysis of a non-controlled pretest-posttest pilot study to understand the feasibility and impact of MY-OT on balance, balance self-efficacy, and fall risk factor management in people with chronic stroke. SETTING: University research laboratory.

BACKGROUND: Survivors of stroke have long-term physical and psychological consequences that impact their quality of life. Few interventions are available in the community to address these problems. Yoga, a type of mindfulness-based intervention, is shown to be effective in people with other chronic illnesses and may have the potential to address many of the problems reported by survivors of stroke. OBJECTIVES: To date only narrative reviews have been published.

BACKGROUND: Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is a common and distressing problem after stroke. The best ways to prevent or treat PSF are uncertain. Several different interventions can be argued to have a rational basis. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether, among people with stroke, any intervention reduces the proportion of people with fatigue, fatigue severity, or both; and to determine the effect of intervention on health-related quality of life, disability, dependency and death, and whether such intervention is cost effective.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common symptom following neurological illnesses and injuries, and is rated as one of the most debilitating sequela in conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Yet effective treatments are lacking, suggesting a pressing need for a better understanding of its etiology and mechanisms that may alleviate the symptoms. Recently mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated promising results for fatigue symptom relief.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on psychological and physical outcomes for people with vascular disease. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, British Nursing Index, Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Central, Social Sciences Citation Index, Social Policy and Practice, and HMIC from inception to January 2013.

BACKGROUND: Recent epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between perceived psychological stress and ischemic stroke. A feature of stroke is recurrence; 30-40% within five-years following first transient ischemic attack/stroke. Equipping patients with skills and coping strategies to help reduce or manage perceived psychological stress may represent an important secondary prevention intervention.

Hahnemann considered the secondary action of medicines to be a law of nature and reviewed the conditions under which it occurs. It is closely related to the rebound effects observed with many modern drugs. I review the evidence of the rebound effect of statins that support the similitude principle. In view of their indications in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, statins are widely prescribed.