eMindfulness Therapy—A Study on Efficacy of Blood Pressure and Stress Control Using Mindful Meditation and Eating Apps among People with High Blood Pressure

Medicines

Matthew Tedder³  Lu Shi⁴  Mei Si²  Regina Franco¹  Liwei Chen⁴ 

[1] Center for Integrative Oncology & Survivorship, Greenville Health System, 900 W. Farris Road, Greenville, SC 29605, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Cognitive Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA; E-Mail:;Healthcare Genetics Program, School of Nursing, Clemson University, 500 Edwards Hall, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University, 500 Edwards Hall, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: mindfulness based stress reduction;    intermittent fasting;    blood pressure reduction;    smartphone;   

DOI  :  10.3390/medicines2040298

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Background: With the increasing availability of Smartphones and wearable tracking devices, it is now feasible and affordable to apply such mobile devices to delivering mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and intermittent fasting (IF) to lower blood pressure, as traditional MBSR and IF incur the burden of commuting to the intervention sites for the patients. Our study will develop and scientifically evaluate an MBSR app, an IF app and an MBSR + IF app in terms of their effectiveness for lowering blood pressure. We will further explore the possible interaction effect (synergistic effect) between MBSR and IF intervention: will improved mindfulness enhance patients’ adherence to the IF protocol? Methods: We will develop an MBSR app, an IF app, and an MBSR+IF app. We will then conduct an 8-week randomized controlled trial with a factorial design to evaluate the efficacy of these new apps, especially the interaction effect between MBSR and IF. Eligible individuals will be randomly assigned to Group 1 (MBSR app), Group 2 (IF app), Group 3 (MBSR + IF app) or Group 4 (usual care). Discussion: This will be the first attempt to explore the impact of mindfulness intervention on the adherence of a behavioral intervention. Nevertheless, our protocol is limited in that the effectiveness of intermittent fasting on lowering blood pressure has not been supported by large-sample randomized controlled trials. Thus if there is no significant effectiveness we cannot determine whether it is due to the intermittent fasting intervention itself or it is due to the limit of smartphone as a vehicle.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.