The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Prayer as an alternative to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

    Joshua Knabb at Philhaven Hospital, in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania tells us centering prayer overlaps with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which makes it a suitable treatment alternative for many Christians in remission from depression.

    Here’s his rationale.

    • Based on Buddhist teachings…
      • Mindfulness offers the ability to decenter from thoughts and live in the present moment.
    • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy…
      • Teaches decentering and mindfulness techniques to adults to reduce the likelihood of depression relapse.
    • Some Christians…
      • Prefer to turn to their own religious heritage, rather than Buddhist tradition, in order to stave off depression relapse.

    The bottom line?

    Accordingly, Mr. Knabb believes that centering prayer may be used as an alternative treatment for preventing depression relapse in adults.

    Mr. Knabb follows the postulates of Heinz Kohut, related to a psychoanalytic approach, which is at odds with cognitive behavioral therapy as a form a psychological counseling. It can’t be known for sure, but it’s possible that his recommendation is less a boost for religion than a back handed criticism of behavioral therapy. It’s not, to my knowledge, based on the results of a clinical study.

    10/7/10 21:06 JR

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