Skip to main content
Journal ArticleOPEN ACCESS

Stress biomarkers in medical students participating in a Mind Body medicine skills program

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2011) 2011
DOI: 10.1093/ecam/neq039
50Citations
Citations of this article
162Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Georgetown University School of Medicine offers an elective Mind-Body Medicine Skills (MBMS) course to medical students to promote self-care and self-awareness. Participating medical students reported better management of academic stress and well-being than non-participants. In this study, we sought to assess the stress-reducing effects of MBMS by measuring physiological changes in first-year medical students. Saliva samples were collected before (January, time 1 (T1)-pre-intervention) and upon completion of the course (May, time 2 (T2p)-post-intervention), as well as from non-participating medical students (May, time 2 (T2c)-control). The T2p and T2c collections coincided with the period of final examinations. Cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), testosterone and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) were measured. The mean morning salivary cortisol at T2p was 97% of the mean at baseline T1 which was significantly lower than for T2c (2.4) (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-1.60, P =.001); DHEA-S showed similar pattern as cortisol where the T2p levels were significantly lower than T2c (P

Figures

  • Figure 1: Schematic representation of the regulation of the HPA axis under chronic stress. CRH and arginine vasopressin (AVP) synthesized by the paraventricular nucleus and released to the hypophyseal portal system stimulate adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) secretion by the anterior pituitary. ACTH triggers glucocorticoids release from the adrenal cortex. In an acute stress response, glucocorticoids regulate CRH and ACTH release in a negative feedback loop. However, in chronic stress, sustained glucocorticoids synthesis becomes detrimental to metabolic, endocrine, and immunologic processes leading to pathological states. MBM plays a role in maintaining stress hormone levels within their normal range. MBMmay also affect the release of CRH and ACTH by helping to quiet the mind. Solid arrows: positive regulation, dotted lines: negative feedback, and dotted arrows: normalizing effects.
  • Figure 2: Flowchart summarizing the collection times and participation in the study.
  • Table 1: Ratio of mean May hormone levels (T2c) relative to January baseline (T1) compared with the overall ratio.
  • Figure 3: Log-transformed salivary cortisol levels measured in morning and evening samples with axes labeled on the original scale. Parallel bars represent the range of normal cortisol levels. The lower edge of the box represents the first quartile, themid-line is the median, and the upper edge is the third quartile.
  • Figure 4: Log-transformed salivary DHEA-S levels measured in morning and evening samples with axes labeled on the original scale. The parallel bars represent the range of normal DHEA-S levels. The lower edge of the box represents the first quartile, the mid-line is the median, and the upper edge is the third quartile.
  • Table 2: Mean hormone levels in May for the control and MBMS group.
  • Figure 5: Log-transformed salivary testosterone levels measured in morning samples among female subjects with axes labeled on the original scale. The parallel bars represent the range of physiological testosterone levels. The lower edge of the box represents the first quartile, the mid-line is the median, and the upper edge is the third quartile.

References Powered by Scopus

View more at Scopus

Cited by Powered by Scopus

View more at Scopus

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Amri, H., MacLaughlin, B. W., Wang, D., Noone, A. M., Liu, N., Harazduk, N., … Dutton, M. (2011). Stress biomarkers in medical students participating in a Mind Body medicine skills program. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/neq039

Readers over time

‘11‘12‘13‘14‘15‘16‘17‘18‘19‘20‘21‘22‘23‘2406121824

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 53

64%

Researcher 13

16%

Professor / Associate Prof. 12

14%

Lecturer / Post doc 5

6%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Medicine and Dentistry 51

55%

Psychology 28

30%

Nursing and Health Professions 7

8%

Social Sciences 7

8%

Article Metrics

Tooltip
Social Media
Shares, Likes & Comments: 2

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free
0