Mind–body therapies and control of inflammatory biology: A descriptive review
Open accessAbstract
The use of mind-body therapies, including Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga, and meditation, has grown steadily in recent years. These approaches have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life, and research has begun to examine the impact of these therapies on biological processes, including inflammation. A review of 26 randomized controlled trials was conducted to describe the effects of mind-body therapies (MBTs) on circulating, cellular, and genomic markers of inflammation. This qualitative evaluation showed mixed effects of MBTs on circulating inflammatory markers, including CRP and IL-6, and on measures of stimulated cytokine production. More consistent findings were seen for genomic markers, with trials showing decreased expression of inflammation-related genes and reduced signaling through the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB. Potential mechanisms for these effects are discussed, including alterations in neuroendocrine, neural, and psychological and behavioral processes.
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Other forms of behavioral interventions that have been used for the treatment of fear- and anxiety-based disorder, such as community-based educational intervention, exercise, yoga, and meditation, have also been associated with decreases in inflammation.
“Other forms of behavioral interventions that have been used for the treatment of fear-and anxiety-based disorder, such as community-based educational intervention, exercise, yoga, and mediation, have also been associated with decreases in inflammation (Bower and Irwin, 2016;Pace et al, 2009;Villablanca et al, 2015).”
From Inflammation in Fear- and Anxiety-Based Disorders: PTSD, GAD, and Beyond (2017) · cites this paper as Bower and Irwin, 2016
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSeven randomized controlled trials of mind-body therapies (Tai chi, meditation, Yoga) reverse leukocyte transcriptional alterations including activation of genes regulated by the proinflammatory NF-κB/Rel family.
“Seven different randomized controls of mind-body therapies (ie, Tai chi, meditation, Yoga) have all been shown to reverse the pattern of leukocyte transcriptional alterations including activation of genes regulated by the proinflammatory NF-κB/Rel family (Bower and Irwin, 2016).”
From Sleep health: Reciprocal regulation of sleep and innate immunity (2017) · cites this paper as Bower and Irwin, 2016
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“Further, it is possible that mindfulness and other MBTs may influence activity in reward-related regions, such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), ventral striatum, and septal area, which also have inhibitory effects on threat-related physiological responding (Eisenberger and Cole, 2012).”
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BackgroundInfluentialThe effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: a systematic review.
Wang, C., Collet, J., & Lau, J. (2004) · Archives of Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/archinte.164.5.493 · Cited by 500 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Meta-analyses of these trials suggest that MBTs are effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life and certain functional outcomes (Bussing et al., 2012; Goyal et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2004).”
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BackgroundSelf-citationPotential self-regulatory mechanisms of yoga for psychological health
Gard, T., Noggle, J. J., Park, C. L., Vago, D. R., & Wilson, A. (2014) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00770 · Cited by 472 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Yoga is also hypothesized to facilitate integration of ‘‘top down’’ and ‘‘bottom up’’ neural processes, although this has not been evaluated (Gard et al., 2014).”
BackgroundInfluentialIntensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators
Jacobs, T. L., Epel, E. S., Lin, J., Blackburn, E. H., Wolkowitz, O. M., Bridwell, D. A., Zanesco, A. P., Aichele, S. R., Sahdra, B. K., MacLean, K. A., et al. (2011) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.09.010 · Cited by 432 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Changes in these domains have been shown to be associated with MBSR effects on telomerase activity (Jacobs et al., 2011), but such pathways have not been tested for inflammatory outcomes.”
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“…transcription factors (TFs) as potential mediators of this transcriptional shift, with evidence of activation of proinflammatory NF-jB/Rel family TFs and GATA-family TFs, decreased activity of interferon response factors (IRFs), and decreased activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (Cole, 2014).”
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BackgroundMethodInfluentialMindfulness meditation for younger breast cancer survivors: A randomized controlled trial
Bower, J. E., Crosswell, A. D., Stanton, A. L., Crespi, C. M., Winston, D., Arevalo, J., Ma, J., Cole, S. W., & Ganz, P. A. (2015) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.29194 · Cited by 390 · cited 25× · see citing works
“Only one small study has directly measured changes in activation of NF-jB (as opposed to the TELiS-based inferential analyses) and found that the practice of Tai Chi relative to a health education control attenuated the rise in NF-jB found in the controls (Black et al., 2014).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationCreswell, J. D., Pacilio, L. E., Lindsay, E. K., & Brown, K. W. (2014) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.02.007 · Cited by 376 · cited 3× · see citing works
“…for example, a study of compassion meditation found no effect on cortisol reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST), a standardized psychosocial stressor (Pace et al., 2009), whereas a study of brief mindfulness training found increased reactivity to the TSST (Creswell et al., 2014).”
BackgroundYoga for persistent fatigue in breast cancer survivors: A randomized controlled trial
Bower, J. E., Garet, D., Sternlieb, B., Ganz, P. A., Irwin, M. R., Olmstead, R., & Greendale, G. (2012) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.26702 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Self-citationExercise Training and Plasma C-reactive Protein and Interleukin-6 in the Elderly
Nicklas, B., Hsu, F.-C., Brinkley, T. J., Church, T., Goodpaster, B., Kritchevsky, S. B., & Pahor, M. (2008) · Journal of The American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.01994.x · Cited by 345 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, in the exercise literature, year-long physical activity interventions have been required to reduce circulating levels of CRP (e.g., Nicklas et al., 2008).”
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“However, there are corroborating data from another group that found decreased NF-jB activity following acute induction of the relaxation response (Bhasin et al., 2013).”
BackgroundIrwin, M. R., Olmstead, R., Carrillo, C., Sadeghi, N., Breen, E. C., Witarama, T., Yokomizo, M., Lavretsky, H., Carroll, J. E., Motivala, S. J., et al. (2014) · Sleep · doi:10.5665/sleep.4008 · Cited by 303 · cited 8× · see citing works
“Interestingly, we had previously reported that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) induced a remission of insomnia in the older adults, and this remission was associated with sustained decreases in CRP during the one-year follow-up period (Irwin et al., 2014b, 2015).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationMeditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E., Gould, N., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., Berger, Z., Sleicher, D., Maron, D., Shihab, H., et al. (2014) · Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur · doi:10.1016/j.dza.2014.07.007 · Cited by 298 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Meta-analyses of these trials suggest that MBTs are effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life and certain functional outcomes (Bussing et al., 2012; Goyal et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2004).”
BackgroundThe Effects of Mind-Body Therapies on the Immune System: Meta-Analysis
Morgan, N., Irwin, M. R., Chung, M., & Wang, C. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0100903 · Cited by 294 · cited 2× · see citing works
“The latter conclusion is supported by meta-analytic results from Morgan et al. (2014) who found that CRP was likely to be reduced following mind–body therapies in populations with disease conditions, but not in healthy persons.”
MethodResultSelf-citationEffects of yoga interventions on pain and pain-associated disability: a meta-analysis.
Büssing, A., Ostermann, T., Lüdtke, R., & Michalsen, A. (2012) · Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2011.10.001 · Cited by 293 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Meta-analyses of these trials suggest that MBTs are effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life and certain functional outcomes (Bussing et al., 2012; Goyal et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2004).”
BackgroundTaylor, A. G., Goehler, L. E., Galper, D. I., Innes, K. E., & Bourguignon, C. (2010) · EXPLORE · doi:10.1016/j.explore.2009.10.004 · Cited by 287 · cited 2× · see citing works
“What are the mechanisms through which these diverse approaches might lead to changes in inflammation, particularly changes in cellular and genomic markers? A number of conceptual models have been proposed to explain the effects of MBTs on a broad range of outcomes (Creswell and Lindsay, 2014; Gard et al., 2014; Holzel…”
BackgroundBower, J. E., Greendale, G., Crosswell, A. D., Garet, D., Sternlieb, B., Ganz, P. A., Irwin, M. R., Olmstead, R., Arevalo, J., & Cole, S. W. (2014) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.01.019 · Cited by 283 · cited 8× · see citing works
“found no change in CRP in two trials conducted with breast cancer survivors; one used a 12-week yoga intervention for survivors with persistent fatigue (Bower et al., 2014) and the other used a 6-week mindfulness intervention for younger breast cancer survivors (Bower et al.”
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“CRP is regulated in part by IL-6, and Tai Chi-related reduction of IL-6 at 16 weeks (Irwin and Olmstead, 2012) is reportedly followed by reductions of CRP at 24 weeks (Lavretsky et al., 2011).”
BackgroundSelf-citationOh, B., Butow, P., Mullan, B., Clarke, S., Beale, P., Pavlakis, N., Kothe, E., Lam, L., & Rosenthal, D. (2009) · Annals of Oncology · doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp479 · Cited by 252 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Nevertheless, other studies have found decreases in CRP to occur as early as 8–10 weeks after administration of a mind–body treatment (e.g., Oh et al., 2008, 2010, 2012; Pullen et al., 2008, 2010).”
BackgroundRandomized, controlled trial of yoga in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy.
Chandwani, K., Perkins, G., Nagendra, H., Raghuram, N., Spelman, A., Nagarathna, R., Johnson, K., Fortier, A., Arun, B., Wei, Q., et al. (2014) · Journal of Clinical Oncology · doi:10.1200/jco.2012.48.2752 · Cited by 243 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Of note, research comparing yoga to stretching has shown mixed effects on psychological and physiological measures (e.g., Chandwani et al., 2014; Corey et al., 2014), though differential effects on inflammatory processes have not been examined.”
BackgroundTaren, A. A., Gianaros, P. J., Greco, C. M., Lindsay, E. K., Fairgrieve, A., Brown, K. W., Rosen, R. K., Ferris, J. L., Julson, E., Marsland, A. L., et al. (2015) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsv066 · Cited by 236 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Most of the research on neural correlates of MBTs has focused on meditative practices, and there is preliminary evidence that mindfulness is associated with alterations in threat-related brain regions, including decreased amygdala reactivity (Goldin and Gross, 2010) and reduced functional connectivity of the amygdala…”
BackgroundPilot Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation and Education for Dementia Caregivers
Oken, B. S., Fonareva, I., Haas, M., Wahbeh, H., Lane, J. B., Zajdel, D., & Amen, A. (2010) · The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0733 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Effects of yoga on inflammation and exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure.
Pullen, P., Nagamia, S. H., Mehta, P., Thompson, W., Benardot, D., Hammoud, R. A., Parrott, J. M., Sola, S., & Khan, B. (2008) · Journal of Cardiac Failure · doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2007.12.007 · Cited by 228 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Two of the three trials that found decreases in IL-6 were trials of yoga for patients with heart failure, a group with pronounced elevations in inflammation (Pullen et al., 2008, 2010).”
BackgroundIrwin, M. R., Olmstead, R., Breen, E. C., Witarama, T., Carrillo, C., Sadeghi, N., Arevalo, J. M. G., Ma, J., Nicassio, P., Bootzin, R., et al. (2015) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.01.010 · Cited by 227 · cited 13× · see citing works
“To evaluate a cellular source of inflammation, Irwin et al. have examined the effects of Tai Chi on monocyte production of IL-6 and TNF in two independent samples of insomnia patients (Irwin et al., 2015).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationOh, B., Butow, P., Mullan, B., Clarke, S., Beale, P., Pavlakis, N., Lee, M., Rosenthal, D., Larkey, L., & Vardy, J. (2012) · Supportive Care in Cancer · doi:10.1007/s00520-011-1209-6 · Cited by 213 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Nevertheless, other studies have found decreases in CRP to occur as early as 8–10 weeks after administration of a mind–body treatment (e.g., Oh et al., 2008, 2010, 2012; Pullen et al., 2008, 2010).”
BackgroundWorkplace based mindfulness practice and inflammation: A randomized trial
Malarkey, W. B., Jarjoura, D., & Klatt, M. (2013) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2012.10.009 · Cited by 194 · cited 2× · see citing works
“There is some evidence that Tai Chi or Qigong, and possibly yoga, which incorporate physical activity components, are more likely to reduce levels of CRP, relative to meditation; the majority of studies using Tai Chi/Qigong or yoga showed decreases in CRP, whereas none of the meditation studies showed this effect (tho…”
ResultElsenbruch, S., Langhorst, J., Popkirowa, K., Müller, T., Luedtke, R., Franken, U., Paul, A., Spahn, G., Michalsen, A., Janssen, O., et al. (2005) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000086318 · Cited by 181 · cited 5× · see citing works
“…4 studies evaluated the production of proinflammatory cytokines using ex vivo methods in whole blood or mixed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (Elsenbruch et al., 2005; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2014; McCain et al., 2008; Zautra et al., 2008), whereas 2 studies examined the intracellular…”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialMcCain, N. L., Gray, D. P., Elswick, R. K., Robins, J. W., Tuck, I., Walter, J. M., Rausch, S. M., & Ketchum, J. M. (2008) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.76.3.431 · Cited by 176 · cited 5× · see citing works
“…cytokines using ex vivo methods in whole blood or mixed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (Elsenbruch et al., 2005; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2014; McCain et al., 2008; Zautra et al., 2008), whereas 2 studies examined the intracellular production of IL-6 and TNF at the level of the monocyte, the…”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialGuidelines for Developing Yoga Interventions for Randomized Trials
Sherman, K. (2012) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2012/143271 · Cited by 172 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, health education has been recommended for use in yoga trials (Sherman, 2012).”
BackgroundIrwin, M. R., Olmstead, R., Breen, E., Witarama, T., Carrillo, C., Sadeghi, N., Arevalo, J., Ma, J. C. Y., Nicassio, P., Ganz, P., et al. (2014) · Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs · doi:10.1093/jncimonographs/lgu028 · Cited by 163 · cited 8× · see citing works
“Interestingly, we had previously reported that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) induced a remission of insomnia in the older adults, and this remission was associated with sustained decreases in CRP during the one-year follow-up period (Irwin et al., 2014b, 2015).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationTai Chi versus brisk walking in elderly women.
Audette, J., Jin, Y., Newcomer, R., Stein, L., Duncan, G., & Frontera, W. (2006) · Age and Ageing · doi:10.1093/ageing/afl006 · Cited by 155 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Autonomic nervous system: Focusing first on the ANS, preliminary evidence indicates that MBTs are associated with decreases in sympathetic activity and increases in parasympathetic activity (Audette et al., 2006; Creswell and Lindsay, 2014; Motivala et al., 2006), reflecting greater sympathovagal balance.”
BackgroundIrwin, M. R., Olmstead, R., & Oxman, M. (2007) · Journal of The American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01109.x · Cited by 150 · cited 1× · see citing works
“For example, in regards to anti-viral immune response (as opposed to inflammation), Irwin et al. (2007) found that Tai Chi together with varicella zoster virus vaccination augmented the immune response in older adults to a greater extent than either Tai Chi or vaccination alone.”
BackgroundSelf-citationJanelsins, M., Davis, P., Wideman, L., Katula, J., Sprod, L., Peppone, L., Palesh, O., Heckler, C., Williams, J. P., Morrow, G., et al. (2011) · Clinical Breast Cancer · doi:10.1016/j.clbc.2011.03.013 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Tai Chi Chih acutely decreases sympathetic nervous system activity in older adults.
Motivala, S. J., Sollers, J., Thayer, J., & Irwin, M. R. (2006) · The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · doi:10.1093/gerona/61.11.1177 · Cited by 128 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Autonomic nervous system: Focusing first on the ANS, preliminary evidence indicates that MBTs are associated with decreases in sympathetic activity and increases in parasympathetic activity (Audette et al., 2006; Creswell and Lindsay, 2014; Motivala et al., 2006), reflecting greater sympathovagal balance.”
BackgroundSelf-citationBenefits of yoga for African American heart failure patients.
Pullen, P., Thompson, W., Benardot, D., Brandon, L., Mehta, P., Rifai, L., Vadnais, D. S., Parrott, J. M., & Khan, B. (2010) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3181bf24c4 · Cited by 116 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Two of the three trials that found decreases in IL-6 were trials of yoga for patients with heart failure, a group with pronounced elevations in inflammation (Pullen et al., 2008, 2010).”
BackgroundMitigating Cellular Inflammation in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tai Chi Chih
Irwin, M. R., & Olmstead, R. E. (2011) · American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/jgp.0b013e3182330fd3 · Cited by 103 · cited 4× · see citing works
“However, it is notable that decreases in IL-6 were found among individuals with higher baseline levels of this marker in a trial of Tai Chi in healthy older adults (Irwin and Olmstead, 2012) and among individuals with more hours of meditation practice in trials of mindfulness (Bower et al.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationChen, S.-C., Ueng, K., Lee, S.-H., Sun, K.-T., & Lee, M.-C. (2010) · Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0560 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Nagarathna, R., Rao, R. M., Nagendra, H., Vinay, C., Chandrashekara, S., Gopinath, K., & Srinath, B. S. (2008) · International Journal of Yoga · doi:10.4103/0973-6131.36789 · Cited by 100 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The limited data for any of these other circulating outcomes do not allow for any conclusions, although two of the studies that administered yoga and measured TNF or its soluble receptor found stable levels in the yoga group vs. controls (Bower et al., 2014; Rao et al., 2008).”
ResultThe effects of Baduanjin qigong in the prevention of bone loss for middle-aged women.
Chen, H.-H., Yeh, M.-L., & Lee, F. (2006) · The American Journal of Chinese Medicine · doi:10.1142/s0192415x06004259 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Oh, B., Butow, P., Mullan, B., & Clarke, S. (2008) · The American Journal of Chinese Medicine · doi:10.1142/s0192415x08005904 · Cited by 92 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Nevertheless, other studies have found decreases in CRP to occur as early as 8–10 weeks after administration of a mind–body treatment (e.g., Oh et al., 2008, 2010, 2012; Pullen et al., 2008, 2010).”
BackgroundCOMPLEMENTARY/ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH
White, A. (1999) · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · doi:10.1054/ctim.2000.0360 · Cited by 74
Serum Cytokines, Mood and Sleep after a Qigong Program
Manzaneque, J. M., Vera, F. M., Rodríguez, F. M., Garcia, G. J., Leyva, L., & Blanca, M. (2009) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/1359105308097946 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Corey, S. M., Epel, E., Schembri, M., Pawlowsky, S., Cole, R., Araneta, M., Barrett-Connor, E., & Kanaya, A. (2014) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.07.012 · Cited by 42 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Of note, research comparing yoga to stretching has shown mixed effects on psychological and physiological measures (e.g., Chandwani et al., 2014; Corey et al., 2014), though differential effects on inflammatory processes have not been examined.”
BackgroundBlack, D. S., Irwin, M. R., Olmstead, R., Ji, E., Breen, E., & Motivala, S. J. (2014) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000359956 · Cited by 38 · cited 4× · see citing works
“, 2012), adult caregivers (Black et al., 2014), and women with early stage breast cancer (Bower et al.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationPsychoneuroimmunology-Based Stress Management during Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Early Breast Cancer
Robins, J., McCain, N., Elswick, R. K., Walter, J. M., Gray, D. P., & Tuck, I. (2013) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2013/372908 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
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Inflammation in Fear- and Anxiety-Based Disorders: PTSD, GAD, and Beyond
Michopoulos, V., Powers, A., Gillespie, C. F., Ressler, K. J., & Jovanovic, T. (2017) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2016.146 · Cited by 786 · see citing works
“…interventions that have been used for the treatment of fear- and anxiety-based disorder, such as community-based educational intervention, exercise, yoga, and mediation, have also been associated with decreases in inflammation (Bower and Irwin, 2016; Pace et al, 2009; Villablanca et al, 2015).”
BackgroundSleep health: Reciprocal regulation of sleep and innate immunity
Irwin, M. R., & Opp, M. R. (2017) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2016.148 · Cited by 624 · see citing works
“Seven different randomized controls of mind–body therapies (ie, Tai chi, meditation, Yoga) have all been shown to reverse the pattern of leukocyte transcriptional alterations including activation of genes regulated by the proinflammatory NF-κB/Rel family (Bower and Irwin, 2016).”
BackgroundSelf-citationYoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: A meta-analysis.
Pascoe, M. C., Thompson, D. R., & Ski, C. F. (2017) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.008 · Cited by 570 · see citing works
“These results indicate that while MBSR and practices involving yoga asanas appear to influence IL-6 levels to some degree, that selecting an appropriate comparison group is particularly important when assessing the impact of yoga asanas on IL-6 levels.”
InfluentialImplications of sleep disturbance and inflammation for Alzheimer's disease dementia
Irwin, M. R., & Vitiello, M. V. (2019) · The Lancet Neurology · doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(18)30450-2 · Cited by 587 · see citing works
Self-citationImaging the Role of Inflammation in Mood and Anxiety-related Disorders
Felger, J. C. (2017) · Current Neuropharmacology · doi:10.2174/1570159x15666171123201142 · Cited by 432 · see citing works
“A number of holistic and alternative strategies, such as exercise, weight reduction or diet modification, dietary supplements, yoga, massage, tai chi and meditation, that have been shown to reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms are thought to either directly or indirectly reduce inflammation [243].”
BackgroundBreath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity
Gerritsen, R. J. S., & Band, G. P. H. (2018) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00397 · Cited by 342 · see citing works
Inflammation and post‐traumatic stress disorder
Hori, H., & Kim, Y. (2019) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1111/pcn.12820 · Cited by 416 · see citing works
“Intriguingly, physical activity and exercise can reduce inflammation.(148,149) Dietary factors can also be associated with inflammation,(150) the effect of which may be mediated by the gut microbiota.”
BackgroundLevine, G. N., Lange, R. A., Bairey‐Merz, C. N., Davidson, R. J., Jamerson, K., Mehta, P. K., Michos, E. D., Norris, K., Ray, I. B., Saban, K. L., et al. (2017) · Journal of the American Heart Association · doi:10.1161/jaha.117.002218 · Cited by 330 · see citing works
“Although unique gene expression profiles have been noted with meditation, their association with established physiological parameters is unknown.(59) One study of 40 patients reported that mindfulness-based stress reduction downregulated proinflammatory nuclear factor kappa B gene expression profile compared to wait-l…”
BackgroundCahn, B. R., Goodman, M. S., Peterson, C. T., Maturi, R., & Mills, P. J. (2017) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315 · Cited by 292 · see citing works
“…yoga and meditative practices modulate inflammatory and HPA activity (Jevning et al., 1978; Brown and Gerbarg, 2005; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2010; Bower and Irwin, 2015) and the possibility that yoga and meditative practices may positively impact BDNF levels as a mechanism towards salubrious…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialShields, G. S., Spahr, C. M., & Slavich, G. M. (2020) · JAMA psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.0431 · Cited by 252 · see citing works
Wayne, P. M., Lee, M. S., Novakowski, J., Osypiuk, K., Ligibel, J., Carlson, L. E., & Song, R. (2018) · Journal of Cancer Survivorship · doi:10.1007/s11764-017-0665-5 · Cited by 251 · see citing works
“, nuclear factor kappa B pathway) that have been associated with cancer progression, but studies to date are too limited in number and quality to draw strong conclusions [61].”
BackgroundBower, J. (2019) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.31790 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
“Furthermore, mindfulness, exercise, and other mind-body interventions have been shown to decrease inflammatory signaling, which is another potential mechanism for effects on fatigue.(86)”
BackgroundSelf-citationBurić, I., Farias, M., Jong, J., Mee, C., & Brazil, I. (2017) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2017.00670 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
“We have included a range of MBIs in our analysis, such as mindfulness and other forms of meditation, yoga, RR, Tai Chi, and Qigong, all interventions for which there is evidence suggesting similar beneficial effects on mental and physical health (9).”
MethodThe role of the immune system in posttraumatic stress disorder
Katrinli, Ş., Oliveira, N. C. D. S., Felger, J. C., Michopoulos, V., & Smith, A. K. (2022) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-022-02094-7 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
“Moreover, other behavioral interventions, including yoga and mindfulness, are associated with decreases in inflammation [236, 239].”
BackgroundWon, E., & Kim, Y. (2020) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms21186546 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
“Other behavioral interventions that have been shown to be effective in alleviating anxiety symptoms, such as yoga and meditation [159], have been suggested to do so by dampening inflammatory processes [160].”
BackgroundSungkarat, S., Boripuntakul, S., Kumfu, S., Lord, S., & Chattipakorn, N. (2018) · Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair · doi:10.1177/1545968317753682 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Zou, H.-Y., Xie, F.-F., Yue, H., Chen, X., Wen, Z.-L., Fang, M., & Yao, F. (2025) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094851 · Cited by 165 · see citing works
“…such as C reactive protein and IL-6, as well as a decrease in the signalling of the proinflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B. 54 Additionally, moderate exercise may enhance glycosaminoglycan content in articular cartilage, contributing to the mitigation of joint degeneration.”
Basu, A., McLaughlin, K., Misra, S., & Koenen, K. (2017) · Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/cpsp.12191 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
“Preliminary evidence of changes in immune or related biomarkers (Black & Slavich, 2016; Bower & Irwin, 2016; Morgan, Irwin, Chung, & Wang, 2014) and molecular mechanisms (Conklin et al., 2015; Niles, Mehta, Corrigan, Bhasin, & Denninger, 2014) in response to psychological treatments provides some…”
BackgroundTherapeutic Implications of Brain–Immune Interactions: Treatment in Translation
Miller, A. H., Haroon, E., & Felger, J. C. (2017) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2016.167 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
The Link between Chronic Stress and Accelerated Aging
Yegorov, Y. E., Poznyak, A. V., Nikiforov, N. G., Sobenin, I. A., & Orekhov, A. N. (2020) · Biomedicines · doi:10.3390/biomedicines8070198 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
“Intriguingly, there is increasing evidence that physical activity and exercise can reduce inflammation [56].”
BackgroundPsychosocial stressors and telomere length: A current review of the science
Rentscher, K. E., Carroll, J. E., & Mitchell, C. (2020) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094239 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
The vagus nerve: An old but new player in brain-body communication.
Ma, L., Wang, H.-B., & Hashimoto, K. (2024) · Brain, behavior, and immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2024.11.023 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Yan, Q. (2016) · Cambridge International Law Journal · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-45111-4 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Yoga and immune system functioning: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Falkenberg, R., Eising, C., & Peters, M. (2018) · Journal of behavioral medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-018-9914-y · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes
Epel, E. S., Puterman, E., Lin, J., Blackburn, E. H., Lum, P. Y., Beckmann, N. D., Zhu, J., Lee, E., Gilbert, A., Rissman, R. A., et al. (2016) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2016.164 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Vancampfort, D., Stubbs, B., Van Damme, T., Smith, L., Hallgren, M., Schuch, F., Deenik, J., Rosenbaum, S., Ashdown-Franks, G., Mugisha, J., et al. (2021) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.048 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Rosenkranz, M. A., Lutz, A., Perlman, D. M., Bachhuber, D. R. W., Schuyler, B. S., Maccoon, D., & Davidson, R. (2016) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.02.013 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Mechanistic pathways of mindfulness meditation in combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder
Wahbeh, H., Goodrich, E., Goy, E., & Oken, B. (2016) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.22255 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
“Psychoneuroimmunology has long studied the interactions between these systems, which are clearly at play in PTSD (Furtado & Katzman, 2015) and are affected by mind–body interventions including meditation (Bower & Irwin, 2015).”
The role of yoga in inflammatory markers
Estevao, C. (2022) · Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health · doi:10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100421 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
The geroscience agenda: Toxic stress, hormetic stress, and the rate of aging
Epel, E. (2020) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2020.101167 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
“Mind-body interventions have a strong empirical base for improving self-reported well-being (Creswell, 2017) with mixed effects on basal inflammation (Bower and Irwin, 2016).”
Bottaccioli, A. G., Bottaccioli, F., & Minelli, A. (2019) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/nyas.13728 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Stress and coping in women with breast cancer:unravelling the mechanisms to improve resilience
Borgi, M., Collacchi, B., Ortona, E., & Cirulli, F. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.011 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Role of Inflammation in Depression and Treatment Implications
Felger, J. C. (2018) · Handbook of experimental pharmacology · doi:10.1007/164_2018_166 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Liu, J., Chen, L.-D., Chen, X., Hu, K., Tu, Y., Lin, M.-T., Huang, J., Liu, W.-L., Wu, J., Qiu, Z., et al. (2019) · British Journal of Anaesthesia · doi:10.1016/j.bja.2019.06.017 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Bower, J. E., Partridge, A. H., Wolff, A. C., Thorner, E. D., Irwin, M. R., Joffe, H., Petersen, L., Crespi, C. M., & Ganz, P. A. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Oncology · doi:10.1200/jco.21.00279 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
“Postgraduate degree 34 (40) 33 (41) 25 (31) 92 (37)”
Self-citationLopresti, A. L. (2017) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867417701996 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
“Psychological treatments, including relaxation training, meditation/mindfulness, yoga and even imagery can have anti-inflammatory influences (Black and Slavich, 2016; Bower and Irwin, 2016; Eremin et al., 2009; Laudenslager et al., 2016).”
BackgroundBushell, W. C., Castle, R. D., Williams, M. A., Brouwer, K., Tanzi, R., Chopra, D., & Mills, P. (2020) · Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/acm.2020.0177 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
“Such complementary practices have been found to act as a regulating influence on a number of key inflammatory functions that SARS-CoV-2 disrupts.(16) The use of certain complementary practices as potentially effective adjunctive means of treating and/or preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection must be put to rigorous scientific”
The Effect of Mind-Body Therapies on Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Wang, X., Li, P., Pan, C., Dai, L.-S., Wu, Y., & Deng, Y. (2019) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2019/9359807 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
“Mindfulness meditation guides individuals to pay attention to present moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and nonjudgment [29].”
BackgroundInfluentialImpact of Yoga on Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Systematic Review
Djalilova, D., Schulz, P., Berger, A., Case, A., Kupzyk, K., & Ross, A. (2018) · Biological Research for Nursing · doi:10.1177/1099800418820162 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Psychoneuroimmunology—developments in stress research
Straub, R. H., & Cutolo, M. (2017) · Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift · doi:10.1007/s10354-017-0574-2 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
“they also beneficially affect readout parameters of the immune system (summarized in [12]).”
BackgroundTreating depression With Tai Chi: state of the art and future perspectives
Kong, J., Wilson, G., Park, J., Pereira, K., Walpole, C., & Yeung, A. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00237 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Carroll, J., Bower, J. E., & Ganz, P. A. (2021) · Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology · doi:10.1038/s41571-021-00580-3 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Self-citationO'Toole, M. S., Bovbjerg, D. H., Renna, M. E., Lekander, M., Mennin, D. S., & Zachariae, R. (2018) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2018.04.005 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Cognitive Performance in Breast Cancer Survivors and Markers of Biological Aging
Carroll, J., Dyk, K. V. V., Bower, J., Scuric, Z., Petersen, L., Schiestl, R., Irwin, M. R., & Ganz, P. (2018) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.31777 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Self-citationA Randomized Trial of Yoga for Children Hospitalized With Sickle Cell Vaso-Occlusive Crisis.
Moody, K. M., Abrahams, B., Baker, R., Santizo, R., Manwani, D., Carullo, V., Eugenio, D., & Carroll, A. (2017) · Journal of Pain and Symptom Management · doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.12.351 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“10 markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF) and with significant increases in β-endorphin which are positively and negatively related to pain, respectively.(50,51) Both the yoga and control groups experienced a non-significant drop in state anxiety (>0.”
BackgroundPeterson, C. T., Bauer, S. M., Chopra, D., Mills, P., & Maturi, R. (2017) · Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1177/2156587217730934 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Villalba, D. K., Lindsay, E. K., Marsland, A. L., Greco, C. M., Young, S., Brown, K. W., Smyth, J. M., Walsh, C. P., Gray, K., Chin, B., et al. (2019) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219120 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“Results from Studies 1 & 2 are consistent with previous mindfulness intervention RCTs that find no changes in systemic inflammation in healthy adult populations [37].”
BackgroundResultKinser, P., Braun, S., Deeb, G., Carrico, C., & Dow, A. (2016) · Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.08.003 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Al-Beltagi, M., Saeed, N., Bediwy, A., Elsawaf, Y., Elbatarny, A., & Elbeltagi, R. (2025) · World Journal of Gastroenterology · doi:10.3748/wjg.v31.i22.106835 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
“Finally, yoga and Tai Chi, which blend physical activity with stress reduction, have demonstrated particular promise for symptom control by modulating the gut-brain axis, reducing cortisol levels, and improving overall mental health [157].”
Effects of Mind-Body Exercise in Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Duan, L., Xu, Y.-F., & Li, M. (2020) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2020/7607161 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“Recent studies pointed out that mindbody exercise could provoke the moderate elevations of antiinflammatory factor interleukin-10 and inhibit the expression of proinflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β [44].”
BackgroundEpigenetic Mechanisms of Integrative Medicine
Kanherkar, R. R., Stair, S. E., Bhatia-Dey, N., Mills, P., Chopra, D., & Csoka, A. (2017) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2017/4365429 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“In addition, mind-body therapies have a significant effect on the cellular and genomic markers of inflammation, eliciting decreased expression of inflammation-related genes and reduced signaling through the proinflammatory transcription factor NF𝜅B [65].”
Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023
Jamil, A., Gutlapalli, S. D., Ali, M., Oble, M. J. P., Sonia, S. N., George, S., Shahi, S. R., Ali, Z., Abaza, A., & Mohammed, L. (2023) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.40650 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
“These mixed results seen in the second study for CRP were probably because of the low power of the study due to a few limitations.”
BackgroundInfluentialThe Effects of Tai Chi and Qigong on Immune Responses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Oh, B., Bae, K., Lamoury, G., Eade, T., Boyle, F., Corless, B. P., Clarke, S., Yeung, A., Rosenthal, D., Schapira, L., et al. (2020) · Medicines · doi:10.3390/medicines7070039 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Huberty, J. L., Espel-Huynh, H. M., Neher, T. L., & Puzia, M. E. (2022) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/38903 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“Meditation in the Calm app uses mindfulness components [35], breathing techniques, and body scans, all of which are consistent with core mindfulness practices, including mindfulness-based stress reduction (nonjudgmental moment-to-moment awareness [36]), and vipassana (objective observation of physical sensation in the…”
MethodCrosswell, A., Mayer, S. E., Whitehurst, L., Picard, M., Zebarjadian, S., & Epel, E. S. (2023) · Psychology Review · doi:10.1037/rev0000453 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“However, not all studies have found or replicated bene fi cial effects of contemplative practices on biomarkers of health (Black & Slavich, 2016; Bower & Irwin, 2016).”
BackgroundDada, T., Bhai, N., Midha, N., Shakrawal, J., Kumar, M., Chaurasia, P., Gupta, S., Angmo, D., Yadav, R., Dada, R., et al. (2020) · American journal of ophthalmology-glaucoma · doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2020.10.012 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
A short Mindfulness retreat can improve biological markers of stress and inflammation
Gardi, C., Fazia, T., Stringa, B., & Giommi, F. (2021) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105579 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“Also, Mindfulness practice may positively enhance biological functioning through the regulation of inflammatory pathways (Bower and Irwin, 2016).”
BackgroundWen, Y.-R., Shi, J., Wang, Y.-F., Lin, Y.-Y., Hu, Z.-Y., Lin, Y.-B., Wang, X.-Q., & Wang, Y.-L. (2022) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.921069 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Effects of Yoga in Daily Life program in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial.
Pukšić, S., Mitrović, J., Čulo, M., Živković, M., Orehovec, B., Bobek, D., & Morović-Vergles, J. (2020) · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102639 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Mental health and immunity (Review)
Vasile, C. (2020) · Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine · doi:10.3892/etm.2020.9341 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“one type of intervention, such as cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) (31), meditation (32,33), mind‐body interventions (34), lifestyle changes (35), body‐mind therapies (36) and stress management (37).”
BackgroundRavish, H., Venkatesh, H., Wilma Silvia, C. R., & Srinivas, H. (2020) · International Journal of Yoga · doi:10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_82_18 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
“[62] Bower and Irwin[63] Serum hs‐CRP, IL‐6, TNF‐α and IL‐10 Shrivastava et al.”
Inflammation as a Pathophysiologic Pathway to Anhedonia: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications
Bekhbat, M., Treadway, M. T., & Felger, J. C. (2022) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2021_294 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Montero‐Marín, J., Andrés‐Rodríguez, L., Tops, M., Luciano, J. V., Navarro‐Gil, M., Feliu‐Soler, A., del Hoyo, Y. L., & García‐Campayo, J. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-52260-z · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Moreno, P. I., Moskowitz, A. L., Ganz, P., & Bower, J. (2016) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000000300 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-citationPotential Role of Yoga Intervention in the Management of Chronic Non-malignant Pain
Gupta, S., Gautam, S., Kumar, U., Arora, T., & Dada, R. (2022) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2022/5448671 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“Rheumatoid arthritis IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-α, and ESR, [84] CRP, ROS [91] NFKB [100] IL-10 [101] Type 2 diabetes IL-8, IL-6, IL-18, CRP, and IL-6 [102] Low back pain TNF-α [103]”
Zhi, W. I., Baser, R. E., Zhi, L. M., Talukder, D., Li, Q. S., Paul, T., Patterson, C., Piulson, L., Seluzicki, C., Galantino, M. L., et al. (2021) · Cancer Medicine · doi:10.1002/cam4.4098 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Dalpati, N., Jena, S., Jain, S., & Sarangi, P. P. (2022) · Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health · doi:10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100420 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Ng, S., Yin, M., Chan, J., Chan, C. H., Fong, T. C., Li, A., So, K.-F., Yuen, L.-P., Chen, J.-P., Chung, K., et al. (2021) · Brain, behavior, and immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2021.09.022 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Bowen, D., Poole, S. F., White, M., Lyn, R., Flores, D., Haile, H. G., & Williams, D. R. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18041871 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Voiss, P., Höxtermann, M. D., Dobos, G., & Cramer, H. (2019) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.32469 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Hu, S.-J., Hu, Y.-L., Long, P., Li, P.-J., Chen, P., & Wang, X.-W. (2022) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.1026509 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Kurth, F., Cherbuin, N., & Luders, E. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00860 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“…to accelerated biological aging through telomere shortening, DNA replication errors, and cellular damage (Lin et al., 2012; Price et al., 2013; Revesz et al., 2014; Blackburn et al., 2015; Zahran et al., 2015) or increased NF-κB activity (Irwin and Cole, 2011; Cole, 2014; Bower and Irwin, 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialBower, J., Radin, A., & Kuhlman, K. (2022) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2022.104104 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Self-citationAbrahão, C. A., Bomfim, E., Lopes-Júnior, L. C., & Pereira-da-Silva, G. (2019) · Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine · doi:10.1177/2515690x19838897 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
RetractedShi, J. Y., Hu, Z.-Y., Wen, Y.-R., Wang, Y.-F., Lin, Y., Zhao, H., Lin, Y.-T., & Wang, Y. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.1046518 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“It involves various slow body movements synchronized with musculoskeletal relaxation, breathing control, and a meditative state of mind (Bower and Irwin, 2016; Zou et al., 2018).”
BackgroundLindsay, E. K., Creswell, J. D., Stern, H. J., Greco, C. M., Walko, T. D., Dutcher, J. M., Wright, A. G. C., Brown, K. W., & Marsland, A. L. (2022) · Brain Behavior and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2022.05.001 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Dao Yin (a.k.a. Qigong): Origin, Development, Potential Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications
Chen, X., Cui, J.-B., Li, R., Norton, R., Park, J., Kong, J., & Yeung, A. (2019) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2019/3705120 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“Recent studies have suggested that traditional Dao Yinmethods such as Tai Chi may reduce stress and modulate the inflammatory process [37, 38].”
BackgroundDistress Management Through Mind-Body Therapies in Oncology.
Carlson, L. (2017) · Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs · doi:10.1093/jncimonographs/lgx009 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“Biomarkers have also been studied, with decreases observed in inflammatory markers including gene expression (17) and steeper”
BackgroundCarlson, L. E., Zelinski, E. L., Speca, M., Balneaves, L. G., Jones, J. M., Mina, D. S., Wayne, P. M., Campbell, T. S., Giese‐Davis, J., Faris, P., et al. (2017) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2017.05.015 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
“Similarly, Bower and colleagues found significant reductions in pro-inflammatory gene expression and inflammatory signaling at post-intervention in a group mindfulness program for breast cancer survivors [98], and Irwin and colleague review a large literature supporting altered inflammation related gene expression fol…”
Kumar, R., Verma, H., Ali, M., Midha, T., Kumar, D., & Jha, S. (2025) · Ayush Journal of Integrative Oncology · doi:10.4103/ajio.ajio_12_25 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
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Self-citationCarroll, J., Nakamura, Z., Small, B., Zhou, X.-T., Cohen, H. J., Ahles, T., Ahn, J., Bethea, T., Extermann, M., Graham, D., et al. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Oncology · doi:10.1200/jco.22.00406 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Potential interventions targeting inflammation include increasing physical activity, improving sleep, reducing stress, and administering drugs that block inflammatory pathways.(64-72)”
BackgroundJärvelä-Reijonen, E., Puttonen, S., Karhunen, L., Sairanen, E., Laitinen, J., Kolehmainen, M., Pihlajamäki, J., Kujala, U. M., Korpela, R., Ermes, M., et al. (2020) · International Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12529-020-09891-8 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Pathways from childhood maltreatment to cardiometabolic disease: a research review
Baldwin, J. R., & Danese, A. (2019) · Adoption & Fostering · doi:10.1177/0308575919856175 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“…could reduce their future risk of physical health problems and potentially also improve mental health outcomes. and emerging evidence suggests that treatments for mental health problems can lower preclinical physical health risks in maltreated children (Pace et al., 2013; Bower and Irwin, 2016).”
BackgroundLopez-Maya, E., Olmstead, R., & Irwin, M. R. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219425 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citationLiao, J., Chen, Y., Cai, L., Wang, K., Wu, S.-H., Wu, L., Song, B., Hu, M., & Hou, X. (2022) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.807531 · Cited by 26
Peres, M. F. P., Mercante, J. P. P., & de Oliveira, A. B. (2018) · Headache · doi:10.1111/head.13457 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Effects of Mind–Body Exercises on Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis
Wei, G.-X., Yang, L., Imm, K., Loprinzi, P. D., Smith, L., Zhang, X., & Yu, Q. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00819 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Hodges, S., Guler, S., Sacca, V., Vangel, M., Orr, S., Pace-Schott, E., Wen, Y., Ge, T., & Kong, J. (2022) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2022.11.013 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Qigong and Musculoskeletal Pain
Marks, R. (2019) · Current Rheumatology Reports · doi:10.1007/s11926-019-0861-6 · Cited by 25
Ma, Y., Wu, C.-W., Peng, C.-K., Ahn, A. C., Bertisch, S. M., Lipsitz, L., Yeh, G., Manor, B., Novak, V., Hausdorff, J. M., et al. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-43602-y · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Rentscher, K., Carroll, J., Juckett, M., Coe, C., Broman, A., Rathouz, P., Hematti, P., & Costanzo, E. (2021) · Journal of the National Cancer Institute · doi:10.1093/jnci/djab032 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Randomized controlled trials have also demonstrated that mind-body interventions (eg, tai chi, yoga) can improve these symptoms and decrease inflammatory signaling in cancer populations (96,97).”
BackgroundRomero-García, P. A., Ramírez-Pérez, S., Miguel-González, J. J., Guzmán-Silahua, S., Castañeda-Moreno, J. A., Komninou, S., & Rodríguez-Lara, S. (2024) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare12151547 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“The aforementioned systemic changes can be molecularly explained by a yoga-induced decrease in NF-κ B activity and the activation of glucocorticoid receptors; as a consequence, the heart rate decreases, tissular perfusion increases, and the overall mood is enhanced [40,94].”
InfluentialQiao, H., Hao, X., & Wang, G. (2024) · BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders · doi:10.1186/s12891-024-07278-4 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Tai chi, yoga, and baduanjin are the three most popular forms of mind–body exercise; researchers have examined their effects on biological processes and responses such as inflammation [8].”
BackgroundYoga and Qigong for Health: Two Sides of the Same Coin?
Boaventura, P., Jaconiano, S., & Ribeiro, F. (2022) · Behavioral Science · doi:10.3390/bs12070222 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Several conditions that are responsive to yoga and qigong practices, such as fatigue, depression, and pain, comprise inflammatory processes [24], which may explain researchers’ growing interest in the impact of MBTs on inflammatory markers [25,26].”
BackgroundInfluentialBottaccioli, A., Bologna, M., & Bottaccioli, F. (2022) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms23073932 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“A review by Bower and Irwin, which touched on 26 different studies [153], analyzed the effects of mind–body techniques on some inflammatory markers, such as PCR, noting that tai chi, qi gong, and yoga are more likely to reduce their levels; it is important to underline that at least one half of the results are derived…”
BackgroundJung, S.-E., Ha, D.-J., Park, J.-H., Lee, B., Kim, M., Sim, K.-L., Choi, Y.-H., & Kwon, C.-Y. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18168855 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Studies examining the biological mechanisms of mind-body modalities have confirmed that these treatments have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties [10,11] that may be related to enhanced neurogenesis and neuroplasticity [12].”
BackgroundJiang, T.-Y., Hou, J.-H., Sun, R., Dai, L.-L., Wang, W., Wu, H., Zhang, T., & Su, B. (2020) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/abm/kaaa084 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Maternal Sleep in Pregnancy and Postpartum Part II: Biomechanisms and Intervention Strategies
Carroll, J., Teti, D., Hall, M., & Christian, L. (2019) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-019-1000-9 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Feltes, P. K., de Vries, E. D., Juárez-Orozco, L., Kurtys, E., Dierckx, R., Moriguchi-Jeckel, C., & Doorduin, J. (2017) · Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · doi:10.1177/0271678x17747189 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bower, J. E., & Irwin, M. R.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bower, Julienne E.
- Venue
- Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-01
- Volume
- 51
- Pages
- 1-11
- ISSN
- 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4679419
- OpenAlex
- W758061270
- Cited by
- 388
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 50 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 47 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 2.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000124)
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG026364, R01AG034588, P30AG028748)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL079955, R01HL095799)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA032922)
- National Cancer Institute (R01CA160245, R01CA160427, R01CA119159)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Biofield Effects and Biophysics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- mind-body interventions, inflammation, Tai Chi, qigong, yoga, meditation, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, cytokine production, NF-κB signaling, inflammatory gene expression, neuroendocrine mechanisms, quality of life
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, C-Reactive Protein, Female, Humans, Inflammation, Male, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Yoga, Gene Expression, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Cytokines, Treatment Outcome, Inflammation Mediators, Meditation, Tai Ji, Mind-Body Therapies, Young Adult
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