Corrections_Today_January_February_2020_Vol.82_No.1

Office of Correctional Health

Meditation is a beneficial form of CAM on mental health. One study on the beneficial effects on mood incorporated aspects of breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, silent mantra repetition, and mental imagery (Srinivasan & Breheny, 2012). Vedanta-based meditation improved depression symptoms, anxiousness, happiness, peacefulness, in addition to having positive effects on blood pressure and respiratory rates. A similar study used Sahaja yoga meditation and revealed additional benefits regarding higher quality of life and more blood pressure control (Chung, Brooks, Rai, Balk, & Rai, 2012). Buddhism-based walking meditation showed a reduction in depressive symptoms and better general improvements than a tradi- tional walking program (Prakhinkit, Suppapitiporn, Tanaka, & Suksom, 2014). Zen meditation showed marked improvements for the

elderly in regard to physiological and hormonal changes (de Fátima Rosas Marchiori et al., 2015). Many forms of meditation exist, and correctional agencies should tap into them as a resource to improve mental health. Many forms of meditation exist, and correctional agencies should tap into them as a resource to improve mental health. Benefits for cancer patients Increasing prevalence rates of cancer patients is evident in the inmate-patient population. With a focused concern of reducing the use of pain medications, individuals di- agnosed with cancer have a difficult time finding balance

quality of life. For cancer survivors, a generalized CAM program that promotes mind-body techniques and healthy lifestyle modifications resulted in a higher quality of life, as well as improving mental health and fatigue (Jeitler et al., 2017). While the focus of surgery, radiology, and chemotherapy is about prolong- ing life, these CAM interventions have been shown to improve overall qualities of life for patients (Singh & Chaturvedi, 2015). These modalities can also help cancer patients in jails and prisons increase quality of life. Benefits with substance use disorder treatment Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) should have access to CAM options, even if there is resistance. Group medical visits in a rural area were studied in the hopes to reduce opiate prescriptions (Mehl-Ma- drona, Mainguy, & Plummer, 2016). Patients were hesitant at first but eventually saw the benefits of mind- fulness, movement, guided imagery, relaxation, yoga, qigong and tai chi. One group utilized CAM options and resulted in a reduction of opiate use. They also had significant improve- ments in overall quality of life. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention of patients in a metha- done maintenance program showed continued improvements (Bowen, Somohano, Rutkie, Manuel, & Rehder, 2017). The benefits of this CAM option were evident when assessing depression, cravings, and

without succumbing to the grips of addiction to prescription pain medi- cations (Dhruva et al., 2012). For individuals undergoing chemo- therapy, a form of yoga that focuses on breath- ing techniques called pranayama was shown to be beneficial (Dhruva et al., 2012). It helped with sleep disturbance, anxiety, and mental

istock/FatCamera

66 — January/February 2020 Corrections Today