Journal of Palliative
Medicine; Sep 2016; vol. 19(9) 917-924
Ng, Chong Guan; Lai, Kiah
Tian; Tan, Seng Beng; Sulaiman, Ahmad Hatim; Zainal, Nor Zuraida
This is a randomized controlled trial involving sixty
palliative cancer patients. They were randomly assigned to
either 5 minutes of mindful breathing or normal listening arms. There was significant reduction
of perceived distress, blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing rate, and galvanic
skin response; also, significant increment of skin surface temperature in the
5-minute MB group. The changes in the 5-minute breathing group were
significantly higher than the normal listening group. The authors conclude that five-minute MB is a
quick, easy to administer, and effective therapy for rapid reduction of
distress in palliative setting.