Safe and a week-long spa can have a positive effect on one’s physical
and emotional well-being, shows study.
New research from Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital evaluated 15 participants before and after their
visit to We Care Spa, a health and wellness spa in Desert Hot Springs
California, and found the program safe and helped to improve the participants’
health. Their complete findings will be available in the December issue of
Integrative Medicine, A Clinician’s Journal.
“Programs such as these have
never before been formally evaluated for their safety and physiological
effects,” says Andrew Newberg, MD, director of research at the Jefferson-Myrna
Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and lead author on the study. The authors’
pilot study is one of the first to attach scientific data to the outcomes of a
health and wellness spa stay.
The week-long program included
diet modification, meditation and colonic hydrotherapy, voluntarily
participation in low-risk hatha and Vishnu flow-yoga programs, and a juice-fast
cleansing very low calorie diet of approximately 800 calories per day. Stress
management was provided through daily structured meditation and yoga programs
as well as time for personal meditation encouraging deep breathing, heightened
awareness and a calming effect.
In preparation, participants were
asked to modify their diet three to four days prior to arrival by replacing a
normal diet with fruit, sprouts, raw and steamed vegetables, salads,
vegetables, herbal teas, prune juice in the morning, laxative teas or herbal
laxatives nightly and avoiding pasta, meat, cheese, caffeine, alcohol and
processed foods.
The participants, 13 women and
two men between the ages of 21 and 85, with no history of significant medical,
neurological or psychological conditions each underwent a physical evaluation
including weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure and an EKG
test. They also received a complete blood count (CBC), liver function tests,
tests measuring cholesterol and triglycerides, thyroid hormone testing, and the
concentration of metals such as mercury and lead. In addition, psychological
and spiritual measures before and after their arrival were measured.
An evaluation of the results
showed that undergoing a spa program resulted in a weight decline of an average
of 6.8 lbs., a 7.7 percent decrease in diastolic blood pressure as well as a
decrease in mercury, sodium and chloride levels and a 5.2 percent decline in
cholesterol level and mean BMI. Cholesterol level decline seemed to be
curiously associated with a decline in HDL’s, the good-for-you high density
lipoproteins, which is of some concern, though they remained within the range
regarded as beneficial. Hemoglobin increased 5.9 percent. No statistically
significant changes in liver or thyroid function and no EKG changes were noted.
No serious adverse effects were
reported by any individual, but the study noted changes in the participants’
sodium and chloride concentrations, suggesting that those interested in going
to a spa program should check with their physician to make sure they do not
have any medical problems or medications that could put them at risk for
electrolyte disturbances.
Improvements in anger, tension,
vigor, fatigue and confusion were also noted as was a statistically significant
improvement in anxiety and depression levels measured by the Speilberger
Anxiety Scale and the Beck Depression Index. Participants also reported
significant changes in their feelings about spirituality and religiosity.
While beneficial, it is not
possible to differentiate the effects of each of the individual elements of the
program to determine which components were responsible for the changes
observed. “This,” says Newberg “will require an evaluation of one or more
elements—such as yoga, very low calorie diet or colonics—in isolation to
determine which elements have the most significant effects.” In the future
Newberg and colleagues look to study the effects of a spa stay on specific
disease population, i.e. diabetics. The authors also encourage spa participants
to consult their physician before attending this or similar programs and
research the center vigorously for safety and efficaciousness.
Source: Eurekalert
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