Coronary artery disease is the major cause of death and disability in the United States. The goal of our research for the past 20-years has been to investigate mechanisms involved in the development of cardiovascular disease and to identify potential sites for therapeutic intervention. Evidence that poor social support systems and emotional states play a major role in the development and progression of coronary artery disease is accumulating; interventions designed to address the emotional state of the patient have demonstrated beneficial effects. The rapidly growing field of psychoneuroimmunology is providing insights into potential mechanisms by which emotional health could affect physical health. There is growing interest in the use of interventional programs that include practices such as meditation and yoga that are based on Eastern spiritual philosophies. A basic premise of these philosophies is that we are interconnected through an unidentified life-force. Energy healers suggest that this life-force may be a component of emotionally supportive social interactions. They claim to be able to channel this life-force to clients, thus improving the emotional and spiritual health of the client. Several positive trials on energy healing, including two positive trials on cardiac patients, suggest that this CAM modality is worthy of further study. Cholesterol-fed rabbits provide a well-established model for evaluation of the effects of potential therapeutic agents on the development of atherosclerosis. A marked reduction in the development of lesions in rabbits receiving caring attention has been reported. In this application, we propose a pilot study using cholesterol-fed rabbits. The effect of energy healing treatments on lesion development will be investigated. Should these studies provide evidence for beneficial effects, the availability of an animal model would allow the design of future studies in which effects on physiological markers, sites of action, or important features of delivery of energy healing could be investigated in detail.
The Specific Aims of the present application are: 1) to evaluate the possibility that energy healing treatments may decrease the progression of atherosclerosis in a rabbit model of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis, 2) to evaluate the possibility that energy healing treatments may decrease markers of neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous system activation in a rabbit model of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis 3) to evaluate the possibility that energy healing treatments can minimize the activation of endothelial cell gene transcription in a rabbit model of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis.
