Shamanic Healing for Women With Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMDs)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 1

Conditions: Temporomandibular Disorders

Treatments: Procedure: shamanic healing

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: NIH

Identifiers

NCT00071474

R21AT000951-01A2

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a Phase I study to examine the feasibility and safety of shamanic (spiritual) healing for treating temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs).

Full description

Traditional systems of healing, such as shamanism, do not readily lend themselves to conventional research methods, yet studying their effectiveness is especially germane in the case of chronic conditions that involve an emotional component and that elude allopathic treatment regimens. Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs), which affect up to 10% of the adult population, are a prime example of such conditions. Traditional treatment outcomes for TMD pain are often unsatisfactory. Moreover, in women age 25-55 (the age-sex group most affected), TMD is often found in association with depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal symptoms, frequent infection,and fibromyalgia. Because these multiple and complex symptoms suggest a loss of spirit or life energy, they may be particularly susceptible to treatment by shamanic (spiritual) healing, which aims to bring disturbed physical, mental, and emotional systems into balance. This phase I study will develop methods to evaluate shamanic healing as an intervention for TMD and will evaluate the feasibility of conducting randomized clinical trials of shamanic healing.

Sex: Female

Ages: 25 to 55 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Females Age 25-55
• TMD Research Diagnosis Criteria (RDC) clinical diagnosis of myofacial pain with or without disc displacement, arthralgia, arthritis, or arthosis
• Three or more significant systemic conditions, e.g. depression, fibromyalgia, GI or reproductive disturbances, upper respiratory problems, etc. in the preceding 2 years.

Exclusion criteria

• Diagnosed organic or medication induced major mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar)
• Other neurological diagnoses (epilepsy, Parkinsons)
• Pregnancy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)