Shamanic Healing for Women With Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMDs)

January 22, 2007 updated by: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
This is a Phase I study to examine the feasibility and safety of shamanic (spiritual) healing for treating temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed 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.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

25

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Oregon
      • Portland, Oregon, United States
        • Center for Health Research, Northwest

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

23 years to 53 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Nancy Vuckovic, MD, Center for Health Research, Northwest

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

August 1, 2003

Study Completion

May 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 23, 2003

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 23, 2003

First Posted (Estimate)

October 24, 2003

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 24, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 22, 2007

Last Verified

January 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R21AT000951-01A2 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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