title: Current status of mind-body interventions for vascular complications of diabetes.
abstract: Impaired peripheral blood flow causes complications, disabilities, expenses, and deaths among persons with diabetes mellitus. Many individuals suffer from lower-extremity pain, reduced functional status, and impaired quality of life. Current conventional treatments include lifestyle modification, exercise, medication, and surgery. However, these approaches are often impractical or insufficient. Thermal biofeedback, however, alone or in conjunction with other mind-body techniques, improves peripheral circulation, pain, neuropathy, ulcer healing, ambulatory activity, and quality of life. It is noninvasive, inexpensive, and consistent with community-based approaches to diabetes self-management. As an adjunct to the medical management of diabetes, thermal biofeedback may help ameliorate some of the vascular complications.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Galper
authors.forename: Ann Gill
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Cox
mesh_terms: D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology / Q000379:methods; D001775:Blood Circulation; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011603:Psychophysiology / Q000379:methods*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012648:Self Care; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D014481:United States