Concerning Emotional Freedom Technique: Edzard Ernst referred to it as "a combination of two types of BS."
https://edzardernst.com/2018/10/emotional-freedom-technique-a-combination-of-two-types-of-bs/>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Glob Adv Health Med. 2019 Feb 25;8:2164956119832500
Do Noncoding RNAs Mediate the Efficacy of Energy Psychology?
Garret Yount, PhD (1), Dawson Church, PhD (2), Kenneth Rachlin, MSEE (1), Katharina Blickheuser, MA (1,2), and Ippolito Cardonna, BS (1)
1. Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, California
2. National Institute for Integrative Healthcare, Fulton, California
Abstract
Background: There are over 100 published studies of a therapy called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). This popular form of energy psychology combines elements of established methods like cognitive therapy with acupressure. Our group reported the first evidence of its mechanisms of action at the molecular level, showing that it can influence levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Objectives: Given recent advances in molecular genomics that have identified noncoding ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules as important regulators of gene expression, the aim of this study is to explore the possibility that microRNAs play a role in mediating the effects of EFT.
Methods: We measured microRNA levels in stored blood samples from our previous study in which veterans were randomized into an EFT group receiving EFT and treatment as usual throughout a 10-week intervention period, and a control group receiving only treatment as usual during the intervention period and then receiving EFT. A broad panel of 800 microRNAs was probed using a multiplexed, direct hybridization, and detection system.
Results: All of the microRNA targets were expressed at low levels and most were below thresholds established by negative control probes. Baseline variability was determined using samples collected from the control group at the start and end of the intervention period, and used to filter out targets that were too noisy under control conditions to be able to distinguish a response to treatment. Analysis of the remaining viable targets found a general trend of reduced expression following EFT, compared to expression levels in samples from the control group during the intervention period. The most notable decreases in expression levels were found for 2 microRNAs: let-7b and let-7c, although no significance was found after adjusting for multiple comparisons.
Conclusions: These preliminary data support the feasibility of measuring microRNA expression level changes that correlate with effective EFT therapy.
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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2164956119832500Excerpts:
"The term 'energy psychology' refers to a group of therapeutic modalities that combine somatic stimulation such as eye movements and acupressure with psychological techniques. The most widely practiced form of energy psychology is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), with an estimated 20 million users worldwide.1 EFT is a noninvasive therapy that pairs the recall of emotional disturbances with manual stimulation of specific acupuncture points on the body, as identified by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Evidence supporting the efficacy of EFT has been reported in over 100 studies published peer-reviewed biomedical journals.2"
"Our team conducted the first randomized controlled trial of EFT evaluating a physiological biomarker. We measured salivary cortisol levels in healthy volunteers before and after a single session of EFT and found positive effects.7"
"A link between cortisol signaling and genomic mechanisms can be found at the level of the glucocorticoid receptor...One of the primary activities of the activated hormone-receptor complex is to move into the cell nucleus where it binds to glucocorticoid response elements in the promoter region of target nucleic acid sequences and influences their expression. These target sequences include microRNA, a type of noncoding RNA molecule.9 Numerous studies have shown that the activated glucocorticoid receptor can regulate microRNA expression either at the transcriptional level or through posttranscriptional maturation by interacting with microRNA processing factors.10 Thus, our prior empirical demonstration that EFT can influence cortisol levels7 suggests a theoretical pathway between EFT and the regulation of microRNA expression. We earlier argued that successful psychotherapeutic techniques such as EFT should be considered epigenetic interventions that produce change on the molecular level11,12 and conducted a pilot study of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels in blood samples collected from war veterans experiencing relief from symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following EFT.13 In this study, we analyze frozen blood samples collected from our previously published mRNA study to look 'upstream' of the molecular signaling pathway at microRNA expression levels."
"EFT was delivered to the participants according to The EFT Manual1,19 for approximately 1 hour, once per week for 10 weeks. Participants were given exercises to practice at home between sessions with EFT practitioners. All practitioners were certified in Clinical EFT (EFT Universe, Santa Rosa, CA), a manualized, evidence-based form of the EFT method. Treatment sessions followed the protocol described in The EFT Manual: participants compiled lists of traumatic memories in summary form, then rated their degree of emotional distress on a Likert scale ranging from 0 (no distress) to 10 (maximum distress). With the guidance of the practitioner, they then focused on each aspect of the memory while stimulating 1 of the 12 acupressure points described in The EFT Manual by tapping with their fingertips. When their self-reported emotional distress was zero or a low number, they moved on to the next memory in their list and repeated the process."
"Significant differential expression of mRNA levels for 6 genes was found when comparing expression levels before and after the intervention period in participants receiving EFT: Chemokine Receptor 3 (CXCR3), Interleukin 18 (IL18), Interleukin 10 Receptor Beta (IL10RB), Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Induced Protein 6 (TNFAIP6), Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (SELL), and Interferon Induced Transmembrane Protein 1 (IFITM1). These genes are generally known to be involved in the regulation of cellular immunity and inflammation and are associated with stress."
"Here, we present preliminary data indicating that the remediation by EFT of psychological conditions, including depression and PTSD, is associated with a trend of reduced expression levels of microRNAs. MicroRNAs are short noncoding RNA molecules of 20 to 25 nucleotides in length found in animals and plants. More than 3000 human microRNAs have been identified, and many of these have been shown to regulate the expression of protein-encoding genes. MicroRNAs regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, which means that they alter the process of gene expression at the point after genetic information is transcribed from DNA to mRNA and before the mRNA is translated into a protein."
"The 2 microRNAs we identified as being most robustly downregulated following EFT treatment, microRNAs let-7b and let-7c, belong to a family of microRNAs that was the first to be discovered in humans with roles in neurogenesis and synapse formation,30 which may underlie the neurological basis of PTSD maintenance.
"Our results with microRNAs let-7b and let-7c corroborate a recent report of decreased expression for these same 2 microRNAs being associated with decreases in depression following electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT).31"
"The notion that microRNAs let-7b and let-7c could mediate neurological changes resulting in relief from depression and other PTSD symptoms is further supported by bioinformatic analysis revealing that both these microRNAs can regulate the expression genes in the PI3k-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway.31 The PI3k-Akt-mTOR pathway is an important component in the subcellular integration of synaptic neurotransmission and neuronal cell plasticity and has been linked to PTSD in numerous animal models."
"The design of future studies will need to address the limitations of this pilot study, including the absence of an active control group receiving a treatment of demonstrated efficacy such as cognitive processing therapy. However, there is no evidence in the literature that the nonspecific effects of therapy can remediate PTSD35 and our previous cortisol study comparing a single session of EFT to a supportive interview found more than double the reduction in psychological symptoms in the EFT group.13 Another limitation of the current pilot study is the fact that no significance was found after adjusting for multiple comparisons."
