Abstract
Induced vasodilation by classical conditioning was compared to biofeedback therapy as treatment for idiopathic Raynaud's disease. Classical conditioning therapy consisted of 54 10-min immersions of both hands in water (43° C) simultaneously with whole-body exposure to cold air (0°C), given three times per day, 3 days per week, for 6 weeks. Biofeedback therapy consisted of eight sessions of electromyograph feedback (frontalis) while listening to relaxation tapes, followed by 10 sessions of digital thermal feedback while listening to relaxation tapes. Both groups received 10-min cold stress tests of whole-body exposure to 0°C before and after treatments. Results indicated that both therapies significantly increased the digital temperature response to cold. Although no differences between classical conditioning and biofeedback were found at the end of training, a 1-year follow-up indicated that classical conditioning was more effective.
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This work was presented in part at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, August 1984.
The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this report are those of the authors and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other official documentation.
Human subjects participated in this study after giving their free and informed voluntary consent. Investigators adhered to Army Regulation 70-25 and United States Army Medical Research and Development Command Regulation 70-25 on Use of Volunteers in Research. The study protocol was approved by the USARIEM and USAMRDC human use review committees.
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Jobe, J.B., Sampson, J.B., Roberts, D.E. et al. Comparison of behavioral treatments for Raynaud's disease. J Behav Med 9, 89–96 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844647
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844647