"Does Participatory Decision Making Improve Hypertension Self-Care Behaviors and Outcomes?"
Alex Cho, MD; Corrine Voils, PhD; William Yancy, Jr., MD, MHS; Eugene Oddone, MD, MHS; Hayden Bosworth, PhD. Journal of Clinical Hypertension, May 2007.



"PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma in Women Veterans of the Conflict in Iraq"
AmVets, Jennifer Strauss, PhD



Guided imagery—a relaxation and mental-visualization technique aimed at promotimg relaxation and well-being—has been clinically showen to help headaches, post-surgery pain, nausea from chemotherapy, and other conditions. Can it also ease the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

That question is at the core of a new VA study involving up to 36 women veterans who developed PTSD as the result of sexual trauma in the military. Some studies show that as many as 4 in 10 women were raped or otherwise

Sexually assaulted during their service, and to date more than 25,000 women in the U.S. with military sexual trauma have been identified, says principal investigator Jennifer Strauss, PhD, a psychologist and health-services research at the Durham VA Medical Center and Duke University.



Jennifer Strauss' research mentor, Mimi Butterfield, MD, MPH, a VA psychiatrist and health-services researcher, had discovered the benefits of guided imagery while battling an aggressive form of breast cancer, to which she ultimately succumbed last year.

Butterfield wrote to guided-imagery pioneer Belleruth Naparstek to thank her for her taps, which Butterfield had found useful for reducing pain and discomfort and helping her cope emotionally. The VA researcher also offered her services to help formally evaluate the therapy. Naparstek took her up on the offer, and this led to the development - with Strauss' involvement - of the audio intervention now being tested.

Strauss: "Mimi was a die-hard empiricist, but also a very creative and open-minded woman."

• Best Care Anywhere - read the article here.
  
• It's Not Your Father's VA - read the article here.
  
• The Best Medical Care in the US - read the article here.