Mindful Meditation Might Ease Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Study found symptoms reduced far more with meditation
than with therapy
By Ellin Holohan
MONDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News)
A simple meditation technique can help ease the torment suffered by people with a chronic bowel disease, a new study has found.
The research, done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that women with irritable bowel syndrome who practiced "mindful meditation" had more than a 38 percent reduction in symptoms, far surpassing a nearly 12 percent reduction for women who participated in a traditional support group.
Moreover, meditation helped reduce psychological distress and improved quality of life, the study found.
One of the study authors said the practice, based on a Buddhist meditative technique, "empowers" patients to deal with an illness that is difficult to treat.
Mindful meditation helps practitioners relax by focusing on the moment, paying attention to breathing, the body and thoughts as they occur, without judgment.
"It's a different way of using the mind and being aware," said Palsson. He noted that more than 200 hospitals around the country offer the mindfulness meditation training program.
The technique takes discipline to learn, but "becomes second nature after a while," said Palsson, adding, "this is not a clinical treatment, it's more educational.".
One group participated in a mindfulness meditation training session and the other in a traditional support group, both for eight weeks.
But at the end of eight weeks, the meditation group had a 26.4 percent reduction in "overall severity of symptoms" compared to a 6.2 percent reduction in the support group.
By the end of three months, the disparity persisted as improvement increased to a 38.2 percent reduction in symptoms for the meditation group vs. a 11.8 percent reduction for the therapy group, the study found.
The study authors also noted that mindful meditation was inexpensive and widely available.
One expert praised the research results as original and powerful.
To learn more about meditation, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Source:
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/digestive-disorders/articles/2011/05/09/mindful-meditation-might-ease-irritable-bowel-syndrome?PageNr=1
Study found symptoms reduced far more with meditation
than with therapy
By Ellin Holohan
MONDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News)
A simple meditation technique can help ease the torment suffered by people with a chronic bowel disease, a new study has found.
The research, done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that women with irritable bowel syndrome who practiced "mindful meditation" had more than a 38 percent reduction in symptoms, far surpassing a nearly 12 percent reduction for women who participated in a traditional support group.
Moreover, meditation helped reduce psychological distress and improved quality of life, the study found.
One of the study authors said the practice, based on a Buddhist meditative technique, "empowers" patients to deal with an illness that is difficult to treat.
Mindful meditation helps practitioners relax by focusing on the moment, paying attention to breathing, the body and thoughts as they occur, without judgment.
"It's a different way of using the mind and being aware," said Palsson. He noted that more than 200 hospitals around the country offer the mindfulness meditation training program.
The technique takes discipline to learn, but "becomes second nature after a while," said Palsson, adding, "this is not a clinical treatment, it's more educational.".
One group participated in a mindfulness meditation training session and the other in a traditional support group, both for eight weeks.
But at the end of eight weeks, the meditation group had a 26.4 percent reduction in "overall severity of symptoms" compared to a 6.2 percent reduction in the support group.
By the end of three months, the disparity persisted as improvement increased to a 38.2 percent reduction in symptoms for the meditation group vs. a 11.8 percent reduction for the therapy group, the study found.
The study authors also noted that mindful meditation was inexpensive and widely available.
One expert praised the research results as original and powerful.
Introduction
"Meditation is a mind-body practice in complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM). There are many types of meditation, most of which originated in
ancient religious and spiritual traditions. Generally, a person who is
meditating uses certain techniques, such as a specific posture, focused
attention, and an open attitude toward distractions.
Meditation may be
practiced for many reasons, such as to increase calmness and physical
relaxation, to improve psychological balance, to cope with illness, or
to enhance overall health and well-being.
This Backgrounder provides a
general introduction to meditation and suggests some resources for
more information."
Source:
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/digestive-disorders/articles/2011/05/09/mindful-meditation-might-ease-irritable-bowel-syndrome?PageNr=1
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