Scientific evidence

Chronic Diseases

Research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has shown significant growth in the field of chronic diseases. Among the most notable are Mindfulness-Based Pain Management (MBPM) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

More than

scientific articles each year investigating the effects of mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness, meditation, conscious breathing & chronic diseases

Abstracts of scientific articles

Ninety patients with chronic pain were trained in mindfulness meditation in a 10-week Stress Reduction and Relaxation Programme. Statistically significant reductions were observed in measures of present moment pain, negative body image, pain-related activity inhibition, symptoms, mood disturbance and psychological symptomatology, including anxiety and depression. Pain-related medication use decreased and activity levels and feelings of self-esteem increased. Improvement appeared to be independent of gender, referral source and type of pain.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3897551/

Hypertension and prehypertension have been widely recognised as major contributors to global mortality. Evidence shows that mindfulness-based interventions can reduce blood pressure and improve mental health. The results provide evidence for the positive role of mindfulness-based interventions in the management of hypertension.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16262547/

Mindfulness remission and response rates were maintained from post-treatment to follow-up, showing the highest rates of treatment remission (50%) and response (78.6%) at the 6-month follow-up. Mindfulness meditation appears to be a viable treatment option for adults with chronic insomnia and could provide an alternative to traditional treatments for insomnia.

https://watermark.silverchair.com/aasm.37.9.1553.pdf

Studies indicate that MBSR and MBCT have broad-spectrum antidepressant and anxiolytic effects, and decrease overall psychological distress. Evidence suggests that both MBSR and MBCT have efficacy as complementary interventions for anxiety symptoms. MBSR is beneficial for general psychological health and stress management in those with medical and psychiatric illnesses, as well as in healthy individuals. Finally, MBSR and Zen meditation have a role in pain management.

https://journals.lww.com/practicalpsychiatry/abstract/2012/07000/mindfulness_based_stress_reduction,.2.aspx

The dominant pain categories were low back pain, neck and shoulder pain, and headache. Facial pain, angina, non-coronary chest pain and gastrointestinal pain were also represented. At 10 weeks, 65% of patients showed a reduction in the total pain index (Melzack) greater than or equal to 33%, and 50% showed a reduction greater than or equal to 50%. Similar decreases were recorded in other pain indices and in the number of reported medical symptoms. These changes were accompanied by large and significant reductions in mood disturbance and psychiatric symptomatology, and were relatively stable at follow-up.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32384422/

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.
Allen Saunders

Don’t wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.
Vivian Greene

The only way to live is to accept every minute as an unrepeatable miracle.
Tara Brach

The little things? The little moments?
They are not small.
Jon Kabat-Zinn

Life is only available in the present moment.
Thich Nhat Hanh

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