Doctor - Will Meditation Help My Arthritis?

By: Nathan Wei
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:19:05
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Many alternative or complementary therapies have been examined to determine their effectiveness for arthritis. The problem is that research studies often present with conflicting results. Some studies are positive and others are negative. That has been found to be the case for treatments such as acupuncture, nutritional supplements, homeopathy, etc.
A recent research study concluded that meditation reduced psychological distress and led to a small reduction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity. The improvement in disease activity was accompanied by a statistically significant fall in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a blood marker of inflammation.

The study was conducted at the University of Maryland’s Center for Integrated Medicine. And the results were presented at the 2005 annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology held in San Diego, California.

Trial design had patients meditating for an hour each day for six days a week. Patients were compliant, with 85% still using the program at six months. The intervention was safe with no adverse events.

The actual treatment group had classes lasting 2.5 hours once a week for eight weeks and were asked to practice for 45 minutes to an hour each day for six days a week. The control group did not have “treatments.” Both groups continued with all their usual medications and were well-matched as far as drug therapy (75% were on disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, 16% on biologics, 32% on steroids, and 51% on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). There were a total of 63 patients, mostly female and well educated.

At the beginning of the study, both groups had similar levels of psychological distress (measured by the Symptom Checklist-90, which covers symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, hostility, and interpersonal relationships). Both groups also had a similar level of RA disease activity.

The treatment group showed a 30% reduction in psychological distress at 10 weeks (compared with a 10% reduction in the control group) and a 33% reduction (compared with 2%) at 24 weeks. Both reductions in the intervention group were statistically significant.

RA disease activity showed no change in either group at week 10, but by week 24 the intervention group showed a reduction of 11%, compared with no change in the control group. What was deemed particularly interesting was that the fall in disease activity was accompanied by a reduction in ESR—this fell by 23% by week 10 and by 33% by week 24, while the control group members showed a worsening for this specific test.

All in all, meditation is cheap, safe, and appears to be effective (until the next study comes along...) Obviously, a person needs to be receptive to this form of treatment.

Dr. Wei (pronounced “way”) is a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the nationally respected Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and has served as a consultant to the Arthritis Branch of the National Institutes of Health. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians. For more information on arthritis and related conditions, go to: http://www.arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Meditation category

  • About Meditation to Improve Mental and Physical Health - By: Knut Holt
    Here you find a general definition of meditation, and an easy meditation technique is explained.
  • Headache and Migraine Article in Frontline - By: Dean Watson
    The article talks about Experiences, Discovery, Treatments about Headache, Migraine by Dean Watson. Hope you enjoy!
  • Healing Purposely with Reiki - By: Samantha Hall
    Reiki can be a powerful tool for personal growth and healing. The energy of Reiki originates from the ultimate spiritual source. As such, it creates only the best results. Reiki is used to heal the spirit, mind, and body. It is also used to guide one's life. Use it to develop your talents. Improve yourself and everything else around you. These are just some of the practical applications of Reiki the moment you choose to be attuned to it.
  • Medicine Reiki, a Perfect Union of East and West - By: Samantha Hall
    The bear and the eagle, Father Sun and Mother Earth. Nope, this is not an animal or environmental write-up. But rather, this short write-up is about Native American medicine practices and how it can be combined with another Eastern technique called Reiki to come up with a healing method that channels the life force energies of everything that surrounds us.
  • Self-Healing with Reiki - By: Samantha Hall
    Reiki can be used to heal others. But more importantly, it can very well be used to heal your own self. There are many ways you can do so.
  • Message from the Heavens: Celestial Reiki - By: Samantha Hall
    Let's break the concept down into simpler explanations. If you don't know what Reiki is, in a nutshell, it is a technique or a spiritual practice that is used to heal. In simpler terms the practice reduces stress and induces deep relaxation, among other benefits.
  • Reiki Healing with Music Sessions - By: Samantha Hall
    Reiki which is pronounced as Ray Key is a holistic healing system that uses universal energy to heal an individual. In order for this to work, you have to be trained by a Reiki master. Since its rediscovery in the early 1900's, various forms have evolved and some of them use Reiki music.
  • Radical Reiki Healing with Feiki Reiki - By: Samantha Hall
    Reiki is an ancient method of healing that has been used for centuries. Since it's reintroduction in the early 20th century, various methods have been produced and one of them although considered by some as radical is called Feiki Reiki.
  • 5 Common Myths about Reiki - By: Samantha Hall
    Many people often misunderstand the Reiki or healing with energy. In this article we will be looking into 5 common myths about Reiki and how you can align yourself with the highest degree of healing.
  • Using Reiki for Stress Management - By: Samantha Hall
    Reiki, which is pronounced as 'Ray Key' is a well-known natural energy healing process, which employs the use of 'laying on' of hands in order to enhance and improve the overall health of a person and help him balance the life force energy.