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Written by Mita Majumdar
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Thursday, 26 June 2008
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Moment-to-moment nonjudgmental awareness is termed as mindfulness. This can be developed by cultivating attention to flow of breath, body sensations, sounds, thoughts and feelings, perceptions and impulses, one’s relationship to the world, or any number of other internal or external stimuli. Mindfulness meditation can also be developed through practice of formal meditation.
Mindfulness meditation has many health benefits. It may improve mood, reduce chronic pain, decrease stress, and boost immune function. In a placebo controlled clinical trial, 37 older adults aged 65 years and older with chronic low back pain of moderate intensity occurring daily or almost every day, were randomized to an eight-week mindfulness-based meditation program or to a wait-list control group. The meditation group meditated an average of 4.3 days a week and the average minutes per day was 31.6. The results indicated that the intervention group displayed significant improvement in the chronic pain as compared to the control group. Thus mindfulness meditation may lead to improvement in pain acceptance and physical function.
References
1. Morone NE, Greco CM, Weiner DK.: Mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults: A randomized controlled pilot study. Pain. 2007 May 31.
2. http://www.lifestages.com/health/backpain.html
3. http://www.capecodhealth.org/body.cfm?id=163
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