Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons^™

Mind And Body Training To Improve Functioning And Coping With Chronic Pain: A Pilot Study, Olga Valieva, Leah M. Welsh, Betty Amuzu, Niraj Nijhawan, Jessica J.F. Kram

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Patients with chronic pain are often crippled by psychological distress, depression and fear. These patients also can develop altered pain perception, with enhanced brain activity in pain-responsive regions and those associated with anxiety/depression. Exercise and meditation can impact pain-reducing brain areas and positively influence pain characteristics.

Purpose: To alter pain center activity by reducing the activation of the higher brain and deactivation of the lower brain with somatocognitive and meditative practices, with secondary aim of reducing anxiety/depression and improve overall quality of life.

Methods: We conducted a pilot study on mentally competent adult women with stable chronic pain who …

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction And Transcendental Meditation: Current State Of Research, Adam Holt

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

This article summarizes the current state of meditation research, specifically focusing on mindfulness-based stress reduction and transcendental meditation. Despite significant methodological problems with the studies reported to date on the subject, there is consistent evidence that meditation can produce changes in the nervous system and physiology of the meditator, and can help with various psychological markers of well-being. Regarding improvement in specific clinical diseases, research is generally mixed and preliminary. Strong recommendations cannot be made based on current evidence, and further studies are needed. In general, there is a stronger body of evidence supporting mindfulness-based stress reduction than for transcendental …