Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.)
August 2, 2024
Jeremy P Steen, Vivek Kannan, Abdullah Zaidi et al.
15 citations
A systematic review of 27 studies (22 randomized controlled trials and 5 quasi-experimental studies) examined mind-body therapies for adults with fibromyalgia. Most therapies—guided imagery, qi gong, tai chi, biofeedback, yoga, mindfulness awareness training, and progressive muscle relaxation—showed significant improvements in pain at the end of treatment in at least one study. Multiple studies on guided imagery, qi gong, and tai chi also reported improvements in fatigue, multidimensional function, and sleep. About one-third of the studies reported adverse events. The evidence suggests mind-body therapies are potentially beneficial, but more research is needed to determine if effects persist.
Journal of integrative and complementary medicine
June 1, 2024
Hannah Maja Figura, Felix Joyonto Saha, Sonja Seibt et al.
A 21-day online meditation course based on the expansion method showed potentially beneficial effects on mental health, with medium-sized improvements in mental health, flourishing, and negative affect after one month, and small improvements in physical health, stress, positive affect, self-efficacy, spirituality, and mysticism at three months. The study included 359 participants, mostly German women with an average age of 51, and the course content was positively evaluated. These findings suggest the intervention may support mental health, but randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm effectiveness.
Frontiers in psychology
January 1, 2023
Romy Lauche, Dennis Anheyer, Lisa A Uebelacker et al.
Among 7,186 Australian women aged 36-43, 27.5% practiced yoga or meditation. Perceived stress partially explained the link between negative life events and depressive symptoms, but yoga/meditation did not reduce that stress. Instead, yoga/meditation directly weakened the connection between negative life events and depression, acting as a buffer. Social support and optimism also moderated the stress-depression link. The findings suggest yoga/meditation may help protect against depression after negative events, though the mechanism remains unclear.