Meditation and Mindfulness May Be as Effective as Medication for Treating Certain Conditions

Many people look to diet trends or new exercise regimens – often with questionable benefit – to get a healthier start on the new year. But there is one strategy that’s been shown time and again to boost both mood and health: meditation.

In late 2022, a high-profile study It made headlines when it claimed meditation could work as well as Lexapro, a popular drug for anxiety treatment. Similar evidence has been found over the past two decades. mindfulness and meditation’s broad array of health benefits, for purposes ranging from stress and pain reduction To depression treatments To boosting brain health Helping to manage excess inflammation and long COVID-19.

It can be difficult to assess the scientific evidence and determine how reliable it is, despite the growing body of evidence supporting meditation’s health benefits.

I am a neuroscientist studying the effects of stress and trauma On brain development in children and adolescents. Meditation, mindfulness, and meditation are also topics I am interested in. exercise Can positively impact brain development and mental wellbeing in youth.

I am very excited about how meditation can be used as a tool to provide powerful new insights into the ways the mind and brain work, and to fundamentally change a person’s outlook on life. As a mental health researcher, meditation is a promising tool for improving health. It can be easily integrated into your daily life.

Meditation requires some training, discipline and practice – which are not always easy to come by. It is possible to attain it with the right tools and strategies.

What are Mindfulness & Meditation?

There are many forms of meditation, but mindfulness is the most widely practiced. Fundamentally, mindfulness can be described as a state of mind. mental state According to Jon Kabat-Zinn A renowned expert on mindfulness-based practices, “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

This means that you should not dwell on the past or worry about the future. Living in the present and focusing on the present has many benefits. elevating mood, reducing anxiety, lessening pain Potentially improving cognitive performance.

Mindfulness can be learned and practiced over time. The goal is that, with repetition, the benefits of practicing mindfulness carry over into everyday life – when you aren’t actively meditating. For example, if you learn that you aren’t defined by an emotion that arises transiently, like anger, then it may be harder to stay angry for long.

Increased levels of magnesium are believed to be the key to meditation and other stress reduction strategies. overall mindfulness By practicing. You can also find elements of mindfulness in yoga, martial arts, and dance. These practices require you to focus your attention and practice discipline.

It is impossible to list all the evidence that supports meditation’s health benefits. These studies, however, are only a few of the best. highest-quality and most rigorous summaries There is a lot of scientific data available on this topic. Many of these include systematic reviews or meta-analyses which combine multiple studies on a particular topic.

Stress and mental health

Mindfulness-based programs have been shown in various populations to reduce stress. caregivers of people living with dementia To children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Studies published during the pandemic showed that mindfulness programs were effective in reducing stress. symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder And depression – including the particularly vulnerable time during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

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Mindfulness-based programs can also be used to treat anxiety disorders. This is the most common mental disorder, with an estimated 250,000 people. 301 million people globally. Although effective treatment options for anxiety are available, many patients don’t have the means to access them. They may not have transportation or insurance.

It’s important to note, however, that for those affected by mental or substance use disorders, mindfulness-based approaches should not replace first-line treatments like medicine and psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Mindfulness strategies can be used as an addition to evidence-based treatments, and to support healthy lifestyle choices like exercise and healthy eating.

What is Meditation? The Brain: A View into the Brain

Studies have shown that regular meditation results in better attention control, improved heart rate control, and easier breathing. autonomic nervous system functioningThis regulates involuntary reactions in the body such as blood pressure. Meditation is also proven to improve concentration and mood.
lower levels of cortisol – a hormone involved in the stress response – than those who don’t.

Recent systematic reviews of neuroimaging studies have shown that meditation with focused attention is linked to increased focus. functional changes in several brain regions Cognitive control and emotion-related process. A review found that more experienced meditation practitioners had greater activation of brain regions involved with these cognitive and emotional processes. This suggests that practice can improve brain benefits.

Regular meditation practice could also prove beneficial. stave off age-related thinning of the cerebral cortexThis may protect against cognitive impairment and age-related diseases.

Limitations of meditation research

This research does have limits. These include a lack or consistent definition of the types of programs that are used and a lack in rigorously controlled studies. In gold-standard randomized controlled trials with medications, study participants don’t know whether they are getting the active drug or a placebo.

Participants in mindfulness-based interventions are able to identify the condition they are placed in and what it is. “blinded,” So they might expect some of the health benefits to happen to them. This creates an expectation, which can sometimes be confusing in studies. Many meditation studies also don’t frequently include a control group, which is needed to assess how it compares with other treatments.

Benefits and wider applications

Mindfulness-based programs can be easier to access than medication and may have fewer side effect. However, medication and psychotherapy – particularly cognitive behavioral therapy – work well for many, and a combination approach may be best. Mindfulness-based interventions are more cost-effective than traditional care and produce better health outcomes, particularly for older people. high-risk patient populations – so there are economic benefits as well.

Researchers are looking at ways to deliver mindfulness tools via a smartphone or computer app or virtual reality. more effective It is cheaper than regular in-person meditation training.

Mindfulness isn’t just for people with mental or physical health issues. You can use these strategies to reduce your risk of getting sick and enjoy the health benefits that come with everyday living, like better sleep, cognitive performance, higher mood, and lower stress levels.

How do I get started?

Many universities and fitness centers offer meditation classes in-person. There are more than 600 meditation classes available for those who want to find out if meditation can be used to treat a mental or physical condition. clinical trials Currently, we are looking for participants to help with various conditions such as cancer, pain, and depression.

Many free videos online offer meditations that you can do from the comfort of your own home. Headspace, for example, is promising with its randomized controlled trial. showing benefits for users.

It is the hardest part, however, to get started. However, if you set an alarm to practice every day, it will become a habit and may even translate into everyday life – which is the ultimate goal. Some people take some time to get used to this, while others might see the results in a matter of weeks. Even a single five-minute session Can have positive effects on your health.

Hilary A. MarusakAssistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences Wayne State University This article has been republished from The Conversation Use the Creative Commons license Please read the original article.

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