Prevent acute lung infections with meditation or exercise
In a study that gives mental health a whole new meaning, researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, have found that people who engaged in mindfulness meditation had fewer, milder respiratory infections due to flu than people who didn’t.
The small study was designed to test the theory that boosting physical and mental health might offer protection against common flu viruses. Funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine the study was published in the July/August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
The researchers randomly assigned 154 adults aged 50 and older to one of three groups. The meditation group
received training in a type of meditation that emphasizes increased awareness of physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms of stress. The exercise group trained on moderately intensive stationary bicycles, treadmills and other exercise equipment. During group sessions exercise groups walked briskly or jogged for 2.5 hours each week in addition to 45 minutes of daily exercise at home. The third group, called a control group was enrolled in the study but did not undergo an intervention.
Of the 149 participants who finished the study, 27 people experienced episodes of acute respiratory infections totaling 257 days in the meditation group. That compared to 26 episodes lasting a total of 241 days in the exercise group. The non-intervention group experienced 40 episodes of infections lasting a total of 453 days.
The infection severity was measured by a combination of scores on a standardized questionnaire, number of work days missed, and a nasal wash within three days of symptom onset that was measured for the presence of two types of infection-fighting white blood cells and viral particles. In addition, participants also reported any visits to health care facilities or missed work or school activities.
The results showed a substantial reduction in acute respiratory illness among those who practiced meditation and exercised. While the differences between the groups were considered clinically significant, they did not reach statistical significance, meaning they could not rule out chance as a possible explanation for the differences between groups.
Nevertheless compared to the control group there 48 percent fewer days of work missed in the exercise
group and 76 percent fewer in the meditation group. The researchers noted that in previous flu prevention studies only hand-washing has been shown to be more effective than the meditation practiced in this study for preventing acute respiratory infections.
University of Wisconsin study shows clinically significant benefits.
Of course, much larger, longer studies will be needed to confirm these findings.
In the meantime Shambhala Wellness offers meditation classes at the end of each Yoga practice and during special workshops each month.
Check our schedule for more info about the dates and times; http://shambhalawellness.com/event-calendar/