DAILY MEDITATION MAY REDUCE MIGRAINE PAIN
For those suffering
from migraine attacks, daily meditation might be a good idea for instant
relief.
During a small study,
researchers assessed the safety, feasibility and effects of a standardised
meditation and yoga intervention called mindfulness-based stress reduction
(MBSR) in adults with migraines.
Nineteen adults were
assigned to two groups with 10 receiving the MBSR intervention and nine
receiving standard medical care.
The participants
attended eight weekly classes to learn MBSR techniques and were instructed to
practice 45 minutes on their own at least five additional days per week.
“We found that MBSR
participants had trends of fewer migraines that were less severe,” said Rebecca
Erwin Wells, an assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical
Centre in North Carolina.
Secondary effects
included headaches that were shorter in duration and less disabling.
Participants had
increases in mindfulness and self-efficacy - a sense of personal control over
migraine pain.
“In addition, there
were no adverse events and excellent adherence,” Wells reported.
Specifically, the MBSR
participants had 1.4 fewer migraines per month that were less severe.
The participants'
headaches were significantly shorter as compared to the control group.
“MBSR is a safe and
feasible therapy for adults with migraines. Although the sample size of this
pilot study was small, secondary outcomes demonstrated this intervention had a
beneficial effect on headache duration, disability, self-efficacy and
mindfulness,” researchers concluded.
The paper was
published online in the journal Headache.
Comments
Post a Comment