PULSE POINTS
Study Reports Mindfulness Meditation
May Help Reduce Back Pain
study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association indicates that
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
programs helped relieve chronic back pain
among research participants.
A total of 342 participants aged 20 to 70 years who reported
suffering from chronic back pain in the past year were divided into
three study groups. Group one was offered eight weekly sessions
of mindfulness training. Another group had to participate in eight
sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), while the last
group was asked to do the “usual care” they have been doing to
help manage their back pain.
The findings showed an estimated 44 percent of participants
who practiced mindfulness training, which included meditation,
yoga instruction and at-home CD guides, reported a meaningful
reduction in pain 26 weeks later. An estimated 45 percent in the
cognitive behavioral therapy group reported significant improvements while only 27 percent of participants who did their usual
care for back pain management reported a reduction in pain.
Daniel Cherkin, senior investigator at the Washington-based
Group Health Research Institute and lead author of the study, said
the findings further shed light to the fact that back pain is “not
just a physical problem with physical solutions.” Instead, there’s
a mental or cognitive factor to it as well.
Cherkin also highlights the fact that there’s a lack of medical
“cure” for chronic back pain. As a result, medical professionals
resort to prescribing pain prescriptions more often than they
should. Based on this study’s findings, mindfulness programs
may give medical professionals an alternative other than
prescribing pills to patients.
Although more research still needs to be conducted to further
understand how long the pain relief lasts while on mindfulness
programs, the study shows promising evidence that MBSR works
in helping patients manage chronic pain. This also presents an
opportunity for the spa industry to help bridge the gap and work
closely with those in the conventional medical health industry in
order to better provide alternatives to patients with conditions
that lack medical cure. Build connections with local doctors in
your community and reach out for opportunities to partner with
them in order to provide mindfulness programs to their patients.
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September 2016