New Studies Support the Therapeutic Value of Meditation

Article Outline

• Alzheimer’s Study
• Mental Training Study
• Other Recent Studies
• Integrative Medicine Consult Service Established at the NIH Clinical Center
• Teleosis Institute Launches Green Pharmacy Campaign
• Measuring Pharmaceutical Company Influence in Medical Schools
• WHO Analysis Shows the Impact of Environmental Factors on Health
• Biography
• Copyright

Although most savvy healthcare providers are familiar with the use of mindfulness meditation as a successful intervention for stress and anxiety reduction, new research is demonstrating that there are other important health-related benefits to be derived from the various forms of this ancient practice.

Most recently, a presentation made at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia in Washington, DC in June 2007, revealed the results from a University of Pennsylvania study, which demonstrated that the daily practice of Kirtan Kriya meditation can improve cognitive function among individuals with memory complaints.

In May 2007, Richard Davidson, PhD, and colleagues published the findings of their investigation into the impacts of vipassana, a Buddhist meditation that focuses on reducing mental distraction and improving sensory awareness. This study, which was published in the May 8, 2007, issue of PLoS Biology, found that three months of intense “insight meditation” training can sharpen a person’s brain and help them notice details they might otherwise miss.

Both of these new findings add to the growing body of research demonstrating that the different meditation disciplines not only improve the mind but may also help treat conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s.

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Alzheimer’s Study 

The subjects in the University of Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s study ranged in age from 52 to 70 and had either a history of memory complaints or a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. A series of neurological and memory tests and a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan, a brain imaging technique that measures cerebral blood flow, were conducted on each subject. Following the initial tests, subjects were taught the techniques of Kirtan Kriya, a meditation from the kundalini yoga tradition, and instructed to practice a 12-minute meditation each day for eight weeks.

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• A SPECT scan from the study, showing significant increases in blood flow to the posterior cingulate gyrus, the region of the brain associated with learning and memory.

Although follow-up testing confirmed statistically significant improvements in memory among all of the study’s subjects, the most significant outcome of the study was the contrast between the pretraining and posttraining SPECT scans. Follow-up scans showed significant increases in blood flow to the posterior cingulate gyrus, the region of the brain associated with learning and memory. The posterior cingulate gyrus is the first region of the brain to decline in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“This exciting study confirms what we have been observing in clinical practice for many years, that meditation is one of the most effective tools to address memory loss,” said Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, president and medical director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, the sponsor of the study. “While we are planning additional research in this area, we can say today with confidence that daily meditation is recommended as part of an integrated brain longevity strategy to delay and possibly even prevent cognitive decline.”

Andrew Newberg, MD, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the study’s principal investigator, concurred. “For the first time, we are seeing scientific evidence that meditation enables the brain to actually strengthen itself, and battle the processes working to weaken it,” he said. “If this kind of meditation is helping patients with memory loss, we are encouraged by the prospects that daily practice may even prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.”

For more information about this study, please visit the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation at www.alzheimersprevention.org.

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Mental Training Study 

Researchers for the vipassana meditation study, “Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources,” devised a test to measure the ability of an individual to see two single numbers embedded in a rapid stream of letters. Because the information processing capacity of the human mind is limited, when such targets (the numbers) are presented in close temporal proximity, the second number is often not seen. This deficit, known as attentional-blink deficit, is believed to result from competition between the two desired targets for the mind’s limited attentional resources.

The question the study posed was: would meditation training specifically designed to increase concentration improve a person’s ability to see the second number? The study involved 17 experienced meditators who participated in a three-month meditation retreat during which they meditated for 10 to 12 hours per day. The 23 participants in the control group were interested in learning about meditation but only received a one-hour meditation class and were asked to meditate for 20 minutes daily for one week prior to each testing session. Both groups were tested before and after the three-month retreat, and both performed an attentional-blink task in which they had to identify two targets (numbers) embedded in a rapid stream of distracter letters.

The study found that three months of intensive vipassana meditation reduced brain-resource allocation to the first target, enabling practitioners to more often detect the second target with no compromise in their ability to detect the first target. “These findings demonstrate that meditative training can improve performance on a novel task that requires attentional abilities,” the study authors concluded.

To read the complete study, please visit http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050138.

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Other Recent Studies 

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a meditation-based intervention designed to reduce recurrence in people with histories of relapsing unipolar major depression. The efficacy of MBCT was tested in a recent study (Smith A, Graham L, Senthinathan S. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurring depression in older people: a qualitative study. Aging Ment Health. 2007;11:346-357). Thirty-eight people whose age was more than 65 participated in the study, with 30 of the participants completing the eight-week MBCT course. Their responses at assessment, postcourse, and one-year follow-up interviews were recorded. The researchers found MBCT to be promising as a cost-effective intervention for addressing depression in old age. Participants’ comments indicated that they considered MBCT to be helpful for older sufferers of recurring depression.

The pilot study of Morone et al (Morone NE, Greco CM, Weiner DK. Mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults: a randomized controlled pilot study. Pain. 2007. Epub May 2007) assessed a mindfulness meditation program for older adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Participants in the trial were 37 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older with CLBP of moderate intensity, occurring daily or almost every day. Participants were randomized to an eight-week mindfulness-based meditation program or to a wait-list control group. Baseline, eight-week, and three-month follow-up measures of pain, physical function, and quality of life were assessed. Compared to the control group, the meditation intervention group displayed significant improvement in the chronic pain acceptance questionnaire total score and activities engagement subscale (P = .008; P = .004) and SF-36 physical function (P = .03). The study authors concluded that an eight-week mindfulness-based meditation program is feasible for older adults with CLBP and may lead to improvement in pain acceptance and physical function.

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Integrative Medicine Consult Service Established at the NIH Clinical Center 

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has established an integrative medicine consult service at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, the world’s largest hospital devoted to research. This service will provide physicians, nurses, and other members of the Clinical Center healthcare team the ability to discuss complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with knowledgeable medical staff and learn how various CAM practices might complement or interact with a patient’s care.

“Volunteers who participate in clinical research at the NIH Clinical Center are partners in medical discovery. We are committed to providing excellent care for them,” said John I. Gallin, MD, director of the Clinical Center. “This new consult service will help enhance the care our patients receive and the research conducted here.”

Complementary and alternative medicine is not a new concept at the NIH Clinical Center. The Clinical Center’s Pain and Palliative Care Service and the Rehabilitation Medicine Department offer acupuncture, Reiki, hypnosis, guided imagery, massage therapy, acupuncture, Tai Chi, and Qigong training. The Pharmacy Department consults on herbals and herb/drug interactions and has conducted research in these areas. The integrative medicine consult service will coordinate the resources of these existing services to meet the needs of the Clinical Center staff and its patients. In addition to offering clinical consultation regarding CAM therapies, the service will establish a research program embedded in NIH’s clinical and translational research structure and provide CAM education for NIH staff, patients, and their families.

Patrick J. Mansky, MD, a clinical oncologist and researcher at NCCAM, has been appointed as director of the consult service. Dr Mansky received his medical degree from Witten/Herdecke University Medical School in Germany, where he also gained experience and received instruction in anthroposophical medicine, including herbal therapies, art therapies, and physical applications. After a postdoctoral research fellowship in immunogenetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, he completed clinical residency training in pediatrics and internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr Mansky joined NIH in 1997 as a clinical and research fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology and medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute.

“We are pleased with the creation of the integrative medicine consult service and the role we hope it will play in providing Clinical Center patients with the best possible integrated care,” said, Ruth L. Kirschstein, MD, Acting Director of NCCAM. “Dr. Mansky’s blend of clinical and research experience at the crossroads of the CAM and conventional medicine fields makes him an excellent choice to lead this consult service.”

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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Teleosis Institute Launches Green Pharmacy Campaign 

Seagulls on Viagra. Trout on Prosac. Shrimp on Lipitor. It’s certainly not what nature intended, but it is what we now have thanks to America’s growing dependency on pharmaceutical drugs and our disregard for how we dispose of them. The mechanism is simple—when medicines and supplements are flushed down the drain or toilet or tossed in the trash, which is what 89% of Americans do, the pills enter the water supply, dissolve, and contaminate the environment. In fact, according to a recent study published by the American Journal of the Board of Family Medicine (Seehusen DA, Edwards J. Patient practices and beliefs concerning disposal of medications. J Am Board Fam Med. 2006;19:542-547), roughly 54% of consumers dispose of their unused pharmaceuticals in the trash, and 35% flush them down the toilet.

Considered “an emerging environmental issue” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, varying concentrations of drugs have been found in nearly every water source in the United States and Canada.

In an effort to find a solution that can be duplicated around the country, the Teleosis Institute in Berkeley, California has launched the Green Pharmacy Pollution Prevention Campaign, with the goal of zero pharmaceutical waste in the environment. Central to the effort is the establishment of several medicine take-back sites in Berkeley and a public relations educational campaign informing consumers and healthcare professionals about the problem and the solution.

The take-back sites will accept prescription medications (except narcotics), over-the-counter medications, medication samples, vitamins, medicated ointments/lotions and liquids, and inhalers. The sites do not accept needles, thermometers, controlled substances (prescription narcotics), IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care products, business waste, empty containers, hydrogen peroxide, and aerosol cans. The pharmaceutical waste is collected and incinerated, rather than simply disposed in the trash or in the toilet.

The Teleosis Institute has guidelines for health professionals and consumers to prevent pharmaceutical pollution. The guidelines for consumers are:

The guidelines for pharmacists and medical providers are:

To learn more about this campaign and how it might be replicated in other cities, please visit www.teleosis.org/greenpharmacy, or contact the Teleosis Institute at info@teleosis.org.

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Measuring Pharmaceutical Company Influence in Medical Schools 

The first annual survey of medical schools—the American Medical Student Association’s (AMSA) 2007 PharmFree Scorecard—found that many schools lacked a comprehensive policy regarding pharmaceutical influence.

“It is important that we work to keep our medical schools and teaching hospitals free of the influence of pharmaceutical companies,” said AMSA National President Jay Bhatt. “PharmFree medical students become PharmFree doctors and that commitment to evidence-based medicine benefits our patients and our colleagues.”

The PharmFree campaign encourages medical schools and academic medical centers to develop policies that limit the access of pharmaceutical company representatives to their campuses and prohibit medical students and physicians from accepting gifts of any kind from these representatives.

“An institution’s PharmFree policy is indicative of the ethical and practical foundation it can offer students,” said 2006-2007 PharmFree National Coordinator Justin Sanders. “Medical students want more and more to be PharmFree and they are looking to their schools to move forward with them.”

Only six medical colleges were given a grade of A, which means that the school has a comprehensive policy that restricts access of pharmaceutical company representatives to both the medical school campuses and the Academic Medical Center. These medical colleges were

The American Medical Student Association will publish a new scorecard each year as medical schools continue to reevaluate and instate comprehensive pharmaceutical influence policies.

“The PharmFree movement is about more than where we are right now; it’s about where we’re going,” said 2007-2008 PharmFree National Coordinator Anthony Fleg. “We want to see schools’ policies evolve and we will continue to work with AMSA members and their schools to create effective and comprehensive PharmFree policy.”

The American Medical Student Association, the nation’s largest independent medical student association, launched the PharmFree Campaign in 2002 to educate and train medical students to professionally and ethically interact with the pharmaceutical industry. It also offers members the opportunity to sign a PharmFree pledge, which states they will “accept no money, gifts, or hospitality from the pharmaceutical industry” and “seek unbiased sources of information.” In addition, AMSA is the only national medical student organization to ban all pharmaceutical advertising in its publications and at its events.

The 2007 PharmFree Scorecard is available as a downloadable PDF on the Web at http://www.amsa.org/prof/scorecard07.pdf. To learn more about AMSA, please visit http://www.amsa.org/.

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WHO Analysis Shows the Impact of Environmental Factors on Health 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the first ever country-by-country analysis of the impact environmental factors have on health. The data show huge inequalities but also demonstrate that in every country, people’s health could be improved by reducing environmental risks, including pollution, hazards in the work environment, ultraviolet radiation, noise, agricultural risks, climate, and ecosystem change.

According to the study, an estimated 13 million deaths worldwide could be prevented every year by making environments healthier. In some countries, more than one third of the disease burden could be prevented through environmental improvements.

In 23 countries worldwide, more than 10% of deaths are due to just two environmental risk factors: unsafe water, including poor sanitation and hygiene, and indoor air pollution due to solid fuel use for cooking. Around the world, children under five are the main victims and make up 74% of deaths due to diarrheal disease and lower respiratory infections. The countries where deaths from environmental problems rank the highest include Angola, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Afghanistan.

Low-income countries suffer the most, but the data show that no country is immune from the environmental impact on health. Even in countries with better environmental conditions, almost one sixth of the disease burden could be prevented, and efficient environmental interventions could significantly reduce cardiovascular disease and road traffic injuries.

“It is important to quantify the burden of disease from unhealthy environments. This information is key to help countries select the appropriate interventions,” said Susanne Weber-Mosdorf, WHO assistant director-general for sustainable development and healthy environments.

For the purposes of this assessment, environmental factors include pollution, occupational factors, ultraviolet radiation, noise, agricultural methods, climate and ecosystem change, the built environment, and people’s behavior. The analysis shows that household interventions could dramatically reduce the death rate. Using cleaner fuel such as gas or electricity, using better cooking devices, improving the ventilation, or modifying people’s behavior (such as keeping children away from smoke) could have a major impact on respiratory infections and diseases among women and children. Suggested interventions at the community or national level involve promoting household water treatment and safe storage, and introducing energy policies that favor development and health.

For more information, please visit www.who.int.