An interesting study has been recently published on the effects of a Mind-Body approach – namely, mindfulness meditation – on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is characterized by chronic pain in the abdomen, discomfort and a sense of bloating. Although the exact cause the complaint is still unknown, stress seems to be involved and there is no question but it dramatically affects the quality of the sufferer’s life. This study was a Randomized Controlled Trial involving 74 female IBS patients. They were split into two groups, both of which met for 8 weeks, including a half day retreat. For the 8 weeks one group did the Course in mindfulness meditation, and the other group followed an IBS support group programme.
Following the eight week intervention, the patients who attended the mindfulness meditation training reported a 26.4 % decline in the severity of their symptoms, compared to a 6.2% decline in the support group participants. At a three-month follow-up, the mindfulness meditation group’s reduction increased to 38.2%, while the support group reduction increased to 11.8 %. The researchers concluded that “mindfulness meditation has a substantial therapeutic effect on bowel symptom severity, improves health-related quality of life, and reduces distress”, with the beneficial effects persisting for at least 3 months after group training.
This study is another piece of evidence that mind-body therapies can be used as effective adjuncts to conventional medical treatment for a number of common clinical conditions, including, among others, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches, insomnia, and chronic low back pain.
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