Meditation has been found to help lessen the pain of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This simple technique has proved especially useful to women.
The researchers involved with the study found that women with IBS who practiced what they termed “mindful meditation” had more than a 38 percent reduction in symptoms. Those who opted for a traditional support group experienced a far lesser12 percent reduction.
The simple technique is based on a Buddhist meditative practice that, according to HealthDay, “empowers” the patient to deal with the illness. This meditation helped to both lessen psychological distress and to improve life quality.
“It’s not easy to treat IBS, even with the best standard medical approaches,” study co-author Olafur Palsson said in a statement. “It’s chronic and, over time, it’s hard to treat because it’s complicated.”
According to the study, mindful meditation helps patients to relax by focusing on the moment, their body and their thoughts as they occur, rather than anticipate stressful moments caused by the affliction.
Palsson said that although the technique takes time and discipline to acquire, it soon “becomes second nature.”
