Mindfulness medicine

INVESTIGATORS at Elche’s Miguel Hernández University (UMH) have launched a study into the potential benefits of mindfulness and meditation for chronic pain sufferers.

The team found that combining the medical therapy for ailments such as fibromyalgia or low back pain with mindfulness techniques can help improve aspects such as the quality of the patient’s sleep, their sensation of pain or general psychological well­being.

After analysing 18 previous studies, the UMH team concluded that this approach was more beneficial for patients than just the medical treatment on its own, improving symp­ toms and reducing the overall impact of the condition on patients’ daily lives.

In addition, cognitive therapy based on mindfulness to treat chronic pain was applied to 57 patients in three hospitals in the province of Alicante. Researchers observed that patients improved their mental quality of life and were less prone to depression, as well as sleeping better and proving to be more resolute.

Chronic pain is said to affect a third of the population worldwide. It is often associated with mental health problems, opioid abuse and even suicide.