Meditation and the Brain – Meditation: In Depth
Evidence about its effectiveness for pain and as a smoking-cessation treatment is uncertain.
But this doesn’t stop the CDC from urging this upon patients while making effective opioid medication unavailable.
What the Science Says About the Effectiveness of Meditation
Many studies have investigated meditation for different conditions, and there’s evidence that it may reduce blood pressure as well as symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and flare-ups in people who have had ulcerative colitis.
It may ease symptoms of anxiety and depression and may help people with insomnia.
In other words, the best science can say about its effectiveness is that meditation may be helpful for some conditions.
Meditation and the Brain
Some research suggests that meditation may physically change the brain and body and could potentially help to improve many health problems and promote healthy behaviors.
What the Science Says About Safety and Side Effects of Meditation
People with physical limitations may not be able to participate in certain meditative practices involving movement.
People with physical health conditions should speak with their health care providers before starting a meditative practice, and make their meditation instructor aware of their condition.
There have been rare reports that meditation could cause or worsen symptoms in people with certain psychiatric problems like anxiety and depression.
People with existing mental health conditions should speak with their health care providers before starting a meditative practice, and make their meditation instructor aware of their condition.
More to Consider
Don’t use meditation to replace conventional care or as a reason to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.
Why not? The medical provider is supposed to push this kind of treatment and “conventional care” is no longer “conventional”.
