A two-month program of mindfulness-based stress-reduction meditation enhanced the quality of life and psychological well-being of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study published online on February 23 in the European Journal of Neurology.
There's no cure for ALS, a degenerative, fatal neurologic disease that involves progressive muscle weakness. Doctors are furiously searching for ways to halt or reverse the disease, but in the meantime, other treatments can help temporarily alleviate physical as well as mental symptoms, including depression and anxiety.
Mindfulness-based stress-reduction meditation, a form of meditation designed to focus the attention of the practitioner on the present moment, has already proved effective in healthy individuals. It's also proved effective for people who have depression or anxiety, whether as a primary disorder or a secondary symptom of Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Researchers hypothesized that people with ALS might benefit from this type of meditation, too.
Researchers at a university in Italy enrolled 100 patients who had been diagnosed with ALS in the prior year and a half in their study between November 2012 and December 2014. The researchers randomly assigned 50 participants to a mindfulness-based stress-reduction meditation program designed specifically for people with ALS for eight weeks. The other 50 continued to receive their usual care and did not participate in the program.
Once a week for eight weeks, participants met in group sessions and practiced meditation, focusing on the present moment by closing their eyes and asking questions like "What am I doing now?" and "How am I feeling now?" and to accept their feelings, sensations, and emotions without judgment.
Participants were encouraged to accept the discomfort and physical limitations of their disease and to focus on available resources and abilities. They were also invited to share moments from their daily realities and to examine in a non-judgmental way how their physical limitations lead to stress and anger. The meditation included limited physical exercises such as mindful eating (eating food and focusing on the associated physical sensations). Caregivers were invited to participate, as well.
At the end of the eight weeks, as well as six and 12 months after the start of the program, researchers assessed all participants' quality of life and well-being. They used a variety of scales to measure overall satisfaction and quality of life as well as anxiety and depression.
They found that participants who meditated had significantly better scores on tests of both quality of life and stress, depression, and negative emotions. They also had better social interaction and interaction with their environments.
The results, the study authors concluded, suggest that mindfulness-based stress-reduction meditation is an important tool for improving mood and quality of life.
Mindfulness meditation classes are available at many gyms and community centers, although people with ALS may not be able to participate in all components of the meditation, such as yoga. The study authors encourage more centers to train people in leading ALS-specific meditation practices, since the guidelines of their program are available online, and the program is "safe and easy to implement, as it can be conducted by trained personnel and does not require additional equipment."