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Longitudinal impact of mindfulness meditation on illness burden in solid-organ transplant recipients |
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Monday, 12 December 2005 |
Researchers from the University of Minnesota enrolled 20
solid-organ transplant recipients in an 8-week course of
mindfulness-based stress reduction training and a gentle form of hatha
yoga. Subjects were also given audiotapes for home practice and
maintained practice diaries to track their participation.
At 6 months data was analyzed for impact on symptom management, illness
intrusion and transplant-related stressors. Significant improvements
were found in the quality and duration of sleep, and on self-reported
measures of anxiety and depression.
The study concluded that Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an effective treatment in improving the quality and duration of sleep. And because sleep is highly correlated with positive mental health and overall well-being, the technique has the potential of being an effective, accessible and low-cost intervention that could significantly change transplant recipients'' overall health and well-being.
Citation: Kreitzer MJ, Gross CR, Ye X, Russas V, Treesak C. Longitudinal impact of mindfulness meditation on illness burden in solid-organ transplant recipients. Progress in Transplantation . 2005 Jun; 15 (2): pages 166-72.
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