The latest cough and cold -fighting techniques could be as easy as sitting down, being still and breathing. Yes, meditation could be an effective way to combat acute respiratory tract infections – and there’s evidence.
A randomised trial suggested that regular meditation can reduce the incidence, duration and severity of acute respiratory tract infections.
The research
Participants in this trial were aged fifty years and older, and were divided into three groups – the meditators, one group who participated in moderate intensity sustained exercise and the third, observation control group. The meditators received 8 weeks training in mindful meditation and practiced 45 minutes of meditation daily. The exercise group, trained for 8 weeks in moderate intensity sustained exercise.
The results would not surprise any of you who are familiar with the many benefits of meditation. The meditation group experienced fewer acute respiratory tract infections, and if they did come down with a cold or flu, the symptoms were less severe and they recovered faster.
This translated to less time off work, with about half the number of work days missed as compared to the exercisers. The meditators experienced statistically better health than the exercise group and especially the control group.
Although the researchers of this study did not extrapolate on exactly how meditation had such a remarkable improvement on respiratory health, they did label the results of this study “ground breaking”, suggesting that the general enhancement to physical and mental health may be the key.
The science of meditation
There have been many scientific investigations into the health benefits of meditation, often to explore if and how meditation improves stress, anxiety and depression. Although the science is still catching up to explain how meditation works, there is little doubt that it does. However it now appears that mere relaxation is not enough, although helpful. Meditation that involves a more traditional Eastern practice involving mental silence, or the ‘suspension of the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind’, appears to have the most benefits.
This may be because mental silence may more effectively facilitate greater awareness by reducing distracting and unnecessary mental activity. Physical changes such as electrical brain signals measured by EEG and lowered skin temperature appear specific to mental silence meditation and are different than meditation characterised by relaxation. These physical effects correlate with enhanced physical and mental improvements and individual experience of meditation.
Meditation can be beneficial for a range of health conditions from respiratory illness to stress, mood disorders and depression. It’s cheap, safe and can be learned by anyone willing to give it a go. So, I guess the real question is: is there a reason that you’re not meditating?
References available on request