Fibromyalgia and mediation

[Guest guest]

How many of you do mediation

I pray in am after I read my bible and in afternoon get in my

rejuvenation room and talk to God again.That is My mediation talking

to God. Heidi

Fibromyalgia and Meditation

Friday, December 19, 2008

By: MD

FMOnline vol. 8, no. 12

Soon after becoming a physician and rheumatologist in 1983, I

developed an interest in many of the different traditional mind-body

healing practices such as qigong, tai chi, yoga, breathing

techniques, hypnosis, and meditation. Initially, this personal

inquiry was separate from my professional work. However, you cannot

completely separate your personal life from your professional work,

and gradually the nature of my work developed a more holistic

orientation. This approach seemed to resonate especially with people

who had painful and often difficult-to-categorize conditions such as

fibromyalgia.

For the last 20 years, I have incorporated meditation as a core

aspect of my management of fibromyalgia. This used to be an unusual

recommendation but is now widely accepted on scientific and medical

grounds.

Recently I was conducting a meditation evening and a woman in her 50s

approached me, reminding me that five years earlier she had consulted

me about her fibromyalgia. She told me that, following my advice, she

had learned to meditate; and after beginning a regular practice, her

symptoms of pain and fatigue abated.

I have heard this story many times before, and in the last two

decades medical science has come closer to understanding how

meditation can be of benefit for individuals with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia and Neuroscience

Individuals with fibromyalgia experience pain differently and have

lower pain thresholds than those without the condition. The

understanding of how this occurs has undergone a rapid change in

recent years. Just a decade ago, fibromyalgia was thought to be due

to painful muscles and soft tissues. Now it is understood to be due

to an imbalance in both brain hormones and the processing of pain

signals.

Meditation is thought to influence these abnormal neurological

pathways.

What then is meditation ?

There are many different styles and methods of meditation, but in

essence it is the art of letting the mind become still and anchored

in the present moment. Stillness leads to relaxation and peace, and

it is peace of mind that generates the health benefits. I think of

meditation as the process of uncovering the stillness that is always

present within each of us.

To understand how meditation can be of benefit in fibromyalgia I

would like to introduce you to two relatively new concepts:

epigenetics and neuroplasticity.

Epigenetics and Meditation

Epigenetics is a word that means " above the genes. " Many illnesses,

including fibromyalgia, have a genetic predisposition. This means

that individuals with a particular genetic make-up are at a greater

risk than the general population of developing fibromyalgia. In

general, for conditions where there is a known genetic risk,

lifestyle and environmental factors can both positively and

negatively impact on both the development and progress of these

conditions.

The science of epigenetics has demonstrated that environmental

factors and lifestyle changes have a profound effect on the emergence

or suppression of predisposed illnesses such as fibromyalgia. We now

know that genes are not autocratic and we are not " bystanders and

victims " of our genes. How we live our lives does make a difference.

It is also well known that good nutrition and exercise are among the

many important environmental stimuli for healthy living and exert an

epigenetic influence. What is less well known is that it is our

thoughts and feelings, and hence our perception of life events, that

have a most profound and possibly dominant influence on gene

expression. This is where meditation exerts its influence.

A regular meditation practice can produce a beneficial shift in the

way we think, feel, and respond to everyday life events. Hence it is

a powerful and positive epigenetic influence.

Neuroplasticity and Meditation

" Neuro " means neurons or brain nerve cells and " plasticity " means

plastic or changeable. Neuroplasticity is the property of the brain

that allows it to change its structure and function in response to

how we think and what we do in our daily life. Even into old age, the

brain can change and be remodeled. If we change what we do and how we

think, the structure of the brain responds accordingly, and new

patterns of thinking and functioning occur.

Studies over the last 10 years have demonstrated that a regular

meditation practice positively changes the way the brain is

structured and how it functions. A substantial paradigm shift is now

under way: Canadian psychiatrist Norman Doidge has in fact

stated " that neuroplasticity is one of the most extraordinary

discoveries of the twentieth century. "

Furthermore, American professor of affective neuroscience

son states:

" What we found is that the longtime practitioners showed brain

activation on a scale we have never seen before. Their mental

practice has an effect on the brain in the same way golf or tennis

practice enhances performance. " It demonstrates, he said, that the

brain is capable of being trained and physically modified in ways few

people can imagine.

The clinical effects of meditation are well documented and include

reduced pain, depression, anxiety, and stress as well as positively

enhancing mood states and quality of sleep. Neuroscience has now

confirmed what has been know by practitioners for some time: that for

fibromyalgia, meditation is good medicine.

Australian rheumatologist Dr is author of the

DVD, " Living Well With Fibromyalgia: Finding Your Balance " and

the " My Health Organiser, " which is a personal health recording and

communication system, as well as a free e-newsletter for individuals

with FM, which can be accessed here.