Published in:
01-10-2012 | Fibromyalgia (MFP Peres, Section editor)
The Effects of Meditation-Based Interventions on the Treatment of Fibromyalgia
Authors:
Elisa H. Kozasa, Luiza H. Tanaka, Carlos Monson, Stephen Little, Frederico Camelo Leao, Mario P. Peres
Published in:
Current Pain and Headache Reports
|
Issue 5/2012
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Abstract
Meditation is the third most commonly requested complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy reported in a US survey. Those who suffer from chronic pain are those who most frequently use CAM therapies. This review aims to evaluate whether meditation-based interventions can help the treatment of fibromyalgia. A PubMed search was conducted using the terms “fibromyalgia” and “meditation”, or “mindfulness”, or “mantra” or “relaxation response”. We selected articles which clearly described a meditation intervention being used in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Only four articles were classified with score 3 in the Jadad scale. Another seven articles were included in this review. Most of the results indicate improvement in fibromyalgia-related symptoms in patients who participated in a meditation-based intervention. Considering only 4 of the 13 studies achieved a score of 3 on the Jadad scale, researchers of meditation interventions should discuss the best methodologic control for these studies.