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Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients
BALTIMORE - Dalia Isicoff knows pain. A lifelong sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis, she has had seven hip replacement surgeries.
Since leaving the hospital in February following her latest operation, however, she hasn't taken any painkillers. Not because the pain isn't there — it is. But Isicoff, 52, said she has learned to accept the pain, the disease, and herself, thanks to meditation.
"When you have an illness like this, what one tends to do is say, 'Oh, my God! Here we go again, this is going to render me disabled, I'm going to wind up in a wheelchair!' and you rush to the medicine cabinet," she said. "This has allowed me to have the patience to deal with these flare-ups and become relaxed enough so the need for pain medication is almost not there."
The 52-year-old Clarksville resident said meditation has made her symptoms less severe, helping relieve stress that she said made the condition worse.
"With this type of approach, you learn to acknowledge you have pain and, by realizing it and by being in this relaxed state, the pain is less," she said.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore are studying others like Isicoff to see if meditation helps sufferers of the autoimmune disorder, which affects about 2.1 million Americans, mostly women. Those with the disease often have general fatigue, soreness, stiffness and aches at first. Joints may swell and become damaged over time.
Groups of rheumatoid arthritis patients are being trained in "mindfulness," a form of stress reduction meditation developed 30 years ago at the University of Massachusetts. Their progress is being compared to patients not in the program.
Mindfulness is similar to many meditation techniques. Participants are taught to focus on breathing to quiet the mind and become aware of the moment.
The method has been used successfully to help patients with chronic pain from a variety of conditions, but this marks the first time it is being studied to see if it can help the physical and psychological symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis patients, said Lisa Pradhan, one of the study leaders for the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Medicine.
Evidence suggests flare-ups of the disease are associated with stress, she said.
Thirty-six patients took an eight-week course that started in March and will be given their third and final evaluation later this month. Participants are being sought for a second group of a similar size, which will take the course beginning later this month and be tracked for six months.
Results from the first group are not available yet, but "the people who have come through the study have been very pleased to have been involved with it," Pradhan said.
Trish Magyari, director of the mindfulness program, said participants are taught to "quiet the mind and feel more connected to your body."
Isicoff said she tries to meditate in the morning and at night, although mindfulness can be as simple as being aware of feeling the wind on your skin. Such a simple process, however, can be difficult to put into practice, she said.
"Most of us have this crazy internal dialogue," she said. "For me, it was difficult to say, 'I want to relax' and, 'I don't want to think.' You learn to be an observer of the thought. It's sort of best to acknowledge it: 'Oh, there you are,' there's a judgment, there's an angry thought, and the moment you acknowledge them, they go away."
Eventually, she said she learned to be patient — with herself and the situation.
"Yes, I have the arthritis and the suffering, but it doesn't have to be so negative, so devastating, focusing on that thing day in and day out and not knowing, not believing that it can get better," Isicoff said.
"You learn to cultivate other areas of your life that are there, that are untapped. When someone is in that frame of mind you can handle anything, you can be more compassionate. You don't put yourself down so much, you don't have to struggle with yourself trying to be perfect."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=541&e=14&u=/ap/arthritis_meditation
In Reply to: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Sapphire [422.532] on September 13, 2004 at 10:57:55:
Great article!
This just confirms what Dr. Stoll has taught us all: SR works!!
Thanks for posting it, Sapphire.
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Renee [1011.465] on September 13, 2004 at 10:59:28:
Renee,
Yes, Dr. Stoll knew this all along. Good to see others are catching on. :)
Sapphire
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Sapphire [422.532] on September 13, 2004 at 11:42:47:
Thanks for posting this, Sapphire. Very interesting and informative. I should get back on a regular SR schedule. Haven't been very good for a while.
Naya
In Reply to: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Sapphire [422.532] on September 13, 2004 at 10:57:55:
Sapphire,
I just read that meditation ( SR ) only works if you have rid yourself of any deep seated anger or other problem you have repressed for years..
Silver Fox!
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by steve [135.4] on September 13, 2004 at 15:08:10:
Steve,
That may be true, but to me it seems that SR would actually help people to rid themselves of anger or other repressed problems.
Sapphire
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by steve [135.4] on September 13, 2004 at 15:08:10:
That's what Centerpointe is for!! :)
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Sapphire [422.532] on September 13, 2004 at 17:01:13:
Sapphire,
Two books by John E Sarno MD, The Mind Body Prescription and Healing Back Pain..Both claim ( and I have seen it work on several people )that meditation ( SR & centerpoint )are not needed and will not work if issues are to deep, like abuse..He even says his program doesn't always work if the person can't get over the repressed anger..Looks to me like two different approachs to getting healthy and both can work..
Silver Fox!
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Steve [14.11] on September 13, 2004 at 19:48:10:
Steve,
Interesting theory. Could be true....
Sapphire
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Steve [14.11] on September 13, 2004 at 19:48:10:
I think the reason it doesn't "work" for those people is that these people aren't able to relax enough for the process to be effective. Perhaps, they just don't try long enough for the process to work -- they get angry about having to meditate.
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by steve [135.4] on September 13, 2004 at 15:08:10:
Actually, it is believed that most (if not all) people have something repressed for years; yet, meditation has worked for many.
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Naya [120.14] on September 13, 2004 at 14:20:27:
Hi:
This is my experience...we are all sooo different.
(For me) I turn on exquisite music. I have maybe 30 CDS with a wide variety of music themes of nature, classical etc. I also have a mango fragrance right now in our bedroom.
I have worked hard not to be offended or carry grudges all my life and through the years have kept a pretty clean slate with those issues.
(For me) because I lost 150 pounds now over years applying a wellness diet and my body has found it's ideal weight..and I feel so good with juicing, good supplements, lighter, smaller more frequent meals.........it is soo easy to relax whereas i couldn't achieve that a while back.
I am also an artist so I picture a beautiful place in nature and or picture my next goal of new hair, clothes and looking better. I posted pics on the back of my door there and can see where I want to go in life concerning appearance etc.
My Mother has fabulous music playing in our hoem all of our live and gorgeous paintings filled the walls...so I was brought up wtih happy positive thoughts.
I pray and believe the Bible and thinking of the creations and beauty of God's handiwork and greatness this helps me to stay humble and little and so peaceful.
I don't have to wait for a time to lay down to achieve this peace. So I have music on and think good thoughts and try to love and be kind and it works for me.
So Dr. Stoll has taught us all well for sure and applying what we learn here to life has made a difference and all people can benefit by relaxing etc.
Love ya,
lovebird
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by steve [135.4] on September 13, 2004 at 15:08:10:
Steve, if anger or other stress-inducing emotions are truly "repressed," you wouldn't even be aware of them, thus how could you get rid of them? IMHO, that's where mindfulness meditation as a form of Skilled Relaxation really helps -- as you relax physically, quiet the mind, and watch your thoughts, layers of tension are released, and eventually those "repressed" emotions will come to the surface, into your awareness. With the neutral, "witness" mindset of meditation, you see them for what they are, and they will gradually dissipate. They lose their grip on your psyche. It's a gradual process for most of us, and subtle, but that's how I think it works.
I like Dr. Sarno's work a lot, and his point is probably valid, too. Because the fact is, many people won't stick with meditation long enough for it to do its transformative work. How does he suggest people get rid of their deep-seated, or repressed, anger? (BTW, I've read that buried, repressed anger is implicated in arthritic conditions. But the folks I know with arthritis are meek, self-effacing "martyr" types who rarely show any anger. I'd bet most of them would deny that they have anger about anything. Your thoughts?)
In Reply to: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Sapphire [422.532] on September 13, 2004 at 10:57:55:
Thanks, Sapphire.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Jenny [122.23] on September 14, 2004 at 08:35:37:
Jenny,
His claim is, if there isn't a physical problem, then it has to be mental..One day your back hurts, the next day it doesn't, and so on..His suggestion for getting rid of deep seated anger is to seek medical help if you can not fix it yourself..Lets face it all of us have repressed anger at one time or another..Getting dumped on, losing a job or a mate, stuck in trafic, getting sick when all around you are healthy..And the list goes on..But you are right, most people deny repessing anger..I know I have, how about you?
Silver Fox!
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by lovebird [15.15] on September 14, 2004 at 02:43:11:
And your reward will be a long, happy, healthy life..Be sure to share it with others..Silver Fox!
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by steve [135.4] on September 14, 2004 at 09:35:53:
Well, yeah, I have repressed, and suppressed, a lot of anger. I was taught as a child to be meek and submissive, even when my sense of self was violated. But as an adult I have learned a lot (from books and psychotherapy) about appropriate ways to deal with anger and anger-provoking situations.
I don't think any of those books or counseling sessions have helped me as much as meditation, though. Meditation is experiential, and a uniquely personal journey - nobody else can do it for you! I think that it develops courage and clarity about living more skillfully. I LOVE that there are physical benefits too, like those experienced by the arthritis sufferers in Sapphire's article. The body-mind connection is fascinating!
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by Jenny [122.23] on September 14, 2004 at 10:29:59:
Jenny,
Yes the books did help you..They gave you knowledge to make the choice to use meditation and it works for you..I can " talk " to my body, " back you didn't hurt yesterday and your not going to hurt today "..Also don't listen to the " crowd " when they say your too old to lift that, you will hurt your back..
Steve
In Reply to: Re: Meditation Helping Arthritis Patients posted by steve [135.4] on September 14, 2004 at 09:39:45:
Hi buddy.........
Without a word my life is influencing more people now than many other times in my life.
It is comical and wonderful too.
Tonight I was walking on air as I put on a new, small tight pair of jean, a new white shirt under a tweed short jacket and went to a church dinner with my husband....so many commented but the best is my husband flirting...ha.
Thanks for helping us piece this altogether...it is my birthday Saturday and I feel shiny light a light bulb of good health and lifestyle...........
lovebird
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