Momentum - Winter 2012

to-moment experiences, with the goal of reducing reactions that may worsen any pain or emotional distress that occurs from health-related changes. The meditation participants reported significantly improved health-related quality of life, depression and fatigue.

Dr. Frederick Foley, director of neuropsychology and psychosocial research at the Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J., developed an interest in meditation after his own 1987 study of cognitive behavior and relaxation therapy showed reduced anxiety and depression in people with MS, as well as increased coping mechanisms.

Over the years, Dr. Foley has recommended meditation to many of his patients. “This is not an alternative treatment,” Dr. Foley says. “This is a standard approach to reduce psychiatric symptoms. This is mainstream now.”

KIKKERDIRK

Getting the reward Laurie Mischley, ND, a naturopathic physician who works solely with patients who have neurological disorders, such as MS, at the Seattle Integrative Medicine clinic, has seen the research but would also like to see more work done to fully understand meditation’s impact.

“I had a patient tell me, ‘All
I know is that when I meditate,
I like myself so much better,’”
Dr. Mischley says. “Clearly,
that’s a good thing, but that’s
hard information to know how
to evaluate clinically. Does that
go to quality of life? Does it
go to depression? Does it go to
anxiety? How do we chart that?
We haven’t studied all of it.”
Rosalind Kalb, PhD, a clinical
psychologist and vice president of
the Professional Resource Center
at the National MS Society, raises
a similar point.

“Some people report that
this kind of mindfulness or
meditation activity makes them
feel very good,” Dr. Kalb says.
“One of the challenges is that if
you do this for 30 minutes a day
every day and you feel less fatigue,
for example, it’s hard to know if
you’re feeling less fatigue because
you’re meditating or you’re
building 30 minutes of rest into
your life. We need more studies
to answer these questions.”
Still, Dr. Mischley doesn’t
hesitate to discuss meditation
with patients. As she sees
it, meditation should be
more widely accepted as
a way to help people with
MS because learning and
practicing meditation
costs little or nothing
(some people may learn
meditation in a class or
consultation that incurs
a fee). Also, meditation
doesn’t interact with other
medications and treatments.

In the beginning

There are many forms of meditation. For some people, learning a basic form of mantra meditation (see “Many paths to meditation,” pg. 40)— commonly described as focusing your conscious awareness on a sound, word or phrase to eliminate distracting thoughts— is their best option. For others, meditation can be prayer, or focusing on their breath or footsteps. Others free their minds working in their gardens or listening to music.