Is meditation as pain-reliever a bogus concept? New study quashes myths

For years, meditation’s viability as pain reliever as been in question. Is it just a placebo effect? Placebo effect refers to the way the body and mind adjust to pain and bring a sense of relief after dummy treatments or fake surgeries. However, a recent study led by Fadel Zeidan, PhD, UC San Diego Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion squashed all rumours and proved that meditation could indeed relieve the body of pain by engaging different brain mechanisms.
The study demonstrated that meditation and placebo effect activate different neural pathways – proving that meditation indeed has a tangible effect on pain. Fadel Zeidan, PhD, professor of anesthesiology and Endowed Professor in Empathy and Compassion Research at UC San Diego Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion, in a media release, stated that mindfulness meditation helps in separating pain from the self – this further helps in modifying the way a person experiences pain.
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The study was conducted on 115 volunteers who were assigned to four groups – mindfulness meditation, sham meditation, placebo cream, or a control group. The volunteers were asked to undergo four 20-minute training sessions before their pain testing was done under an MRI scanner.
It was observed that mindfulness meditation outperformed placebo and sham treatments in reducing pain ratings and also demonstrated unique effects on the brain.
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Placebo cream helps in affecting the brain patterns associated with pain expectations and beliefs, while sham meditation was designed to mimic the ritual of meditation without the involvement of the key components – this had minimal effect on pain relief.
For years, people believed that the placebo effect overlaps with the brain’s mechanisms related to pain – however, the recent study demonstrates that mindfulness meditation and placebo effect have different brain responses. Mindfulness meditation can directly intervene to reduce chronic pain, rather than engaging the placebo effect.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.