IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSE TO MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

Can Mindful Meditation Ward Off Colds and Flu?

Not once, but almost always I notice I feel better after I meditate. Occasionally however, I have been restless and can’t seem to get it together. Once, I was coughing my head off and while meditating the cough subsided, but afterward, I picked up the cough again. The thought went through my mind that maybe I didn’t focus enough to reach that state of mindful awareness needed to face the stressors life was bringing me at the time.

So, I resort to other avenues to help me calm my active mind when restlessness makes its appearance, and then I proceed with meditation. Ten to fifteen minutes a day meditation is all I need for wellbeing.

Here is what I noticed. Every time I’m mindful in my meditation practices, I observe a boost in my immune system response. But when I fall short and my natural balance is upset, my immune system quickly responds in a variety of ways. I cough, I get colds and flu like symptoms, and can even feel anxious or even fearful. I will cover more on the subject of immune system response to anxiety and fear in another article. For now, we’ll focus in addressing how Mindful Meditation can help ward off colds and flu.

What is Mindful meditation?

Mindfulness meditation is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment. It represents a systematic framework and process for cultivating mindfulness in daily life by intentional and sustained practice.

Mindfulness meditation is not a therapeutic panacea for all ailments. Nevertheless, it does enjoy increasing appeal as a trans-therapeutic intervention for immune system activity, such as antibody responses.

Antibodies are immunoglobulins or molecules secreted by immune cells that identify and neutralize pathogens. Antibodies constitute humoral immunity and help immune cells inactivate toxic substances, attack viruses and bacteria, and assist in the function of other immune cells.

A total of 20 randomized control trials, * which included 1602 participants revealed tentative evidence that mindfulness meditation is associated with changes in select biomarkers of immune system activity.

The study concludes that this type of shifts in immune system activity could potentially have beneficial effects on health by influencing mechanisms that are known to affect biological aging and disease. For example, countering a dysregulated or hypersensitive immune system profile with mindfulness meditation could theoretically function to improve organism fitness by enhancing immune defenses that protect against viral and bacterial infection.