Ohm. Did you know that more than a third of Americans use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and that number continues to rise attributed mostly to increases in the use of mind-body therapies (MBT) like yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises. In 2007, 38% of Americans used complementary and alternative medicine. Rates of CAM use have increased since 2002, with mind-body therapies (MBT) composing 75% of this rise.

In a study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School, researchers found that one in 30 Americans using MBT has been referred by a medical provider.

Aditi Nerurkar, MD, Integrative Medicine Fellow, Harvard Medical School and BIDMC comments based on his study funded by the National Institutes of Health:

“There’s good evidence to support using mind-body therapies clinically. Still, we didn’t expect to see provider referral rates that were quite so high. What we learned suggests that providers are referring their patients for mind-body therapies as a last resort once conventional therapeutic options have failed. It makes us wonder whether referring patients for these therapies earlier in the treatment process could lead to less use of the health care system, and possibly, better outcomes for these patients.”

Nerurkar and her colleagues collected information from more than 23,000 U.S. households from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. They found that nearly 3% of three million Americans used MBT due to provider referral and that these Americans were sicker and used the health care system more than people who self-referred for MBT.

Russell Phillips, MD, Chief of Primary Care at BIDMC continues:

“These data suggest that mind-body therapies have really become a mainstream approach to care. But more research is needed to guide physician and patient decision-making regarding their use.”

According the University of Minnesota, mind-body therapies and practices can help prevent stress. This is extremely important because research clearly shows that prolonged stress contributes to serious diseases such as high blood pressure, heart irregularities, anxiety, insomnia, persistent fatigue, digestive disorders, mental health issues, diminished fertility, and diabetes.

Mind-body therapies and practices can impact the way you experience symptoms as well. For example, the experience of pain can be radically transformed with mind-body therapies and practices. Mind-body practices can foster a sense of control, enhance optimism, or provide social support that improve the quality of life or just allow you to cope better with symptoms.

In addition to the potential benefits listed above, mind body therapies and practices are central to health in a fundamental way, as they emphasize our capacity to use self awareness and a variety of approaches to help ourselves physically and psychologically.

Several other studies have shown that taking up meditation may help reduce your pain intensity, and in turn aid in the management of chronic pain conditions like arthritis, back pain, and fibromyalgia. In addition, mind-body practices like yoga and tai chi may help control chronic pain.

Sources: The Archives of Internal Medicine and The University of Minnesota

Written by Sy Kraft