Not long ago, I read a fascinating research study. MRI, as some of you may know, is a noninvasive imaging test that uses magnetic energy to take three-dimensional pictures of internal body organs. "Functional" MRI is a new application of MRI, in which you can see how blood flow to the brain changes as you think; it is a way to monitor brain activity.
In the research study, when 12 people who were skilled at meditation were examined using functional MRI, they had a 40 to 50 percent lower brain response to pain than 12 people who had never done meditation.
And when the people in the latter group learned transcendental meditation, their brain responses to pain also dropped by 40 to 50 percent when they were retested five months later.
Everyone experiences pain. Whether you've just stubbed your toe or gone through major surgery, the fact is that most people prefer a painless existence. This study suggests a prescription-free way to do just that.
In addition, I am excited by the potential ramifications for people I see with chronic pain. The International Association of Pain estimates that 35 percent of adults have chronic pain. As a doctor, I have seen how disabling and disempowering that diagnosis can be. Imagine how great it would be if someone could reduce his or her pain by 40 percent without ever leaving the couch!
The type of meditation used in this study was transcendental meditation. TM is a mantra-based meditation practice, which uses a repeated sound in order to allow the mind and body to achieve a state of restful alertness.
There are actually many mantra-based meditation practices, taught by many cultures for thousands of years. The benefit to TM is that it has research to support it, and that it is standardized; the downside is that it is fairly expensive to learn from an accredited center.
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