Mindfulness meditation for chronic pain

December 2, 2008

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to produce numerous benefits in older adults with chronic low back pain.  These benefits included less pain, improved attention, better sleep, enhanced well-being, and improved quality of life.  One patient reported: “I felt like a new person”.  The subjects attended a weekly 90-minute class and practiced for 45 minutes every day for 8 weeks.  The study was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh by Natalia Morone and her colleagues, who speculated that this approach might help with other chronic conditions.  And we can speculate that if the elderly, who are often regarded to have a less adaptable nervous system,  responded so well, then younger patients may do even better.

Written by
Alexander Mauskop, MD
Continue reading
March 26, 2026
Alternative Therapies
Lidocaine-Based Treatments Offer Another Option for Severe Migraines
This post explains how lidocaine, beyond its traditional use as a local anesthetic, can be given by IV or directly into the middle meningeal artery to help break severe, treatment-resistant migraines, with early studies showing promising relief and generally mild, manageable side effects.
Read article
February 16, 2026
News
Potential big news for the 40 million Americans with migraine.
It is long overue to make triptans available without a prescription, like in the rest of the world.
Read article