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Can Meditation Improve the Quality of Life for MS Patients?

By U.S. News & World Report

For centuries, seekers have looked to mindfulness meditation (defined simply as non-judgmental awareness in the present moment) as a path to spiritual growth and ultimate enlightenment. Now scientists are finding meditation not only quiets the mind, but hundreds of studies are pointing to physical benefits, several of which can be of particular help to multiple sclerosis patients.

An autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis damages the myelin sheath (covering) around the neurons in the brain and spinal cord responsible for sending signals to other parts of the body. That can lead to symptoms such as brain fog, depression, muscle spasticity and fatigue, as well as pain and sleep disturbances. Meditation is showing promise as a way to not only cope with many of these conditions, but also to help reduce relapse rates. How can that be?

“When I speak with my MS patients who are relapsing, they often indicate stress as playing a role in their symptom flare-up. In those cases, I recommend some sort of stress management technique. Frequently, I suggest a mindfulness meditation practice of 15 to 20 minutes a day, sitting still and comfortably, while focusing on the breath as it goes in and out,” explains Dr. Steven Schechter, a neurologist with Beaumont Health in Royal Oaks, Michigan. “When a thought comes up, I suggest they just let it go and return to the breath.”

[See: 10 Ways to Live Healthier and Save Money Doing It.]

Research backs up Dr. Schechter’s approach. In a 2014 study published in the journal Psychological Medicine, scientists at Northwestern University followed 121 MS patients for four years. The volunteers agreed to undergo scheduled magnetic resonance imaging scans to monitor their disease activity. During this period, half the patients underwent stress management therapy (such as meditation) while the other half did not. The results showed that stress management therapy reduced the development of new brain lesions, a signature of relapse.

Both depression and fatigue are common MS symptoms, and once again, meditation seems to help. According to research published in the September 2010 issue of the journal Neurology, 75 patients with MS who took an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation training had markedly less fatigue and depression than the control group of 75 MS patients who did not meditate. The positive effect of the meditation training lasted six months or longer. “Meditation appears to be a useful addition along with medication for certain MS symptoms such as depression,” says Dr. Barbara Giesser, professor of clinical neurology and clinical director of UCLA’s David Geffen Multiple Sclerosis Program in Los Angeles.

But Giesser cautions: “When it comes to depression medication, or any drug for that matter, patients should always speak with their doctor before making changes in treatment.”

[See: 10 Lessons from Empowered Patients.]

What about pain relief? The National MS Society reports that 55 percent of MS patients experience clinically significant pain intermittently, while 48 percent are troubled by constant chronic pain.

It looks like meditation can help relieve the agony for some MS sufferers. Scientists from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, studied the effect of meditation on pain, as reported in a 2016 issue in the Journal of Neuroscience. During the study, MS volunteers were divided into four groups for a four-day (20 minutes per day) trial. The four treatments examined included meditation plus naloxone (the drug that blocks or reverses the effects of opioid medication; no meditation plus naloxone; meditation plus saline (a mixture of water and sodium chloride) used as a placebo; or non-meditation control plus saline placebo. The researchers induced intense discomfort by using a thermal probe to heat a small area of the participant’s skin to 120.2 degrees Fahrenheit, a level of heat most people find extremely painful. The study’s participants rated their pain using a sliding scale. The result? Pain was reduced by 24 percent in the meditation group that also received the naloxone and 21 percent in the meditation group that received the placebo-saline injection. The non-meditation control groups reported increases in pain regardless of whether they got the naloxone or placebo-saline injection.

Meditation may also get to the root of MS. “Researchers discovered that meditation actually changes the brain,” Schechter says. “One way it does it is by shutting down genes that promote inflammation. When it comes to MS, inflammation is the underlying mechanism that leads to demyelination. So anything that can be done to reduce it is worth trying.” Research out of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and published in Biological Psychiatry Journal in 2016, showed that mindfulness meditation, compared to relaxation training, reduced Interleukin-6, an inflammatory biomarker.

[See: 8 Ways Meditation Can Improve Your Life.]

What’s more, there are hundreds of studies that may not be directly associated with MS, but report meditation can improve overall health and well-being by: increasing the ability to concentrate, slowing down aging (meditators have longer telomeres, the caps on chromosomes indicative of biological age) and helping us feel happier, among other perks.

“As it turns out, a little mindfulness might be good for all of us,” Giesser says.

More from U.S. News

10 Ways to Live Healthier and Save Money Doing It

10 Lessons From Empowered Patients

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Can Meditation Improve the Quality of Life for MS Patients? originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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