#HappyNewYear: is mindfulness part of the answer for 2017?

Happy New Year; we are determined to make 2017 count for people with MS. #HappyNewYear #BeMindful
There is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that mindfulness improves outcomes for pwMS. I was initially very sceptical of mindfulness as a therapy for MS, but the feedback from my own patients has been overwhelmingly positive. I have now taken to referring my patients for courses on mindfulness to help them with anxiety and better cope with their disease and life in general. In fact, all people should practice mindfulness it would improve their wellbeing. 

If mindfulness is new to you NHS Choices has a useful web resource that explains it very well. 
  1. What is mindfulness?
  2. How mindfulness helps mental wellbeing
  3. How to be more mindful
  4. Different mindfulness practices
  5. Is mindfulness helpful for everyone?
  6. Tips on wellbeing


I would be interested in any experiences you have had with mindfulness therapy? Would you recommend it to others? Thanks. 

Nejati et al. The Effect of Group Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction and Consciousness Yoga Program on Quality of Life and Fatigue Severity in Patients with MS. J Caring Sci. 2016 Dec 1;5(4):325-335.

Introduction: The chronic nature of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), have can leave devastating effects on quality of life and fatigue. 


Aim: The present research aimed to study the effect of group Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and conscious yoga program on the quality of life and fatigue severity among patients with MS. 

Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with intervention and control groups. The statistical population included all members to MS Society of Tehran Province, 24 of whom diagnosed with MS were selected as the sample based on the inclusion criteria. The subjects were randomly assigned into the test group (12 patients) and the control group (12 patients). MS Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) were used for data collection. Subjects in the test group underwent a MBSR and conscious yoga program in 8 two-hour sessions. The data were analyzed using the SPSS ver.13 software. 

Results: The study findings showed that there was a significant difference between subjects in the experimental and control groups in terms of mean score of some subscales of quality of life including physical health, role limitations due to physical and emotional problems, energy, emotional well-being, health distress, health perception, and satisfaction with sexual function, overall quality of life, and fatigue severity. 

Conclusion: The results show that the program is effective in reduction of fatigue severity and improving some subscales of quality of life in MS patients. Hence, this supportive method can be used as an effective way for improving quality of life and relieving fatigue in MS patients.

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