The Effects of Meditation-Based Interventions on the Treatment of Fibromyalgia

Meditation is the third most commonly requested complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy reported in a US survey. Those who suffer from chronic pain are those who most frequently use CAM therapies. This review aims to evaluate whether meditation-based interventions can help the treatment of fibromyalgia. A PubMed search was conducted using the terms fibromyalgia and meditation, or mindfulness, or mantra or relaxation response. We selected articles which clearly described a meditation intervention being used in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Only four articles were classified with score 3 in the Jadad scale. Another seven articles were included in this review. Most of the results indicate improvement in fibromyalgia-related symptoms in patients who participated in a meditation-based intervention. Considering only 4 of the 13 studies achieved a score of 3 on the Jadad scale, researchers of meditation interventions should discuss the best methodologic control for these studies.Inst Israelita Ensino & Pesquisa Albert Einstein, Inst Cerebro, BR-05601901 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Enfermagem, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Ctr Cochrane Brasil, São Paulo, BrazilHosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Ctr Integrado Oncol & Hematol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, Inst Psiquiatria, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Programa Posgrad Neurol Neurociencias, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Enfermagem, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Ctr Cochrane Brasil, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Programa Posgrad Neurol Neurociencias, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc