The impact of meditation on immune, stress, and disease status in adults with inflammatory bowel disease
The clinical efficacy and mechanisms underlying mind-body intervention among adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are being assessed in a pilot study.
Subjects include 8 IBD patients (5 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 3 with Crohn’s disease (CD); not on steroids, in remission or with mild/moderate disease activity) and 4 healthy controls (ages 20-50 years; 5 males, 7 females).
Design and Methods. Using a between-within repeated measures design, all subjects have completed baseline measures (Phase I), collected during 24-hour visits to UCLA’s Clinical Research Center (CRC). The 8 IBD subjects are currently participating in the 8-week Ayurvedic meditation intervention (Phase II). Following the intervention, all 12 subjects will return to the CRC for a 24-hour repeat of the initial evaluation, and 4 monthly follow-ups (Phase III). Given the prevailing view of UC and CD as disorders of immunomodulatory dysregulation, baseline (and post-intervention) measures include immune markers and stress-related hormones, e.g., NK cells, cytokines (e.g., Substance P), and cortisol (each hour for 24 hours), as well as responses to two acute stressors (e.g., one cognitive and one physical). Additional repeated measures include medical outcomes (e.g., disease activity, and medication use); weekly urine samples (neopterin); health care utilization; and psychosocial measures. Baseline immuno-hormonal differences (e.g., HPA diurnal patterns and Substance P levels) in IBD patients vs. controls and responses to acute stressors will be analyzed.
Results can help to establish
basic knowledge about the mechanisms of inflammation in this immuno-inflammatory
disorder as well as the role of the HPA axis and neuropeptides in impacting
inflammation.