To blunt your next cold, try meditating or exercising now. A new study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison found that adults who practiced mindful meditation or moderately intense exercise for eight weeks suffered less from seasonal ailments during the following winter than those who did not exercise or meditate.

The study appeared in the July issue of Annals of Family Medicine. Researchers recruited about 150 participants, 80 percent of them women and all older than 50, and randomly assigned them to three groups. One group was trained for eight weeks in mindful meditation; another did eight weeks of brisk walking or jogging under the supervision of trainers. The control group did neither. The researchers then monitored the respiratory health of the volunteers with biweekly telephone calls and laboratory visits from September through May—but they did not attempt to find out whether the subjects continued meditating or exercising after the initial eight-week training period.

Participants who had meditated missed 76 percent fewer days of work from September through May than did the control subjects. Those who had exercised missed 48 percent fewer days during this period. The severity of the colds and flus also differed between the two groups. Those who had exercised or meditated suffered for an average of five days; colds of participants in the control group lasted eight. Lab tests confirmed that the self-reported length of colds correlated with the level of antibodies in the body, which is a biomarker for the presence of a virus.

“I think the big news is that mindfulness meditation training appears to have worked” in preventing or reducing the length of colds, says Bruce Barrett of the department of family medicine. He cautions, however, that the findings are preliminary.

This article was originally published with the title Meditate That Cold Away.

7 Comments

1. 1. lamorpa 09:12 AM 11/14/12

   Pretty flimsy. I love to meditate. I'm sure this study had many uncontrolled factors that contribute a great deal more to the outcome than these things.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. GeekStatus 10:43 AM 11/14/12

   What an insightful study. Real good stuff. I especially liked the quip about how they didn't even ask or attempt to determine if the subjects continued their controls after 8 weeks.
   
   Well dont hold back now, did they at least win the HS science fair with this study?
   
   Id be embarrassed to put my name on something like that.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. Acoyauh2 01:36 PM 11/14/12

   Small sample and a lot of loose ends, but definitely a good start. This area is interesting to me, since I found out how many insurance companies in Europe and Latam lower your age (and price) when you practice meditation regularly. Trascendental Meditation, that is, which I practice - next step for me is to try and grasp the difference between TM and MM.
   WHY the impressive health benefits occur is still the big question for scientists.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

4. 4. jerryd 04:43 PM 11/14/12

   
   I agree not a good study because of the above reasons.
   
   Once you have a cold or any infectious illness I turn onmy immune system by wrapping myself up in an electric blanket and at as high a temp as I can take and overnight it almost always cures it. This is especially important for older over 50 people who doesn't have as young immune system.
   
   Don't take fever reducers unless you have to as they slow or cut your immune response. Fever is your body's way to rev it up.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

5. 5. northernguy in reply to jerryd 07:31 PM 11/14/12

   
   Increasing you body temp is an effective strategy as viruses (viri?) have adapted to the human body and so do not do well if the body temp is raised to unnatural levels.
   
   That is why drinking hot liquids is recommended. A moist, hot throat is an inhospitable environment for a virus.
   
   Of course if you have a bacterial infection that is probably the worst thing you can do.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

6. 6. CharlesFrancis 11:21 PM 11/14/12

   I can see how mindfulness meditation would reduce the number of sick days taken by employees. Other studies have shown that the practice strengthens the immune system. So, whether it is because of the cold and flu, or some other illness, those who meditate regularly are generally healthier.
   
   In addition, I’ve seen cost-effectiveness studies where companies saw dramatic decreases in their health care expenditures in the first year after implementing a health and wellness program that included meditation as one of it’s main components.
   
   Charles A. Francis
   The Mindfulness Meditation Institute
   

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

7. 7. Y V Chawla 11:24 PM 11/14/12

   Absorbing the friction between 'what is' and 'what you think should be' without any idea, explanation is Meditation. It is concentration of total energy, which charges brain and body. Meditation as an exercise, as an activity is simply an escape from the unpleasantness, which one is experiencing.
   http://www.fundamentalexpressions.com

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this