In people with Parkinson's disease, 8 weeks of either meditation or yoga, compared to usual care, led to significant reductions in anxiety, motor symptoms, and chronic inflammation (measured by interleukin-6 levels), and improved health-related quality of life and the ability to describe experiences. Only meditation significantly reduced depressive symptoms and sustained the improvements in motor symptoms and quality of life at 6 months. The study involved 159 participants with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease who were randomly assigned to meditation, yoga, or a control group.
A trial will test whether individual mindfulness techniques—meditation or yoga—help Parkinson's disease patients manage anxiety and depression, which affect 40–50% of patients. Participants will be randomly assigned to meditation, yoga, or usual care for 8 weeks. The study measures anxiety, depression, motor and non-motor symptoms, quality of life, mindfulness, and stress biomarkers at baseline, 8 weeks, and 24 weeks. Qualitative interviews with 30 participants per intervention group will explore their experiences. The research aims to inform community-based, nurse-led compassionate care models for neurodegenerative conditions.
Both Tai Chi and mindful yoga are feasible and acceptable for people with advanced cancer, with attendance rates above 86% and high satisfaction. Compared to a control group that received only written exercise guidelines, Tai Chi and mindful yoga led to preliminary reductions in depression and improvements in balance that lasted 12 weeks after the programs ended. Mindful yoga also showed additional enhancements in mindfulness and spiritual well-being at the 24-week follow-up. Qualitative interviews revealed themes that may explain these improvements. A large-scale trial is needed to confirm the findings.