Meditation-induced bloodborne factors as an adjuvant treatment to COVID-19 disease.
Juan P Zuniga-Hertz, Ramamurthy Chitteti, Joe Dispenza, Raphael Cuomo, Jacqueline A. Bonds, Elena L Kopp, Sierra Simpson, Jonathan Okerblom, Svetlana Maurya, Brinda K Rana, Atsushi Miyonahara, Ingrid R Niesman, Jacqueline Maree, Gianna Belza, Hillari D Hamilton, Carla Stanton, David J Gonzalez, Michelle A. Poirier, Tobias Moeller-Bertram, Hemal H Patel
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health October 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100675 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study with laboratory experiments Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Meditators and non-meditators, with cultured human lung cells used in laboratory experiments |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Adoptive blood transfer Covid-19 disease Immunity Pseudovirus Sars-cov-2 Serpin |
| Key findings | The authors report that longer meditation practice was inversely correlated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated with faster symptom resolution, and that blood from experienced meditators prevented entry of pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 viruses (Wuhan-1 and Delta) into cultured human lung cells. They identify SERPINA5 as a factor they contend is necessary and sufficient for this effect, and propose meditation as a possible adjuvant therapy in COVID-19 management. |
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Management of the pandemic has relied mainly on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, while alternative approaches such as meditation, shown to improve immunity, have been largely unexplored. Here, we probe the relationship between meditation and COVID-19 disease and directly test the impact of meditation on the induction of a blood environment that modulates viral infection. We found a significant inverse correlation between length of meditation practice and SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as accelerated resolution of symptomology of those infected. A meditation "dosing" effect was also observed. In cultured human lung cells, blood from experienced meditators induced factors that prevented entry of pseudotyped viruses for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of both the wild-type Wuhan-1 virus and the Delta variant. We identified and validated SERPINA5, a serine protease inhibitor, as one possible protein factor in the blood of meditators that is necessary and sufficient for limiting pseudovirus entry into cells. In summary, we conclude that meditation can enhance resiliency to viral infection and may serve as a possible adjuvant therapy in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- The integration of mindfulness and psychology Journal of Clinical Psychology April 1, 2009
- The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials Frontiers in Psychology September 15, 2020
- Mindfulness meditation and gene expression: a hypothesis-generating framework Current Opinion in Psychology July 11, 2019
- What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices. Frontiers in Immunology June 16, 2017
- Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes. Translational Psychiatry August 30, 2016
and 1 more in the library