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Meditation-Based Intervention as a Complementary Treatment for Adenomyosis: A Case Report

Tzu-Ying Hu

International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine October 21, 2016 DOI: 10.15406/ijcam.2016.04.00122 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case study Case report Peer reviewed
Sample size 1
Population A 45-year-old Taiwanese woman diagnosed with adenomyosis
Interventions Mindfulness meditation Hemostatic drugs Iron Vitamin B
Duration 1.5 months for initial symptom reduction; symptoms intensified at age 50 with a second intervention period
Measures serum cancer antigen 125 (CA 125)
Topics Meditation
Key findings The authors report that a meditation-based intervention combining stressor release, mantra meditation, and mindfulness meditation, with supportive medications as needed, was followed by considerable reductions in serum CA 125, menstrual pain, and bleeding within 1.5 months, and again when symptoms intensified at age 50, allowing the patient to reach menopause without hysterectomy, conservative surgery, or hormone medications.

Abstract

Objective:Adenomyosis is a common benign gynecological condition in pre- menopausal women, with symptoms such as menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea, greatly affecting women’s health and quality of life. The treatment options of adenomyosis are hysterectomy, anti-inflammatory, hormone medications and conservative surgeries. However, they might be either temporary symptom control, or side effects, or compromised fertility, or no fertility. Meditation- based intervention has been shown beneficial to various diseases. The patient was a 45-year-old Taiwanese woman who was diagnosed with adenomyosis, after experiencing severe symptoms, including menorrhagia and dysmenorrheal. The intervention was to identify her greatest stressor firstly and then let go of it to reduce the greatest portion of the stress; next, to do mantra meditation, Six Character Great Bright Mantra, and mindfulness meditation intensively to keep reducing stress, while taking medicine of anti-inflammatory, hemostatic drugs, iron and vitamin B as necessary. She was an experienced meditation practitioner of mantra and mindfulness. The result was that serum cancer antigen 125 (CA 125), menstrual pain and bleeding reduced considerably within 1.5 months. The symptoms were alleviated successfully. Her symptoms of adenomyosis intensified at her age of 50. She did meditation-based intervention and alleviated symptoms successfully again. The intervention enabled her to pass into menopause well without hysterectomy or any conservative operation or hormone medications.

Comparable studies

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Study Year Design Participants
Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator 2001 Case study n = 1
Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program 2008 Prospective case series n = 19
How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... 2015 Qualitative case study n = 1
Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... 2009 Case study
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler 2011 Case study n = 1

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