Meditation could stop cold and flues

• Adults who meditated for eight weeks missed 76 per cent fewer days of work than those who did nothing
• Moderate exercise such as jogging also helps
  

 New research suggests that meditation could be very effective at preventing the winter ailments. Adults who meditated or did moderately intense exercise, such as a brisk walk, for eight weeks suffered fewer colds than those who did nothing, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Previous research has found that mindfulness meditation may improve mood, decrease stress, and boost immune function.

The 149 people in this new study were divided into three groups. One performed mindful meditation, a type of meditation that essentially involves focusing the mind on the present.  Another group jogged regularly for eight weeks while the third group did nothing.

The researchers then followed the health of the volunteers through the winter from September to May, although they didn’t check whether or not people carried on exercising or meditating after the eight–week period.  The participants were observed for cold and flu symptoms such as a runny nose, stuffiness, sneezing, and sore throat.  Nasal wash samples were collected and analysed three days after the symptoms began.

The study, found that meditators missed 76 per cent fewer days of work from September through to May than those who did nothing. Those who had exercised missed 48 per cent fewer days during this period.

In addition, tests confirmed that the self-reported length of colds correlated with the level of antibodies in the body, which indicate the presence of a virus.

The study was published in the Annals of Family Medicine.