Strengthening Communities Where We Live, Work, and Play | Page 20

HELPING
PEOPLE HELP
THEMSELVES
THROUGH
MEDITATION
Chronic Illness—
One of Healthcare’s
Biggest Challenges
The CDC reports that half of adult Americans—117 million people—have one or more chronic health conditions.
• One in four adults has two or more
chronic conditions.
• They account for 81% of hospital admissions,
91% of all prescriptions, and 76% of visits to
healthcare providers.
Of these, more than 15 million or 6.3% of
adult Americans may be living with Chronic

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Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Millions more may be unaware they have it.
Those more likely to report this chronic
illness include:

• the divorced, widowed or separated,
• people with less than a high school
education and lower incomes,
• current or former smokers, and
• those with a history of asthma.

The Science of Meditation as a COPD
Management Intervention

Next Research Steps:
The Mechanisms of Meditation

Assistant Professor Roxane Chan, PhD, RN,
AHN-BC, LMT, focuses on the COPD
population for preliminary meditation
research to help patients:

The next study will explore how heart
rate variability (HRV) and its relationship to
breathing patterns translate emotional function
into physical function. HRV is a practical and
reproducible measure of autonomic nervous
system function. As study participants undergo
simulated stress and periods of rest, data
will be collected on the levels of natural killer
cells, HPA axis, stress hormones, and other
physical factors. Results will offer insight on
the relationship of mindfulness training to
physiological flexibility, an important factor in
positive health outcomes.

• better assess their symptoms,
• manage their disease more effectively, and
• avoid disease exacerbations.
The NIH-funded intervention study
demonstrated that Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction meditat