Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., asked the same question at the 2001 National Psoriasis Foundation World Conference, and about half the people in the room raised their hands, according to the latest issue of the NPF Bulletin.
Stress is a trigger for a lot of us with psoriasis. However, unlike a lot of us, Dr. Kabat-Zinn has come up with a plan to combat the aggravation.
Back in 1998, Dr. Kabat-Zinn did a study with his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts, Worcester, that used mindfulness meditation to speed clearing of psoriasis during UVB or PUVA therapy.
In this study, 37 patients with psoriasis were randomly chosen to receive either UV light treatments with audiotaped mindfulness meditation instructions, or light treatments alone. The study showed that people with the meditation instructions cleared approximately four times faster than people treated with light alone.
That's pretty cool, if you ask me!
Dr. Kabat-Zinn offers his own tapes at mindfulnesstapes.com; from my brief perusal of his site, it looks like the Series 1 tapes will be of greatest benefit for health care purposes.
I have not tried Dr. Kabat-Zinn's tapes, but I have used "The Love Tapes" series from Effective Learning Systems. I buy the tapes at Barnes and Noble but you can also purchase them directly through the website. These tapes have been very effective for relaxation purposes, though I couldn't say what the effect has been on my psoriasis. I can say that I don't itch as much when I'm relaxed.
Before spending a lot of money on meditation tapes, think about what you hope to get out of the tapes, then purchase a tape whose description sounds like what you are looking for. Check to see if you can return the tape if you're not pleased with the results. A lot of manufacturers offer a 30-day guarantee if you're not satisfied.
Also consider whether you prefer to listen to a male or female voice - it does make a difference! If you find one or the other annoying or aggravating, you might not get the benefits you were expecting from the tape. I have one good tape that has a female speaker with a melodious British accent, but I normally prefer male voices. If it works for you and you believe you'll use it regularly, that's the tape you want to use.
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