Impact of Integrated Amrita Meditation technique on stress in type 2 diabetic patients.

Background & Objectives: Several studies on mind-body relaxation techniques have demonstrated a reduction in psychological stress levels. Implementation of such cost-effective, persons suffering from chronic disorders would be beneficial for the diabetic population. This study was undertaken to understand the effect of Integrated Amrita Meditation technique (IAM) technique on stress and its benefit in attaining a better glycaemic control.

Methods: Thirty type 2 diabetic patients aged between 30 and 65 yr were consecutively recruited for the study. They were randomly allocated to IAM and control groups. Weight, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA) and perceived stress scale (PSS) were the variables assessed pre- and post-intervention during the three-month study period.

Results: The mean changes between baseline and three months in the experimental group showed statistically significant decrease in HbA (P=0.018) as well as psychological stress (P<0.001), whereas an increase in weight (P=0.046) and FBG (P=0.029) was observed in the control group. When the pre- and post-mean changes of the study variables were assessed between the two groups, the differences obtained were statistically significant for weight (P=0.048), BMI (P=0.055), HbA (P=0.034) and PSS (P≤0.001).

Interpretation & Conclusions: The findings suggest that stress is an important risk factor hindering the glycaemic control of diabetic patients. Through reduction of psychological stress by IAM practice, diabetic patients can attain a better glycaemic control along with the usual treatment regimens.