Fjorback, Lone Overby, Arendt, Mikkel, Ornbøl, Eva et al. · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2013 · DOI
This study tested whether mindfulness therapy (a technique combining meditation and stress-reduction strategies) could help people with conditions like ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and IBS. Researchers compared mindfulness therapy to enhanced standard medical care in 119 patients over 15 months. While both groups improved similarly overall, people in the mindfulness group improved faster and their gains lasted longer, suggesting mindfulness may be a helpful option worth considering.
This study directly addresses ME/CFS as part of bodily distress syndrome and evaluates a non-pharmaceutical intervention that could complement standard care. Understanding whether mindfulness-based approaches can improve physical quality of life and symptom burden is valuable for patients seeking additional treatment options alongside medical management.
This study does not prove that mindfulness therapy is superior to standard care—the primary statistical analysis showed no significant difference between groups. The study also does not establish whether mindfulness benefits persist long-term beyond 15 months, nor does it identify which ME/CFS patients might benefit most from this intervention. Longer follow-up and larger trials would be needed to confirm durability and applicability.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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