PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - E E Solberg
AU  - R Halvorsen
AU  - J Sundgot-Borgen
AU  - F Ingjer
AU  - A Holen
TI  - Meditation: a modulator of the immune response to physical stress? A brief report.
AID  - 10.1136/bjsm.29.4.255
DP  - 1995 Dec 01
TA  - British Journal of Sports Medicine
PG  - 255--257
VI  - 29
IP  - 4
4099  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/29/4/255.short
4100  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/29/4/255.full
SO  - Br J Sports Med1995 Dec 01; 29
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that stress reducing techniques such as meditation alter immune responses after strenous physical stress. METHODS: The hypothesis was tested by studying six meditating and six non-meditating male runners in a concurrent, controlled design. After a period of six months with meditation for the experimental group, blood samples were taken immediately before and after a maximum oxygen uptake test (VO2max). RESULTS: The increase in CD8+ T cells after VO2max was significantly less in the meditation group than in the control group (P = 0.04). The amount of CD2+ cells doubled after VO2max, mainly because of a rise in the CD8+ fraction. CONCLUSIONS: Meditation may modify the suppressive influence of strenous physical stress on the immune system.