Health First Research

It is not surprising that the majority of practicing physicians report symptoms of stress and emotional exhaustion. As a chiropractor, I treat a lot of stressful patients, so I know first hand what stress can do to both mind and body. That is one of the reasons I suggest meditation to many of my patients, in addition to their chiropractic adjustments. Well, we’ve all heard the saying, “Physician, heal thyself,” and resent research results suggest that doctors can do just that by taking up mindfulness meditation to avoid fatigue, stress, and burn out.

The 70 primary care physicians in the study participated in 8 weekly 2 ½-hour sessions of mindfulness meditation training. This was followed by 10 monthly 2 ½-hour sessions. Over the course of the program and follow-ups the doctors showed a significant improvement in well-being, as well as decreases in burnout and mood disturbance. And, the news gets even better because the doctors also showed an increase in empathy and positive changes in how they related to their patients.

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