Mindful meditation may protect you from illness as well as melt away your stress.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Using a form of meditation known as mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR, not only reduces anxiety and improves your quality of life, but can actually boost your immune system naturally, helping you ward off disease, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Mindfulness meditation, in its simplest form, is focusing on the present in a non-judgmental way. "Mindfulness practice helps to reduce stress by helping people learn to quiet the mind and relax the body. In the process, they learn to observe their thoughts," explains Rodale.com advisor and clinical psychologist Jeffrey Rossman, PhD, director of life management at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts. "They become skillful at identifying and not reacting to judgmental and negative thoughts that contribute to stress, anxiety, depression, and unhappiness. Instead, they cultivate an attitude of compassionate acceptance of themselves and others."

And this new study shows this positive state of mind can help your body as well as your mind.

THE DETAILS: Researchers, led by a Fox Chase Cancer Center investigator, looked at 24 healthy adults between the ages of 28 and 72 and monitored immunity biomarkers through blood tests while the participants took part in an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program. The participants who reported improvements in their general well-being during the classes also enjoyed a drop in average levels of C-reactive protein, a substance found in the body that is associated with inflammation and disease, as well as a higher level of activity by the immune system's protective "killer cells." "The study found that among the participants in the mindfulness program, the ones who experienced enhanced immunity were the ones who reported less stress and improved mental health at the end of the program." explains Rossman. "We know from previous research that excessive stress causes inflammation and decreased natural killer cell activity."