The American journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction in Addition to Usual Care Is Associated with Improvements in Pain, Fatigue, and Cognitive Failures Among Veterans with Gulf War Illness.
Many Gulf War I veterans report ongoing negative health consequences. The constellation of pain, fatigue, and concentration/memory disturbances is referred to as "Gulf War illness." Prior research suggests that mindfulness-based stress reduction may be beneficial for these symptoms, but mindfulness-based stress reduction has not been studied for veterans with Gulf War illness. The objective of this trial was to conduct a pilot study of mindfulness-based stress reduction for veterans with Gulf War illness. ⋯ Mindfulness-based stress reduction in addition to treatment as usual is associated with significant improvements in self-reported symptoms of Gulf War illness, including pain, fatigue, cognitive failures, and depression.