Reuters reports that US researchers have found potential of meditation slowing down the worsening of AIDS in just a few weeks.

A team of researcher at University of California Los Angeles tested stress-lowering program called mindfulness meditation avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future.  The more often the volunteers meditated, the higher their CD4 T-cell counts.  CD4 count is a standard measure of how well the immune system is fighting the AIDS virus.

The team said that if the findings are borne out in larger studies, it could offer a cheap and pleasant way to help people battle the incurable and often fatal condition.

 
“This study provides the first indication that mindfulness meditation stress-management training can have a direct impact on slowing HIV disease progression,” said David Creswell, who led the study.
“The mindfulness program is a group-based and low-cost treatment, and if this initial finding is replicated in larger samples, it’s possible that such training can be used as a powerful complementary treatment for HIV disease, alongside medications,” he added.

He said it was unclear how the stress-reducing effects of meditation work. It may directly boost CD4 T-cell levels, or suppress the virus, he said.