Efficacy of Short Course of Preksha Dhyana for Functional Abdominal Pain Disorder in a Busy Pediatric Clinic

Vijay Mehta; Akshay Mehta; Samit Patel; Laura Irastorza; Syed Ahsan Rizvi; Bassam Abomoelak; Naina Mehta; Devendra Mehta

doi:10.3389/fped.2021.646686

Efficacy of Short Course of Preksha Dhyana for Functional Abdominal Pain Disorder in a Busy Pediatric Clinic

Front Pediatr. 2021 May 25:9:646686. doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.646686. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Vijay Mehta¹, Akshay Mehta¹, Samit Patel², Laura Irastorza¹, Syed Ahsan Rizvi¹, Bassam Abomoelak¹, Naina Mehta³, Devendra Mehta¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Orlando Health-Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, FL, United States.
² Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition of Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay, FL, United States.
³ Department of Pediatric Neurology, Orlando Health-Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, FL, United States.

Abstract

Introduction: Mind body techniques such as meditation improve symptoms in children and adults with IBS. Typical courses, however, are lengthy and difficult to administer. We report our experience with a short course of Preksha Dhyana (PD), a child-friendly focused meditation with yoga. Method: Physicians deliver focused meditation while medical assistants taught yoga. Three sessions were administered biweekly with recommendations for daily practice. Pain severity Likert scores were compared with a treatment as usual (TAU) historical control. Anxiety scores were compared from baseline in the PD group. Results: Thirty PD patients aged 9-17 (20 female) and 52 consecutive TAU group aged 5-17 (33 female) were reviewed. The biweekly sessions had high (71%) completion rates. Utilization rates of PD were similar to TAU despite added sessions. The PD group had an average time of follow-up of 8.9 ± 9.4 vs. 6.0 ± 3.9 months in the TAU group (p = 0.522). Changes in pain scores from baseline showed improvement in the PD group, 0.67 ± 0.13 vs. TAU 1.39 ± 0.11 (p = 0.0003). In the PD group, anxiety scores improved significantly from baseline (0.5 vs. 1, P < 0.001). Pain improved in 93% (28/30) and resolved in 47% (14/30). Conclusion: A short course of PD was successfully embedded in a busy pediatric office without additional staffing. The approach proved cost-effective without increasing overall healthcare utilization and showed significant benefits over TAU. Pending RCT confirmation, this offers a cost-effective method to incorporate mind-body techniques into a pediatric office practice.

Keywords: Preksha meditation; functional abdominal pain disorder; integrative medicine; irritable bowel syndrome; meditation; yoga.