Meditation treats depression and anxiety as effectively as drugs for some patients, a study has concluded.
Mindfulness, a Buddhist technique designed to focus on the present moment and help people to manage their thoughts by becoming more aware of them, appeared particularly helpful.
However, there was little evidence that meditation helped patients to sleep better, feel less stressed or improved their overall quality of life, US researchers said.
While studies have long suggested that meditation can help with anxiety, other researchers have objected that any improvement was the result of having something to do or the attention paid to the patient by a specialist.
In the latest analysis, scientists at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, searched for studies that compared mindfulness, transcendental meditation, zen