HIV/AIDS virus, for which the scientists have not been able to find a proper cure till now, has currently devastated the life of 40 million people around the world. The deadly virus takes over the victim’s immune system slowly grabbing him in the paws of death.

CD4+T lymphocytes, also called CD4 T cells, are considered to be the “brains” of the immune system and helps it to fight against the harmful attacks , but the merciless HIV/AIDS virus attacks on these cells and thus worsening the condition of the patient.

But a recent study conducted by the team at University of California Los Angeles has found that Meditation can slow down the process of eating and destroying of CD4 T cells by the virus. The process may slow down the worsening of AIDS in just a few weeks, by affecting the immune system positively.

The findings were published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. The researchers formed two groups. The first group was instructed to follow a stress-lowering program called mindfulness meditation. The program aims at developing positive thinking in the patient, by guiding him to practice an open and receptive awareness of the present moment and forget about the past and future. The volunteers attended eight classes per week of two hours duration, a day long retreat and daily home practices.

On the other hand, the second group was just made to attend a one day seminar on mindfulness-based-stress reduction (MBSR) meditation. The results varied a lot. Where the first group showed an immense increase in the production of CD4 T cells, the second group showed the reduction in the same.

The count of the CD4 T cells indicated the researchers as to how well the immune system is fighting with the AIDS virus.

David Creswell, who led the study, and a research scientist at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, said, “This study provides the first indication that mindfulness meditation stress-management training can have a direct impact on slowing HIV disease progression.”

If the finding are ought to be true, then it can help the patients with cheap and simple way to fight efficiently with the HIV/AIDS virus.

The researchers carried out the study on 67 HIV-positive individuals, out of which 48 followed the 8 week long MBSR program while others just attended the one day seminar. The volunteers were all males, among which some were African-American, Homosexuals and unemployed.

Creswell reported that all the volunteers had been suffering from highly stressful lives. The researcher further said that though it is unclear that how the meditation program works, but this much is clear that it directly boosts up the production of CD4 T cells and suppress the virus.

Creswell concluded by explaining, “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.”