Improving wellbeing in patients undergoing dialysis: Can meditation help?

Coping with the stress and anxiety caused by end stage kidney disease (ESKD) symptoms, treatment, restrictions, and social, financial and family stressors, consumes many afflicted with kidney disease. Meditation has been shown to decrease anxiety and stress, and improve wellbeing and quality of life of people with chronic disease. However, the clinical uptake of meditation is low in the ESKD dialysis population. This review describes what meditation and mindful meditation are and how they have been used for people with ESKD. Further research, using active control conditions and larger sample size, is required to identify effective meditation interventions that can improve the wellbeing of our patients and their ability to cope with the demands of ESKD.