Heartfulness meditation as adjunct to methotrexate does not significantly improve PASI 75 response in moderate to severe psoriasis

The Claim

Heartfulness meditation as adjunct to methotrexate does not significantly improve PASI 75 response in moderate to severe psoriasis

This conclusion is most relevant to: Adults aged 18-60 years with moderate to severe psoriasis (PASI ≥10 or BSA ≥10%).

What the Research Shows

The conclusion draws on 1 linked study. Highlights from the cited literature:

• ▸Efficacy of Heartfulness Meditation as Adjunctive Therapy for Moderate to Severe Psoriasis: A Randomised Controlled Trial. (Indian journal of dermatology, 2026) — In a randomized controlled trial of 50 adults with moderate to severe psoriasis, adding heartfulness meditation to methotrexate resulted in PASI 75 achievement in 61.1% of the intervention group versus 52.38% in the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.548). Trends toward better improvements in BSA, DLQI, PSS, and PSQI were observed in the meditation group, but none reached significance. No adverse events related to meditation were reported.

How It Works

The proposed biological pathway:

• ▸Heartfulness meditation reduces psychological stress
• ▸Reduced stress may lower cortisol and IL-6 levels
• ▸Lower inflammatory markers may improve psoriasis severity
• ▸Result: Non-significant trend toward better outcomes in meditation group

Who Might Benefit

Evidence fit by population:

• ▸Adults aged 18-60 years with moderate to severe psoriasis (PASI ≥10 or BSA ≥10%)

Recommended Dose

N/A (meditation practice not quantified in abstract)

Limitations & Caveats

Important context when interpreting this evidence:

• ▸Small sample size (n=44 in final analysis) limits statistical power
• ▸Findings were not statistically significant, so benefits are inconclusive
• ▸Single-center study in India may limit generalizability
• ▸No blinding of participants due to nature of meditation intervention

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