A pilot study to assess the impact of pyramid meditation on anxiety and depression in people with T2DM

Diabetes mellitus is rampant in the Middle East. It is a psychologically and behaviorally demanding disease;
therefore, psychosocial factors are relevant to nearly all aspects of its management. Moreover, depression and diabetes are bidirectionally connected. Those with depression are at risk of developing diabetes and those with comorbid diabetes are at risk of developing depressive symptoms. Research findings have demonstrated that depression and anxiety are more common in patients with diabetes than in the general population, atleast 15 % have clinical depression. In addition, the recent COVID- 19 pandemic has fueled the burden by increasing fear, anxiety, and depression among people with T2DM due to susceptibility to long-term complications. In Kuwait, arecent survey found the prevalence of depression to be 29% and diabetes distress to be 14%. Thus, there is a dire need to address this challenging problem. It is well-known that yoga, meditation, and mindfulness are powerful tools for reducing psychological disorders. These tools positively impact hormone regulation and have a beneficial effect on cognitive function and increased parasympathetic activity. The positive effect of meditation is assumed to be amplified if a pyramid that is of a specific dimension as that of a pyramid of Giza is used for practice. Not much human research is performed to demonstrate that pyramid energy is a tool to combat psychological disorders. However, few studies on animal models provided evidence of the potential beneficial effect of pyramid energy in reducing stress. Our previous pilot study using only meditation as an intervention had indicated significant improvement in anxiety, depression, and quality of life in people with T2DM. However, there was no change in participants’ glycemic control. In this study, we propose to conduct a randomized controlled study on people with T2DM to assess the effect of meditation under pyramid energy on anxiety, stress, and depression. We will also estimate the inflammatory markers (TNF-apha, IL-6), stress markers, neurotrophic factors, BDNF, lipid profile, and CRP in people with T2DM.