‘Alleviating depression associated with illness. Meditation also has a powerful effect on the mind: Researchers at the University of Louisville found that it helped relieve symptoms of depression in women with fibromyalgia. Tracy Latz, MD, a psychiatrist in Mooresville, North Carolina, teaches patients to meditate as part of treatment for a variety of conditions. “It can give patients an inner peace that helps diminish the feelings of isolation and abandonment that are so intense with depression and other mental health issues,” she says.’