“Minimum Effective Dose,” it’s a term from my drug development days. It means, “what is the least amount of some substance I can take to give me the effect I want.”
For drug development this is an important question because most substances at a higher dose will produce some unintended or undesirable results… we call these “side effects” or “adverse events.” You’ve heard the disclaimers on TV ads. They usually sound something like this, “may cause drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, death, etc.” After years of reviewing protocols and clinical records, it became common knowledge that all drugs had unwanted effects at a certain dose. The trick was to find that “sweet spot.” Enough of a dose to get the effect you want, with a minimum, or acceptable level or other effects.
For example, after 2 glasses of wine, you may be relaxed, but experience a bit of lethargy and headache in the morning. Add another 6 glasses and you may experience drowsiness, nausea, or vomiting. In that case, the target does may be 2 glasses of wine, however after 1 glass of wine you may experience a moderate level of relaxation, still be able to safely drive a vehicle and wake up in the morning without a headache. In this scenario, the “minimum effective dose” may be 1 glass of wine.
This morning after my middle school car rider commute, I turned on Tim Ferris’s podcast. Tim is an author and podcaster. His guest was Sharon Salzberg, a long time meditation practitioner and instructor. The conversation was fascinating, but something about 32 minutes into the podcast really caught my attention. I am always listening for tips or tools that will improve the lives of my students, and myself. Sharon spoke of meditation research by Richey Davidson, a Neuroscientist at University of Wisconsin, showing the minimum effective dose of meditation to create changes in the brain is 9 minutes. Think about that for a minute, or at least 2 seconds…. 9 minutes…. less time than it takes to get an answer from the cable company on the phone. Less time than it takes to scan your Facebook feed. Nine minutes is nothing! We waste that amount of time every day, yet according to Dr Davidson, this is the amount of meditation it takes, on a daily basis, to change our brains…. if only 9 minutes on the Stairmaster could have a body-altering effect!
It’s easy to have the “all or nothing” mentality, but it seems the key to meditation is a daily practice. Can you commit to 3 minutes a day? If so, do it. A little bit of daily meditation is likely more effective than one 10 day retreat every 10 years… sort of like brushing your teeth… you’d never think of only brushing once per week, or only once every few years… yuck! Same is true for meditation. Start today. Even if it’s only at the stop lights.
xoxo