Meditation isn’t only good for the mind. New research shows the relaxation practice can alleviate the symptoms of two stomach ailments by changing genetic factors involved in the disorders.

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and irritable bowel disease (IBD) had fewer symptoms after practicing meditation and yoga.

What’s more, the mind-and-body practices appeared to work by suppressing certain genes tied to inflammation and other immune system problems in patients suffering from IBS or IBD, Live Science reports.

For the new study, researchers tracked 19 patients with IBS and 29 with IBD who underwent a nine-week program that included breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga.

The researchers assessed the patients' symptoms before, after, and midway during the study, and took blood samples for genetic analyses.

The results showed the patients all reported a reduction in their symptoms after undergoing the program. A genetic analysis of their blood also provided evidence of changes in genetic pathways related to the two disorders.

Lead researcher Manoj Bhasin, said researchers found that more than 1,000 genes were altered in IBD patients over the study period, and 119 genes changed in the people with IBS.