Meditation News and Research

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The term meditation refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention. Most of them are rooted in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years.

Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings as a form of mind-body medicine. Many claims have been made about its value in promoting or improving health and wellness.

High levels of toxic metals found in Ayurvedic medicines

Alternative medicine is in the news again with scientists in the U.S. saying they have found high levels of toxic metals in popular herbal medicines sold online.

27 Aug 2008

Many cancer patients found to be using complementary and alternative methods

A new study from researchers at the American Cancer Society finds many cancer patients use complementary and alternative methods, most often prayer, relaxation, supplements, meditation, and massage. Meanwhile, the use of other methods, such as biofeedback, homeopathy, and acupressure, are relatively uncommon.

4 Aug 2008

New Wilmot Cancer Center offers expanded care, research for cures

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) today celebrates the expansion of cancer care and research as it dedicates the new James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. The Center introduces leading-edge technology, greater access to multidisciplinary care, a new model for breast care, and more opportunities to receive tomorrow's therapies today.

15 May 2008

How to reduce fibromyalgia pain

Pain all over, fatigue and difficulty sleeping -- and no measurable answer for what could be wrong.

3 Apr 2008

Relaxation response training may improve control of hard-to-treat systolic hypertension

Adding the relaxation response, a stress-management approach, to other lifestyle interventions may significantly improve treatment of the type of hypertension most common in the elderly.

31 Mar 2008

Transcendental meditation controls high blood pressure

Transcendental Meditation is an effective treatment for controlling high blood pressure with the added benefit of bypassing possible side effects and hazards of anti-hypertension drugs, according to a new meta-analysis conducted at the University of Kentucky.

17 Mar 2008

Stress causes whole body deterioration

Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study now reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.

9 Jan 2008

Need for greater recognition of the use of placebos

In the first study examining American physicians' use of placebos in clinical practice in the 21st Century, 45 percent of Chicago internists report they have used a placebo at some time during their clinical practice researchers report in the January issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine.

4 Jan 2008

Tibetan meditation and post-traumatic stress disorder

Miami and Ohio State university researchers are using an ancient technique to address a modern problem.

17 Dec 2007

Zen meditation by psychotherapists matters

An investigation by German researchers headed by Professor Nickel which was published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates the practicing Zen meditation by psychotherapists matters. .

13 Nov 2007

Study looks at religion in health care

Research shows that religion and spirituality are linked to positive physical and mental health; however, most studies have focused on people with life threatening diseases.

24 Oct 2007

$6.8 million grant to help UTEP tackle Hispanic health disparities

The Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center at the University of Texas at El Paso has received a $6.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health that will significantly advance the center's research in helping eliminate racial and ethnic health inequalities across the nation.

22 Oct 2007

Just one week of meditation helps

Researchers in the U.S. have found that in order to benefit from meditation, months of practice are not essential and benefits can be achieved in just one week.

10 Oct 2007

Body-mind meditation helps reduce stress

A team of researchers from China and the University of Oregon have developed an approach for neuroscientists to study how meditation might provide improvements in a person's attention and response to stress.

9 Oct 2007

Meditation for rheumatoid arthritis

A revered contemplative practice for centuries, meditation has recently inspired research into its therapeutic value for everything from anxiety disorders to heart attack prevention.

29 Sep 2007

Mind-body therapies may help elderly chronic pain sufferers

Mind-body therapies, which focus on the interactions between the mind, body and behavior, and the ways in which emotional, mental, social and behavioral factors can affect health, may be of particular benefit to elderly chronic pain sufferers.

11 Sep 2007

Do not ignore fatigue

Jennifer Sieck knew something had to be done when she would lie in bed most of the day and night.

5 Sep 2007

No compelling evidence that meditation has therapeutic value

While it's not likely to do you any harm, there is also no compelling evidence that meditation has therapeutic value, says a new report from the University of Alberta.

10 Jul 2007

Therapeutic value of meditation unproven

There is an enormous amount of interest in using meditation as a form of therapy to cope with a variety of modern-day health problems, especially hypertension, stress and chronic pain, but the majority of evidence that seems to support this notion is anecdotal, or it comes from poor quality studies, say Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond, researchers at the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Center in Edmonton, Canada.

29 Jun 2007

Lifestyle changes and prostate cancer

Up to 73% of men with prostate cancer take nonprescription supplements, and smaller numbers use diet, exercise, or both in the hope of improving their outcome.

29 Jun 2007