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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.

Mental health of students could be improved by introducing mindfulness training

Mental health amongst university students could be improved by introducing mindfulness training. These are the findings from the first UK study, published in Education Research International, to measure the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on students.

11 Mar 2019

California looks to lead nation in unraveling childhood trauma

Imagine identifying a toxin so potent it could rewire a child's brain and erode his immune system. A substance that, in high doses, tripled the risk of heart disease and lung cancer and reduced life expectancy by 20 years.

6 Mar 2019

Self-care techniques should be first line of treatment for patients with facial pain, suggests study

While oral appliances such as splints and bite guards are the most common treatment for facial pain from temporomandibular disorders, patients rate them as less helpful than self-care treatments, such as jaw exercises or warm compresses, finds a new study by researchers at NYU College of Dentistry.

5 Feb 2019

Study finds significant use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa

Researchers who have undertaken the first systematic review of into the use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa found its use is significant and not just because of a lack of resources or access to "conventional medicine".

18 Dec 2018

Study discovers link between meditation and how individuals respond to feedback

In a new study in the Journal of Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience researchers from the University of Surrey have discovered a link between meditation and how individuals respond to feedback.

11 Dec 2018

Study investigates how mindfulness meditation reduces emotional reactivity

In a randomized controlled trial of 134 mildly stressed, middle-aged to older adults, participants who were assigned to a six-week mindfulness-meditation training program experienced significantly reduced negative affect variability—which refers to subjective distress and includes a range of mood states such as worry, anxiety, anger, self-criticism, and life dissatisfaction—compared with participants assigned to a waitlist control.

22 Nov 2018

Meditation, music may change biomarkers of cellular aging and Alzheimer’s disease in older adults

A research team led by Dr. Kim Innes, a professor in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, has found that a simple meditation or music listening program may alter certain biomarkers of cellular aging and Alzheimer's Disease in older adults who are experiencing memory loss.

13 Nov 2018

Brain activity pattern linked with development of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a brain disorder that produces hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive impairments, usually strikes during adolescence or young adulthood. While some signs can suggest that a person is at high risk for developing the disorder, there is no way to definitively diagnose it until the first psychotic episode occurs.

8 Nov 2018

Researchers develop new app that reminds users to relax and prevent stress

Whether at work or at leisure - more and more people are feeling stressed. This makes it all the more important to learn to consciously relax in order to get stress under control.

29 Oct 2018

Breathing through the nose improves memory consolidation

The way we breathe may affect how well our memories are consolidated (i.e. reinforced and stabilized). If we breathe through the nose rather than the mouth after trying to learn a set of smells, we remember them better, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report in The Journal of Neuroscience.

22 Oct 2018

Mindfulness-based program effective for reducing stress in infertile women

An eight-week mindfulness-based program was effective for reducing stress and depressive symptoms while increasing general well-being in a study of infertile women.

17 Oct 2018

Study: Sarcoma patients poorly informed about risk of interactions with anti-cancer drugs

Sarcoma patients show great openness to the use of complementary alternative medicines (CAMs) for supportive care, but they are poorly informed about safety issues and risk of interactions with anti-cancer drugs, a study to be presented at ESMO 2018 reported.

10 Oct 2018

Managing your mental health while managing a newsroom’s social media

Like many people in society today, we know we spend too much time online — but as social media managers it is our job to be there. Social media managers, a position that was unheard of a decade ago, experience tremendous stress.

5 Oct 2018

Basis announces the launch of new model for mental health

Basis, a company offering an innovative approach to taking care of your mental health, announced today the launch of its new service designed to bring evidence-based support to more people.

4 Oct 2018

Researchers develop new mathematical technique to study brain waves

A U.S. Army Research Laboratory scientist has collaborated with a team of researchers from the University of North Texas to develop a new data processing technique that uses electroencephalogram, or EEG, time series variability as a measure of the state of the brain.

27 Sep 2018

Special Focus Issue takes wide view of complementary and integrative medicine in cancer

A Special Focus Issue on Integrative Oncology takes a wide-ranging view of the possible approaches and potential therapeutic benefits of complementary and integrative medicine in multiple age groups, nations, and special populations.

25 Sep 2018

Disagreeable individuals can benefit most from behaving more compassionately, finds study

The most disagreeable individuals, who are also the least likely to be kind, can benefit most from behaving more compassionately, a York University study has found.

19 Sep 2018

More women veterans with chronic pain use CIH therapies than men

A recent major shift in practice by the Veterans Health Administration now means that complementary and integrative health therapies such as meditation, yoga and acupuncture are increasingly being offered to VA patients as non-drug approaches for pain management and related conditions, says Elizabeth Evans, an epidemiology researcher in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

18 Sep 2018

Religious upbringing may be protective factor for health, well-being in early adulthood

Participating in spiritual practices during childhood and adolescence may be a protective factor for a range of health and well-being outcomes in early adulthood, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

14 Sep 2018

Whole brain analysis reveals why 'mindful people' feel less pain

Ever wonder why some people seem to feel less pain than others? A study conducted at Wake Forest School of Medicine may have found one of the answers – mindfulness.

7 Sep 2018