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.

Survey reports 60% of workers feel guilty if they call in sick

Sniff, sniff. Achoo! With cold and flu season in full swing, these sounds are likely to be heard around the office. A new CareerBuilder Canada survey finds that 66 per cent of workers typically go to work when they are sick.

29 Apr 2011

Tai chi for heart failure patients: It works!

A latest study from Harvard Medical School has found that Tai chi, often called “meditation in motion,” appears to improve the quality of life in people with heart failure. The ancient Chinese exercise of tai chi features physical movements that are slow and gentle and require concentration. The study is published in the April 25, 2011 issues of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

26 Apr 2011

Pranashama Yoga Institute to begin teacher training in Ubud, Bali

Pranashama Yoga Institute, Dashama's Yoga School, will lead their first yoga teacher training in Ubud, Bali, the same city Julia Roberts filmed the movie Eat, Pray, Love. In addition to immersing themselves in the culture of Bali, Indonesia, the participants will be practicing yoga and learning how to be yoga teachers as well.

25 Apr 2011

'Iceman' influences autonomic nervous system and immune response

At the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, professor of experimental intensive care medicine dr. Peter Pickkers and his team have performed research on "Iceman" Wim Hof. Hof claims that he can influence his autonomic nervous system and immune response through concentration and meditation.

22 Apr 2011

Mindfulness meditation may enhance mental abilities

The positive effects of mindfulness meditation on pain and working memory may result from an improved ability to regulate a crucial brain wave called the alpha rhythm.

22 Apr 2011

UCLA creates 'Circle of Caring' for nurses to fight professional burnout

Nurses constantly care for others yet rarely nurture themselves. To fight professional burnout, Katherine Brown-Saltzman, R.N., created the Circle of Caring, a unique weekend retreat for nurses and other health care professionals.

22 Apr 2011

Study finds ACE inhibitors linked to increased risk of recurrence in women who have had breast cancer

ACE inhibitors, commonly used to control high blood pressure and heart failure in women, may be associated with an increased risk of recurrence in women who have had breast cancer, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

21 Apr 2011

Mindfulness meditation may help make decisions rationally rather than emotionally

If a friend or relative won $100 and then offered you a few dollars, would you accept this windfall? The logical answer would seem to be, sure, why not? "But human decision making does not always appear rational," said Read Montague, professor of physics at Virginia Tech and director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.

21 Apr 2011

Complementary alternative medicine may improve quality of life in urban adolescents with asthma

A new study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati shows that urban adolescents with asthma may experience worse outcomes when not using spiritual coping and often use complementary and alternative medicine, or integrative medicine, like prayer or relaxation, to manage symptoms.

16 Apr 2011

Meditation can conquer pain: Well almost!

Meditation can be used as a powerful painkiller says new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center showed as much reflected in perception of the participants as well as their brain scans.

7 Apr 2011

Meditation for pain succeeds: Study

According to a new study meditation may help in reducing pain. For the study researchers mildly burned 15 men and women in a lab on two separate occasions, before and after the volunteers attended four 20-minute meditation training sessions over the course of four days. During the second round, when the participants were instructed to meditate, they rated the exact same pain stimulus - a 120-degree heat on their calves - as being 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense, on average.

5 Apr 2011

Stress affects sleep, mood and body weight: Study

In a new study that appeared in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers have found that stress may affect sleep, mood and ultimately body weight. The study found that people with high stress and poor sleep were less likely to achieve a 10-lb. weight loss goal.

29 Mar 2011

Study links sleep and stress levels to weight loss

If you want to increase your chances of losing weight, reduce your stress level and get adequate sleep. A new Kaiser Permanente study found that people trying to lose at least 10 pounds were more likely to reach that goal if they had lower stress levels and slept more than six hours but not more than eight hours a night.

29 Mar 2011

Insight into 'contagious itch'

Can you catch an itch? The answer is yes. Dermatologist Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been researching what's known as "contagious itch."

23 Mar 2011

Mayo Clinic, St. Andrew's Lighthouse announce opening of Gabriel House of Care

Mayo Clinic and St. Andrew's Lighthouse, Inc. will today announce the official opening of Gabriel House of Care at a dedication ceremony on the clinic's Jacksonville campus.

18 Mar 2011

Pilot entrepreneur creates ultra-luxe alcohol and addiction rehabilitation facility

When a lawyer or judge crashes their Porsche into a ditch, a physician is found with an IV in her arm or a pilot is caught in the cockpit with alcohol on his breath, bar cards, medical and pilot licenses are revoked and careers are ruined.

10 Mar 2011

Meditation leads to stronger mind-body connection than dancing

The body is a dancer's instrument, but is it attuned to the mind? A new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that professional ballet and modern dancers are not as emotionally in sync with their bodies as are people who regularly practice meditation.

25 Feb 2011

Ballerinas need to know dangers of excessive weight loss and overexercise

With actress Natalie Portman in Oscar contention, the movie "Black Swan" has taken center stage. So have concerns surrounding the dramatic weight loss Portman underwent for the role. Her depiction of a dangerously thin ballerina sheds light on a potential downside of this art form.

25 Feb 2011

UCI study details benefits of physical activity, diet, relationships, fun and spirituality

Getting more exercise, spending time outdoors and helping others are among the activities that can be as effective as drugs or counseling in treating an array of mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety, according to a UC Irvine study.

23 Feb 2011

Treating depression: A vital step in cancer recovery

With all of the stresses of today’s modern world, depression is unfortunately becoming a common household word for many people in this country and abroad. During the cold winter months, many also struggle with seasonal depression or “winter blues,” known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Depression can be caused by any number of factors, such as chronic stress, inactivity, hormone or neurotransmitter imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, medication side effects, chronic inflammation, or lack of adequate sunshine exposure, among others.

20 Feb 2011