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.

Transcendental Meditation technique produces unique state of "restful alertness"

A new EEG study conducted on college students at American University found they could more highly activate the default mode network, a suggested natural "ground state" of the brain, during their practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique. This three-month randomized control study is published in a special issue of Cognitive Processing dedicated to the Neuroscience of Meditation and Consciousness, Volume 11, Number 1, February, 2010.

5 Mar 2010

Study: People can reduce their sensitivity to pain by thickening their brain

People can reduce their sensitivity to pain by thickening their brain, according to a new study published in a special issue of the American Psychological Association journal, Emotion. Researchers from the Universit- de Montr-al made their discovery by comparing the grey matter thickness of Zen meditators and non-meditators.

25 Feb 2010

Meditation improves cognition in people with memory loss

The Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation today announced data demonstrating that a specific meditation performed daily for eight weeks increased brain activity in areas central to memory and actually improved cognition in patients suffering from memory problems. The results of the study, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, were published in an early online version of an article scheduled to appear in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (Volume 20:2, April 2010).

24 Feb 2010

Heart-healthy foods and activities for Valentine's Day

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women nationwide so keep heart healthy foods, gifts and activities in mind this Valentine's Day.

23 Jan 2010

Research shows controlled breathing can reduce pain

Research performed by a scientist at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has shown that controlled breathing at a slowed rate can significantly reduce feelings of pain.

21 Jan 2010

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

Millions of Americans with significant or chronic pain associated with their medical problems are being under-treated as physicians increasingly fail to provide comprehensive pain treatment - either due to inadequate training, personal biases or fear of prescription drug abuse.

5 Jan 2010

Relieve stress: Exercise, meditate, delegate tasks, diet and be happy

It's impossible to know, unless you're Urban Meyer or one of his doctors, what exactly caused the two-time college football championship winner to see-saw decisions about his prestigious professional career and his family life.

30 Dec 2009

Simulated Environment Concepts retains AJENE WATSON

Simulated Environment Concepts, Inc., makers of the high pressurized dry water massage and relaxation station SpaCapsule, expect that their retaining of the AJENE WATSON, LLC, New York private lending and financial business development and management firm, will assist the company in repositioning itself within the marketplace in anticipation of a prosperous 2010.

30 Dec 2009

New energy receptor theory of brain function

Dr. Mitchell Earl Gibson, best-selling author, board-certified physician, and CEO of Tybro Publications, has proposed a new energy receptor theory of brain function that might explain the efficacy of mantras and prayer in human illness.

24 Dec 2009

Nation's leading fitness facility to open its second location in Texas

Texas will once again be able to indulge in the five-star service they have come to expect from Equinox Fitness Clubs. The Nation's leading fitness facility will open its second Texas location in Preston Hollow, today, December 21, 2009.

22 Dec 2009

Tips to improve digestive health during holiday season

For most people, the holidays are filled with parties and celebrations with families and friends. But if you are like many Americans, a holiday party doesn't leave you feeling just festive -- it could lead to some uncomfortable digestive issues, too.

15 Dec 2009

New PBS documentary examines why people view happiness as an elusive goal

On the eve of a new year, as millions of Americans struggle to find more meaning in their lives, Vulcan Productions and NOVA/WGBH have teamed up with Harvard psychologist and best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness, Professor Daniel Gilbert, to produce This Emotional Life. This three-part documentary premieres on PBS January 4-6, 2010 (at 9:00 p.m. check local listings) and examines why people find happiness to be such an elusive goal.

2 Dec 2009

Scientist honored with 2010 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology

A scientist who broadened the understanding of how we experience pain -- and ways we can control and relieve it -- has won the 2010 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology.

2 Dec 2009

Transcendental Meditation may be effective in reducing BP and psychological distress

"The Transcendental Meditation Program, a widely-used standardized program to reduce stress, showed significant decreases in blood pressure and improved mental health in young adults at risk for hypertension," said David Haaga, PhD, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at American University in Washington, D.C.

18 Nov 2009

Transcendental Meditation lowers rates of heart attack, stroke, and death

Patients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according to the results of a first-ever study presented during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Fla., on Nov.16, 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Meditation training can have a positive effect on pain management

A new study examining the perception of pain and the effects of various mental training techniques has found that relatively short and simple mindfulness meditation training can have a significant positive effect on pain management.

10 Nov 2009

Yoga practitioners have a healthy heart

Heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners, according to research to be published in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics.

10 Nov 2009

NIH grants $1 million to study whether Transcendental Meditation can prevent future heart attacks in CHD patients

The National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute will fund a $1 million collaborative study by the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management Research Institute and Columbia University Medical Center to determine whether the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique can help patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) prevent future heart attacks, strokes and death.

7 Nov 2009

Yoga may be more effective for reducing chronic low back pain, say researchers

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center found that yoga may be more effective than standard treatment for reducing chronic low back pain in minority populations. This study appears in the November issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.

5 Nov 2009

Stress-reduction workshops for women with history of breast cancer

Are you stressed? Do you have a family history of breast cancer? Health SMART is a study is being conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to see how stress-reduction workshops can help women with a family history of breast cancer manage their everyday stresses and cancer-risk concerns.

4 Nov 2009