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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.

Study may lead to new therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder

In our attempts to de-clutter our busy minds and make room for new, often more productive thoughts, people tap an array of different approaches. Which works best, and how does each strategy distinctly impact the brain?

21 Dec 2020

COVID-19 pandemic affects sleep habits, leads to further stress and anxiety

The COVID-19 pandemic is seriously affecting the sleep habits of half of those surveyed in a new study from The Royal and the University of Ottawa, leading to further stress and anxiety plus further dependence on sleep medication.

17 Dec 2020

Study shows patients are more receptive to using mental health and wellness apps

Kaiser Permanente physicians and therapists now have the ability to refer their patients to evidenced-based mental health and wellness apps through the organization's electronic health record system.

17 Dec 2020

Mindfulness-based stress reduction may provide benefit to people with migraine

Migraine is a neurological disease that can be severely debilitating and is the second leading cause of disability worldwide.

14 Dec 2020

OU Health Sciences Center receives federal grant for opioid management in older adults

Chronic pain can be quite common among older adults as they face conditions such as arthritis and neuropathy. Treating pain in older adults requires special considerations, however, especially when it comes to opioids.

8 Dec 2020

First meta-analysis looks at the impact of meditation, yoga, and mindfulness on concussions

When Rebecca Acabchuk was studying mild traumatic brain injuries while working on her doctorate in physiology and neurobiology at UConn, she met a student athlete who had suffered multiple concussions.

30 Nov 2020

Models of “mindful self-regulation” can help make healthy behavior changes

A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of mindfulness approaches to promote positive changes in health behaviors.

11 Nov 2020

Lifetime experiences help older adults build resilience to pandemic trauma

Older adults are especially vulnerable physically during the coronavirus pandemic. But they're also notably resilient psychologically, calling upon a lifetime of experience and perspective to help them through difficult times.

7 Oct 2020

Mindfulness interventions can help treat obesity

Researchers have developed a package of new tools to examine how mindfulness can help tackle rising obesity across the UK.

7 Oct 2020

Meditation and yoga can be a viable option for people seeking chronic pain relief

A mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course was found to benefit patients with chronic pain and depression, leading to significant improvement in participant perceptions of pain, mood and functional capacity, according to a study in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

1 Oct 2020

Researchers test the effect of meditation techniques as potential training tool for BCI control

A BCI is an apparatus that allows an individual to control a machine or computer directly from their brain.Non-invasive means of control like electroencephalogram (EEG) readings taken through the skull are safe and convenient compared to more risky invasive methods using a brain implant, but they take longer to learn and users ultimately vary in proficiency.

24 Sep 2020

Three popular therapies lead to significant improvements in veterans

Three popular complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies – yoga, tai chi, and meditation – lead to significant improvements in key outcomes perceived by Veterans receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) system, suggests a study in a special September supplement to Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

24 Aug 2020

Yoga improves generalized anxiety disorder, study shows

The feelings of fear are normal emotions felt when the brain senses an impending danger or stress. Anxiety is the body's natural response to stress. In some people, however, they experience constant and overwhelming anxiety and fear, impeding their normal activities.

12 Aug 2020

Meditation-relaxation technique can help treat sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis - a condition thought to explain a number of mysterious experiences including alleged cases of alien abduction and demonic night-time visits - could be treated using a technique of meditation-relaxation, suggests a pilot study published today.

12 Aug 2020