June 22, 1999
Web posted at: 10:15 AM EDT (1415 GMT)
In this story:
Meditation: More than just a
"feel-good" state
Women's health
The healthy heart
The immune response
RELATEDS
By William Collinge, Ph.D.
(WebMD) -- When it comes to
alternative therapy, there's one
method that's leading the pack, at
least in terms of popularity of use.
According to research conducted by
Dr. David Eisenberg and his
colleagues at Harvard Medical
School, mind/body medicine is the
most widely used alternative. And it's
no wonder, when you look at the
medical evidence piling up to support
its role in promoting health. At the
heart of mind/body medicine lies the
age-old practice of meditation, a
quiet, simple technique that belies an
extraordinary power to boost disease
resistance and maintain overall health.
Meditation: More than just a
"feel-good" state
Meditation -- focusing the mind
continuously on one thought, phrase
or prayer for a period of time -- naturally leads to the "relaxation response,"
changes in the body that are deeply restorative and which quicken healing.
These changes include reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory
rate, oxygen consumption, blood flow to skeletal muscles, perspiration and
muscle tension, as well as an improvement in immunity. The relaxation
response works much like pushing a "reset" button, enabling your body to
return to a state of optimal balance. Many studies have been done that
show the effectiveness of meditation in treating a number of health
conditions.
Women's health
Some remarkable benefits are possible for women who meditate regularly.
One study found that women with PMS (premenstrual syndrome) reduced
their symptoms by 58 percent. Another study found that women going
through menopause could significantly reduce the intensity of hot flashes.
Even those women struggling with infertility can benefit: In a study of a
10-week group program that included meditation (along with exercise and
nutrition changes), the women had significantly less anxiety, depression and
fatigue, and 34 percent became pregnant within six months.
Researchers have also found that new mothers who use meditation with
images of milk flowing in their breasts can more than double their
production of milk.
The healthy heart
The heart has been the focus of hundreds of studies of meditation
worldwide. Regular practice of meditation has been found to significantly
reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension. These reductions can
endure over the long term: In one study, the reductions achieved during an
eight-week program were still in place three years later.
Other studies have focused on meditation in relation to heart disease. For
example, patients with coronary-artery disease who meditated daily for
eight months had nearly a 15-percent increase in exercise tolerance.
Patients with ischemic heart disease (in which the heart muscle receives an
inadequate supply of blood) who practiced for four weeks had a
significantly lower frequency of premature ventricular contractions (a type
of irregular heartbeat).
Patients undergoing heart surgery can also reap the rewards of meditation.
In one study, angioplasty patients who used meditation had significantly less
anxiety, pain and need for medication during and after the procedure. In
another, those having open-heart surgery were able to reduce their
incidence of postoperative supraventricular tachycardia (abnormally high
heart rate).
The immune response
There's also evidence that meditation has immune-enhancing effects. For
example, medical students who meditated during final exams had a higher
percentage of "T-helper cells," the immune cells that trigger the immune
system into action. Nursing-home residents trained in meditation had
increased activity of "natural-killer cells," which kill bacteria and cancer
cells. They also had reductions in the activity of viruses and of emotional
distress.
Cancer patients have also experienced the benefits of meditation. In one
study, patients with metastatic (spreading) cancer who meditated with
imagery regularly for a year had significant increases in natural-killer cell
activity.
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