Could meditation help preserve your DNA?

A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis and the University of California, San Francisco has provided more evidence of the links between meditation, psychological wellbeing and health by measuring the levels of an enzyme called telomerase. The researchers studied 60 people comparing 30 who received meditation training with 30 from similar backgrounds who acted as a control group. Telomerase helps to repair telomeres which are sequences of DNA at the end of chromosomes; they function a bit like the bits of plastic at the end of shoelaces helping to stop the chromosomes wearing out. The researchers compared the levels of telomerase in the white blood cells of the meditating and non-meditating participants and found that telomerase activity was about a third higher in the white blood cells of the meditating group. The meditating participants had a greater sense of purpose in life and more mindfulness this led them to feel a greater sense of control over their life and surroundings and less neuroticism which in turn led to the increase in telomerase activity.

More evidence for meditation benefits

Researchers at the University of Oregon have added further evidence about the beneficial effects of meditation. The researchers had previously shown that meditation can reduce levels of anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue. In their latest study they tested the effectiveness of a meditation technique called Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT). Based on Taoist and Confucian concepts of harmony with nature, it combines different mind-body techniques including body relaxation, breath control, mental imagery, and ''mindfulness'' - calmly paying attention to moment-to-moment feelings and experiences. The study involved 45 people, half of whom received 11 hours training in the technique while the other half received training in relaxation techniques. The participants had their brains scanned and by the end of the study those who had been meditating showed significant changes to a part of the brain which is important for regulating emotional behaviour and dealing with conflict.

You can find out more about this study by clicking on the title of this post.

Meditation and attention

Buddhist meditation can help people to be more attentive. Katherine MacLean, a graduate student from the University of California, Davis studied 60 people who were already involved in meditation. Half of them studied meditation for three months at a retreat in Colorado while the other half went onto a waiting list for the retreat. During the retreat the participants took a test on a computer where they had to identify the occasional shorter line displayed on the screen after a series of other ones which were of the same length. The participants who were practising meditation at the retreat got better as time went on whereas those on the waiting list stayed the same.

You can find out more about this study by clicking on the title of this post.

Even short-term meditation can boost concentration

Even a small number of meditation sessions can have a beneficial effect on people's cognition. Researchers at the University of North Carolina studied 49 students. Half of them listened to an audio book while the other half received meditation training made up of four daily, 20-minute sessions. Both groups' mood improved but even after this short course of mindfulness training the participants who meditated showed 'significant improvement in their critical cognitive skills.'

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/04/19/short-term-meditation-is-beneficial/12929.html

Researchers and brain waves

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have been using electroencephalography (EEGs) to measure people's brain waves as they meditate. They found that during meditation theta waves were most abundant in the frontal and middle parts of the brain indicating a state of deep relaxation. Alpha waves - characteristic of wakeful rest - were more abundant at the back of the brain. There were fewer beta waves which are associated with conscious attention and problem solving.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100319210631.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

More evidence for meditation

Researchers at the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa have found more evidence for the beneficial effects of meditation. They studied 298 students who either trained to do transcendental meditation or were placed on a waiting list. After three months those students who had trained in meditation had lower blood pressure, more stable moods, a reduction in anxiety, depression, anger and hostility and better coping skills.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5AH5CU20091118?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Meditation lowers heart risks

Researchers from the University of Wisconsis in the U.S. have found that transcendental meditation can have major benefits for people with cardiovascular problems. They studied a sample of 201 African Americans who had an average age of 59 and who had all been diagnosed with heart disease. Half practised transcendental meditation - in which people sit quietly and constantly repeat a mantra to focus their minds - and the other half had a health education class about diet and exercise. At the end of the study the participants in the transcendental meditation group had 47% fewer cases of heart attacks, strokes and deaths; lower blood pressure and significant reductions in their stress levels.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6581495/Meditation-cuts-risk-of-heart-attack-by-half.html

Chinese meditation works wonders

Integrative body-mind training (IBMT) was adapted from traditional Chinese medicine in the 1990s and thousands of Chinese people practise it. It avoids struggles to control thoughts and relies instead on a state of restful alertness. Coaches provide breathing tips, mental imagery and other techniques while soothing music plays in the background. People learn to control their thoughts through posture, relaxation, body-mind harmony and balanced breathing. Researchers in China compared the effectiveness of IBMT and traditional relaxation techniques in a study of 86 undergraduate students at Dalian University of Technology. Both the students using relaxation and those using IBMT showed an improvement but those using IBMT showed dramatic differences. They had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower levels of depression, anxiety and fatigue. They had more blood flow in their right anterior cingulate cortex - a region of the brain associated with the regulation of cognition and emotion. They also had lower heart rates and breathed more through their stomachs, which is a more relaxed way of breathing.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519104103.htm

Could meditation make your brain grow?

Meditation has been shown to have a number of beneficial effects on people's mental and physical health. People who meditate are better at cultivating positive emotions, retaining emotional stability and living in the moment. They have better focus and control over their emotions, reduced levels of stress and better immune systems. Now a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has found that they also have bigger brains! The study use Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of 22 long-term meditators and 22 control subjects. The meditators had significantly larger volumes of grey matter in different parts of the brain including the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus. But it is not clear whether meditation leads to the growth of these parts of the brain or whether people with larger brains are more attracted to meditation. So there is a need for a long-term study following changes to people's brains after they start meditating.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512134655.htm

TM and ADHD

A pilot study in Virginia, U.S. has found that transcendental meditation may be helpful for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Transcendental meditation is a simple meditation technique in which people sit comfortably for 10-15 minutes with their eyes closed, silently repeating a mantra (a sound, word or phrase) to calm the mind or body. Some studies have found that meditation can alter a range of bodily functions including breathing, blood-vessel dilation and stress-hormone regulation. The study had 10 participants, between the ages of 11 and 14, who were attending a school for students with language-related learning disabilities all of whom had been diagnosed with ADHD. The students were taught the transcendental meditation technique and then practised it at school twice a day for 10 minutes at a time. After three months the students reported lower stress and anxiety levels and, according to their teachers and parents, their ADHD symptoms had improved.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE5043P220090105?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Zen and the art of dealing with distractions

Distracting thoughts have been implicated in a number of different mental-health problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety and major depression. One way of dealing with distracting thoughts is by meditation and a study of 24 people by researchers at Emory University School of Medicine has found that people who practise Zen meditation are able to recover from distractions more quickly than other people. Researchers compared 12 experienced Zen meditators with 12 non-meditators. Participants in the study took part in breathing exercises and were distracted at periodic intervals by a task in which they had to distinguish between real and nonsense words. At the same time participants' brains were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The participants who were experienced Zen meditators were able to bring activity in a region called the default mode network - associated with spontaneous thoughts and mind-wandering - under control after the interruptions more quickly than non-meditating participants.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/09/03/zen-training-clears-brain/2873.html