Science Supports Meditation
Meditation, mindfulness, etc. have generated much interest recently. For thousands of years humanity has recognized the importance of mind – body practices like meditation, yoga, Taichi, Qigong, and more. Increasingly, conventional science supports meditation as this recent article from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health highlights.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. Mind and body practices focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior.
There are many types of meditation, but most have four elements in common: a quiet location with as few distractions as possible; a specific, comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions); a focus of attention (a specially chosen word or set of words, an object, or the sensations of the breath); and an open attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them).
What the Science Says About the Effectiveness of Meditation
Many studies have investigated meditation for different conditions, and there’s evidence that it may reduce blood pressure as well as symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and flare-ups in people who have had ulcerative colitis. It may ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and may help people with insomnia.Read more about meditation for these conditions:
- Pain
- For High Blood Pressure
- For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- For Ulcerative Colitis
- For Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia
- For Smoking Cessation
- Other Conditions
Source: Meditation: In Depth | NCCIH
Our Model
The HealthCare Too model provides for a collaborative holistic care approach to health. We look for articles and knowledge to help consumers and their care teams make holistic health decisions and also shop for the best deals in holistic health so you can find them here! We appreciate the value of surgery and pharmaceuticals but want to make more paths available for your HealthCare Too. See our model for Holistic Health for more information!
