Meditative techniques are ancient, having been practiced continuously by Taoists, Buddhists and others for thousands of years. Among the benefits bestowed upon this simple act of mental relaxation are lowered blood pressure, reduced stress levels, increased lung capacity, improved insulin function, and a greater feeling of happiness. But since the secrets of meditation have reached the West there have been countless cads, con artists, cult leaders and hustlers who have horned in on the act. Essentially, these characters have distorted the concept behind meditation as well as how to practice it. Many have their followers staring at photographs and depictions of themselves and other cultish figures rather than leading them through a healthful experience. If you’re meditating for health, things shouldn’t be so complicated. Just sit down, get comfortable, close your eyes, relax and think happy thoughts while letting negative thoughts drift out of your mind.

With every passing year, more and more evidence mounts that meditation works to heal people.

Among the best recognized forms of meditation are Buddhist meditation, Taoist meditation, Qigong (chee-gung), Tai Chi and Yoga. Of course it depends on your teacher whether you’re learning the real deal. Buyer beware.

Of course, you can at the same time clean up your diet and stop eating foods that cause anxiety and illness such as refined sugar and flour, artificial ingredients and junk food. And you can eat the foods that support your mind and emotions as part of your meditative regimen — foods that contain the full complement of vitamin B complex.  A cleaner diet and meditative techniques go hand-in-hand — the body-mind connection, if you will.

In an article, “Retrospective survey on therapeutic efficacy of Qigong in Korea” published by the American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 31(5):809-15, 2003 a survey on the clinical efficacy of Qigong found the following results; the most improved symptoms were associated with psychological and musculoskeletal problems. Furthermore 66.9% of subjects reported improvements of perceived physical health and 40.3% of perceived psychological health. Other symptoms reduced by Qigong were pain (43.1%), fatigue (22.1%), and insomnia (8.7%). Wound healing was also surveyed (n = 332), and 84% of respondents reported improvement in recovery time, 66.6% reported reduced inflammation after Qigong and 50.3% reported no scarring as compared to before. In addition, 59.9% of respondents reported an increase in resistance to the common cold after four months of Qigong. (1)

An Article in Psychology Today (2) states, “To explore exactly what part of the brain meditation acts on, researchers at Harvard Medical School used MRI technology on participants to monitor brain activity while they meditated. They found that it activates the sections of the brain in charge of the autonomic nervous system, which governs the functions in our bodies that we can’t control, such as digestion and blood pressure. These are also the functions that are often compromised by stress. It makes sense, then, that modulating these functions would help to ward off stress-related conditions such as heart disease, digestive problems and infertility.”

Bottom line: Meditation makes you feel better if you concentrate on feeling better. And this is great medicine for every health problem that ails people. Think happy thoughts.

Sources:

1. “Qigong Meditation Enhanced Health Rehabilitation ,” 2007; http://www.taichiandmeditationdirect.com/public/309.cfm
2. Barbor, Carrie, The Science of Meditation, Psychology Today, May/Jun 2001
3. Gardner, Amanda, Meditation Can Wish You Well, Study Says, medicine.net

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