Meditation can improve health - More and more studies show its effectiveness

 

On Halloween, turnout at the Advaita Meditation Center in Waltham was lower than usual, but still, nearly 30 people filled the rooms of the old Victorian mansion. They attended a variety of classes, from beginning to advanced meditation, or gathered informally at a drop-in session to repeat their mantras and corral their minds.

Charnan Bray, an ESL teacher who lives in Waltham, is a newcomer. She considers herself an on-again off-again meditator who wants to become more serious about her practice. She went through a divorce last year and is looking for a way to become more mindful and reduce the stress in her life.

Hannah Fairbairn of Belmont, a long-time member of the center, has been meditating for about 30 years. She turned to meditation shortly after she suffered a detached retina and began losing her eyesight. “I’m as sane as I am today not the least because of meditation,” she said.

Since Herbert Benson, the cardiologist and author of the groundbreaking 1975 book “The Relaxation Response,” first began pioneering mind-body research 40 years ago, numerous scientific studies have offered evidence for both Bray’s hopes and Fairbairn’s experience. Researchers at universities across the world have reported positive results from meditation in a wide range of ailments, including high blood pressure, stroke risk, heart disease, weight management, chronic pain, and mental health.

The 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that 20 million US adults had turned to meditation for health reasons in the previous year.

 

Lesa greinina í heild: http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2012/11/26/the-effectiveness-meditation-treat-array-illnesses-has-led-studies-how-meditation-can-change-brain/E8bvB57PLkIuIQmsLumDXL/story.html