What Can Meditation Do For You?

Meditation has been in the news a lot over the last decade as more and more people find that it significantly enhances their quality of life. Research has also helped to document the effects of a meditation practice. For review here is a summary of some of the findings ….

Meditation practice has been scientifically shown to have many physical benefits

• Positive impact on immunity heart disease, cholesterol, blood pressure, insomnia, pain, cancer
• Insurance statistics show meditators had 87% fewer hospitalizations for heart disease, 55% fewer for benign and malignant tumors, and 30% fewer for infectious diseases; 50% fewer doctor visits than non-meditators
• In people with normal to moderate hypertension meditation lowered blood pressure to levels similar to prescription drugs
• Blood flow/circulation showed increases in beginning meditators of 30% and in experienced meditators by as much as 65%
• Meditation has been endorsed by NIH as effective for the relief of chronic pain. Chronic pain patients have been shown to have a reduction in symptoms of 50% or more
• Insomniacs who incorporate simple lifestyle changes coupled with meditation improve their ability to fall asleep easily
• Diabetics have been shown to reduce blood sugar levels with meditation practice
• A group suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, depression, diabetes and hypertension experienced a 50% reduction in overall psychiatric symptoms, a 70% decrease in anxiety, and a 44% reduction in medical symptoms with meditation training

Meditation also provides many advantages mentally and emotionally.

• Significant improvements in mental health, memory, concentration, and productivity
• Brain scans show that meditation shifts activity from the right hemisphere to the left reducing negative temperament toward more enthusiasm, interests, relaxation, and happiness
• The relapse rate for chronic depression has been shown to be cut by half with meditation
• Meditators are more alert but emotionally react more calmly than non-meditators Addiction cessation and relapse rates have been more positively impacted by meditation than traditional therapies
• Children who practice meditation show improved work habits, attendance, and GPA
• Brain scans of meditators show increased thickness in brain regions associated with memory and decision making
• Meditation appears to significantly slow aging

In addition to the above advantages there are many benefits that enhance personal growth, spiritual development and overall well-being and creativity.

If you are interested in learning to meditate our recording Relaxation 101 is a great guide designed to help you relax your body and mind effectively.

In addition to what we can do to help ourselves, our animal friends can also be a helpful aid in our health care. This blog post explains how they ar helping in cancer detection.
https://yourdogadvisor.com/can-dogs-detect-cancer/