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Source: BestMedicalDegrees.com

Anti-Anxiety Meditationâ¨: How Meditation Can Save Your Life By Reducing Stress

What Is Meditation?

Your Perspective: Meditation is the ability to self regulate internal mental distractions.

Scientists Perspective: A means to enhance brain function and cognition in healthy and impaired individuals.

"Stressed Out" brain compared to a "Blissed Out" brain

The average person has 70,000 thoughts per day

Meditation Goals:

â¢ Meditation exercises the mind in the same way we exercise our body–an active form of brain training.

â¢ It infuses thoughts with greater positivity, love, calm and joy.

â¢ Maintains balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

Types of Stress:

Acute versus Chronic Stress

1. Acute is a short term stress: Recent and anticipated demands and pressures.

2. Chronic is a long term stress: Poverty, childhood trauma, family disfunction or environmental.

Physiology of Stress:

1. Stressful event occurs

2. Panic and / or tension ensues

3. Increase in hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine

4. Increased blood pressure

5. Energy diverted from immune, digestive, and reproductive systems

Stress Related Ailments:

â¢ Cardiovascular issues

â¢ anxiety

â¢ sleeplessness

â¢ addiction

â¢ depression

â¢ headache

â¢ weight gain

â¢ pain

â¢ fatigue

â¢ lack of motivation

â¢ weakened immune system

Benefits of Meditation:

Reduction in Test Groups Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure

â¢ Medical Students: Systolic -8 MM HG ; Diastolic -7 MM HG

â¢ Coronary Heart Disease Patients: Systolic -5.4 MM HG; Diastolic -4 MM HG

â¢ Elderly Retirement Home Residents: Systolic -8 MM HG; Diastolic -7 MM HG

â¢ Adults with Hypertension: Systolic -4 MM HG; Diastolic -2.2 MM HG

Ability to Reduce Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety and Pain

â¢ Effect of Meditation: 0.3

â¢ Effect of Antidepressants: 0.3

In a Sample of 201 African Americans with Coronary Heart Disease:

A study showed a 43% reduction in risk for myocardial infarction and stroke after incorporating a Transcendental Meditation practice into their daily routine.

Percent Change in Amygdala Activity After Meditation :

â¢ The region of the brain connected to anxiety and stress

â¢ Mindfullness Meditation: -0.13;

â¢ Compassion Meditation: -0.05;

â¢ Control Group (no meditation) +0.05

Increased Gray Matter in the Hippocampus Important region of the brain for learning and memory

â¢ Controls: +.002

â¢ Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction: +.01

Sources:

â¢ umassmed.edu/cfm/stress-reduction/faqs/

â¢ youtube.com/watch?t=360&v=6J0fqswzxWM

â¢ well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/12/exercising-the-mind-to-treat-attention-deficits/

â¢ well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/how-meditation-may-change-the-brain/

â¢ well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/can-meditation-curb-heart-attacks/

â¢ well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/meditation-for-a-good-nights-sleep/

â¢ psyn-journal.com/article/S0925-4927%2810%2900288-X/abstract

â¢ circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/120/18_MeetingAbstracts/S461-a

â¢ news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8363302.stm/

â¢ secularbuddhism.org/meditation-support/basic-meditation-instructions/

â¢ sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2009/issue61/

â¢ chopra.com/ccl/discover-meditations-healing-power

â¢ loni.usc.edu/about_loni/education/brain_trivia.php

â¢ loni.usc.edu/media/newsevents.php?id=478

â¢ forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain

â¢ mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987?pg=1

â¢ apa.org/helpcenter/stress-kinds.aspx

â¢ apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx

â¢ ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485650