wellnessindie.com » Mind & Body

Don’t Medicate, Meditate

Jeff — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:30:47 +0000

photo credit: flickr, Charles Williams

Practitioners of meditative disciplines like yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and many of the world religions have espoused the numerous benefits of being in a natural altered state. Several studies have been done that attempt to figure out what happens biochemically in individuals that meditate. The net result is that it works. Some of the more pertinent benefits that relate to us ~~wage slaves~~ day laborers are better mood, increased energy, controlled breathing, enhanced immune system, and deeper relaxation (among many others). With the constant bombardment of daily stress, who wouldn’t want to be zenned out without the need to turn to alcohol or drugs?

Well, as it turns out there is another pretty significant benefit of meditating. In addition to stress, pain management plays a key role in coping day to day for many folks. The easiest and most popular treatment is drugs, in all its legal and illicit incarnations. However, a first of its kind study conducted by Dr. Fadel Zeidan of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine proves that meditation has serious merit when trying to manage pain. Only 15 patients were studied, so more comprehensive research has to be done to arrive at anything conclusive. However, according to Dr. Zeidan, there were significant reductions in pain ratings when compared to other studies that involved pharmaceutical drugs, placebo pills and even hypnosis. Even more interesting is the fact that patients did not have to be highly trained to experience these results, unlike other meditation modalities that can take weeks to achieve a level of proficiency.

As you may know, our bodies are very good at adapting to synthetic drugs. If you’re a regular user, this is why you end up needing to increase your dosage for the same effect as time progresses. It’s also extremely dangerous if you or a loved one are of child-bearing age. And, the risk of liver toxicity is a well known side effect. Compare that to zero negative side effects of meditation along with better results and the choice seems clear, even if it’s not as convenient as popping a pill. I’ve always been a huge advocate of letting your natural painkilling endorphins do their thing. They do work if you give them a chance. Couple that with meditation, and you should be able to clean out your medicine cabinet in no time.

The study appears in the April 6 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Source: Huffpost

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Can A Broken Heart Really Affect Your Health?

Jeff — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:24:09 +0000

flickr photo credit: kelsey_lovefusionphoto

Many have pondered the answer to this question as they’ve physically felt like they were dying right after an emotional (or physical) situation. Loss of a loved one, loss of a job, financial hardship, break-up/divorce are just a few major life events that have been known to cause a great deal of stress. Some of us know couples where a significant other/spouse died, and the other died shortly after that. In the absence of any preexisting medical conditions, one could intuitively come to the conclusion that stress could trigger a heart malfunction.

But, is there any science or a medical diagnosis that can quantitatively back this up?

In the early 1990s, Japanese doctors were the first to accurately describe what happens during a stress-induced episode. It was initially named “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy” due to the similarities between the abnormal shape of a stress affected heart and a Japanese octopus trap. In 2005, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore confirmed what Japanese researchers discovered and published their findings in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Referred to as stress-induced cardiomyopathy these days, this condition presents itself with all the symptoms of a heart attack. But, that’s where the similarities end. There is no blockage present in any of the arteries and there is little to no damage of the heart muscle tissue. It usually affects older, post-menopausal women. The cause is typically traced to some traumatic event (emotional or physical) which causes a sudden rush of stress chemicals such as adrenaline and epinephrine. This leads to the characteristic abnormal shape of the heart and the symptoms that mimic an actual heart attack. Fortunately, the vast majority of patients fully recover from broken heart syndrome with no adverse long term effects.

I firmly believe that there is a direct connection between how our body handles stress and its many physical manifestations. This type of research that measures the biochemical effects of stress is finally starting to lend some credibility to this theory. The old adage “an ounce of prevention…” is applicable to stress management as well. A recent MSNBC article profiled a study that was published in the European Heart Journal. Researchers used a “happiness scale” to gauge future heart risk. According to the study, “For every point on the happiness scale, people were 22 percent less likely to have a heart problem.”

Things will always happen to test our mettle, but the key is how we react to it. Finding an effective coping mechanism is paramount to maintaining that good health you’ve worked so hard to attain. The take home message is something that Bobby McFerrin might say - ”Don’t worry, be happy.”

How Would You Like To Be Worry Free?

Jeff — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:08:45 +0000

Okay, maybe worry-free is somewhat idealistic…especially these days. Stress is an inevitable fact of life. It’s how life tests our mettle. It can actually be a good thing when put in proper perspective and used to produce positive behavior. However, stress is one of those nebulous emotional states that, if left unchecked, can literally ruin lives. More specifically, this kind of insidious stress often takes the form of worry. Family, marriage, work, money, and health (among other things) are some of the most common things that conspire to steal our joy. The folks over at Health.com (via CNN) recently published a very good article that lists some effective techniques to help you deal with stress. Some of the highlights include:

Living in the present - Stop worrying about what is out of your control.
Laugh - Studies continue to espouse the positive benefits of smiling and laughing. So, go ahead and laugh until your face hurts…it’s good for you.
Smell the roses - Newsflash: life is hectic. This forces us to sometimes rush through life, missing out on simple pleasures. Your child’s laugh, planting a garden, listening to the birds on a perfect sunny day…find a place a of peace. And visit, often.
Get off your butt - Like laughing, research is continuously finding evidence that endorphins released during physically activity have a positive effect on mood. So, what are you waiting for? Get moving.

Source: CNN.com

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Cautious Optimism For Illicit Drug Vaccines

Jeff — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:16:47 +0000

Preliminary results from two recent studies suggest that vaccines may be an effective treatment protocol for cocaine and nicotine addicts. The cocaine study was published in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry and is the first to successfully show the effectiveness of a vaccine for illicit drug use. Essentially, the vaccine works by producing antibodies in an addict’s immune system. These antibodies attach themselves to cocaine molecules and prevents them from crossing the blood-brain barrier, which blocks the psychological effects of cocaine. A department within of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), named the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), along with researchers from a handful of universities were responsible for conducting the study. While the trials seem promising, the vaccine is only moderately successful and does not account for addicts taking larger amounts of the drug to circumvent the vaccine. Researchers admit that more comprehensive studies need to be done in order to determine its efficacy and safety.

In the same vein as the cocaine vaccine study, trials have begun to develop a vaccine which would prevent relapses in smokers. NABI Biopharmaceuticals located outside of Washington, DC was awarded a multimillion dollar grant to continue research on an anti-nicotine vaccine. It works just like the cocaine vaccine in that antibodies are produced that prevent nicotine from entering the brain. This in turn inhibits the high smokers get from cigarettes.

I have personally known cocaine and nicotine addicts. There are three main issues I have with these vaccines:

Vaccines must be administered on a schedule to remain effective. Keeping addicts motivated to adhere to this schedule may present long-term problems.
As with most pharmaceutical medicines, side effects have yet to be evaluated and could very well prove to be more dangerous than cocaine or nicotine. Time will tell.
And my biggest problem, by far – Our medical system continues to propagate the “cure in a pill” mentality, making Big Pharma cartels obscenely rich while ignoring the root cause of disease. This approach leads to lifetime patients/customers for Big Pharma, but never really addresses the core issues. These illicit drug vaccines do not address the confluence of issues that lead to abuse in the first place – family, depression, health, money, etc. This is admittedly much more time-consuming and more difficult to address, but the trade off is well worth it.

Source:

National Institutes of Health

W.H.O. Was Complicit In Unfounded H1N1 Hype?

Sleep Disorder Alzheimer’s Link?

Jeff — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:07:36 +0000

According to various recent studies, sleep deprivation plays a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. The research centered around a protein named beta-amyloid, which is suspected to be a primary contributor to AD. Researchers monitored the brains of sleep-deprived mice, and noticed that preventing the mice from sleep resulted in a 25 percent increase in the same beta-amyloid plaque levels that are seen in AD patients.

The aforementioned research was only conducted with mice. However, another study suggests a possible link with humans. During the study, the beta-amyloid plaque levels in volunteers’ spinal fluid decreased during sleep, but increased while awake. Researchers admit that these finding are very preliminary and there are numerous other variables to consider. So, further studies need to be done with human volunteers.

Although there isn’t really anything definitive to be gleaned from the research, we do know that sleep deprivation can have more insidious, and potentially dangerous consequences. Decreased reaction time, impaired memory, and depressed immune system are all possible outcomes if you don’t get enough sleep. The standard rule that we’ve been told is to get eight hours of sleep each night. But, this is akin to saying that we should all wear the same outfit every day. Sleep requirements vary from person-to-person. Some folks require as little as five hours of sleep and others need as much as ten. So, listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel when you wake up. If you’re still lethargic and tired a few minutes after waking up, chances are you should’ve skipped “The Late Late Show” last night.

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