Nowadays, people are into fitness and exercise. People are seeking and trying new and different ways to maintain or to improve their health.
But can these be beneficial to one's health? Take for example, meditation. A person just needs to sit, relax, and free his mind. What are the health benefits people can get from meditation?
People have been using meditation since a long time ago to bring calm and physical relaxation. But there are researches and studies on how meditation can treat people's illnesses. Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsins-Madison, and founder of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds said, the research on meditation "is still in its very early stages." He also said that designing trials or experiments can be testing and tough. "So it's not surprising the scientific literature is filled with mixed findings at this point in time," He added.
According to NYTimes, there were some studies that showed meditation may help young adults at risk of hypertension to lower down their blood pressure, and relieve cancer patients of anxiety and even strengthens their day to day life. Study also suggested that meditation may lessen cases of acute respiratory sicknesses. A review about the research was also made last 2010 which stated that ordinary menopausal symptoms may be alleviated not only by meditation but also other mind-body therapies.
The National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reported that inadequate evidence in formulating conclusions about the use of meditation for quitting smoking, treating pain or handling attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Though, there were studies made in the laboratories about the effect of meditation to our brain, studies showed that meditation creates changes in the brain's system of regulating emotions. Dr. Davidson said that meditation may reduce chances of inflammation and stress hormones like cortisol. He shared that there are many meditation styles and the effects may vary from one person to another. It doesn't necessarily mean that a specific kind mediation can provide relief to a person's current health condition.
But then again, there's no harm in trying. We can't deny the many positive effects that meditation can bring to each one.
