In many parts of the world, evidence shows that meditation has been around for thousands of years. Some scholars even believe the ancient cave paintings in Spain and France depict meditators as far back as 14,000 B.C. From the sages of old to modern gurus, across the globe, we have been told that meditation has far reaching healing powers, both psychological and physical. There have been tons of articles, blogs, emails and pop-up ads that proclaim meditation can reduce stress, depression and blood pressure, alleviate eating disorders and anxiety and actually make you more intelligent.
I've witnessed the calm demeanor that surrounds lifelong meditators, including myself, but as a practicing skeptic, I crave scientific proof as well, that the behavior is directly related to meditation. Now, thanks to brain scan imaging, we have solid, visual evidence that differences in the brain do occur. Neuroscientists have shown us the magic of neuroplasticity, the ability of a brain to realign and reinterpret the outside world.
Have you ever reacted poorly towards a friend or family member, only to regret your reaction later, thinking, "I should have been more understanding, more patient, more lovable." If, by meditating, you became slower to anger and quicker to love, how might that affect your relationships?
How many distractions do we live with today? Diversions include smart phones, laptops, iTunes, Netflix, social media and texting, to name a few. What if, in the midst of all this, you could maintain more focus? How would that affect your future?
Science is wonderful. But brain scans cannot show how the heart changes. I heard a news piece on NPR this month, describing a program called, Honoring the Path of the Warrior. Based in Northern California, they offer meditation retreats to returning combat veterans, most suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. I clicked on their website and discovered this statement which deeply touched my heart. The words were written by a participating soldier. He wrote, "The experience of the mindfulness/meditation and events afterward have inspired me to practice taking a small respite every day. I encourage any veteran to participate in these events that give a battered mind a place to heal." -- Mike Smith, U.S. Army
Stress, in any form is detrimental to health and happiness. If meditation can alleviate the stress of a brave warrior, what might the practice do for you? Science and spirituality agree. Meditation can work wonders. You deserve the gift of serenity today. Follow this link to begin your journey into peace of mind today. For more by Dr. Marcia Hootman, click here. For more on meditation, click here.
Barbara Sahakian,
professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge
with co-author Joe Herbert, Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience
Sarah Knapton
– 18 February 2014
THE first biological test for clinical depression
has been developed by scientists in a breakthrough which researchers say
will enable it to be identified and treated at an earlier stage.
Academics at Cambridge University
have established a link with excess levels of the hormone cortisol.
Researchers found that teenage boys who showed traditional depressive
symptoms and had high levels of the hormone were 14 times more likely to
be clinically depressed.
It means that for the first time,
doctors could definitively identify the illness by a simple blood test.
It also marks the first time that scientists have established that
depression could be caused by a chemical imbalance.
Prof Joe
Herbert, of Cambridge University, an author of the study, said the link
could help identify young people at risk of "prolonged or even lifelong
mental illness".
He added: "It also gives you some idea of
causation, because these things aren't merely markers. They are having
an impact on what is happening in the brain, no question about it."
Major, or clinical, depression affects one in six people at some point in their lives.
However,
until now there have been no biomarkers for major depression; this is
believed to be, in part, because both the causes and symptoms can be so
varied.
Prof Ian Goodyer, of Cambridge University, and leader of
the study said: "Through our research, we now have a very real way of
identifying those teenage boys most likely to develop clinical
depression.
"This will help us strategically target preventions
and interventions at these individuals and hopefully help reduce their
risk of serious episodes of depression and their consequences in adult
life."
The researchers measured levels of cortisol in saliva from
two groups. The first consisted of 660 teenagers, who provided four
early-morning samples on school days within one week and then again 12
months later. The researchers were able to show that within this group
cortisol levels were consistent over one year in the population at large
in both boys and girls.
A second group, of 1,198 teenagers,
provided early-morning samples over three school days. Using
self-reports about symptoms of depression collected over the 12 months
and combining these with the cortisol findings, Prof Goodyer and
colleagues were able to divide the teenagers in the first group into
four subgroups.
NORMAL
They
ranged from those with normal levels of morning cortisol and low
symptoms of depression over time – Group 1 – through to teenagers with
elevated levels of morning cortisol and high symptoms of depression over
time – Group 4. This latter group made up one in six of all subjects,
or 17 per cent.
Because the two groups gave identical
results, Prof Goodyer and his colleagues were able to combine them and
study the whole sample of 1,858 teenagers for the probability of
developing clinical major depression and other psychiatric disorders 12
to 36 months later.
Analysis showed that boys in Group 4
were 14 times more likely to suffer from major depression than those in
Group 1 and two to four times more likely to develop the condition than
either of the other two groups.
Girls in Group 4 were more likely than those in Group 1 to develop major depression, but no more likely to develop the condition than those with only either elevated morning cortisol or symptoms of depression alone.
High cortisol is a symptom of depression/trauma/stress--NOT a cause!
Of course life circumstances will cause it to rise, doesn't mean people
need psychiatric drugging!
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