The Effects of Meditation and Relaxation - Research Paper Example

The Effects of Meditation and Relaxation Introduction Meditation techniques have long been understood to relax the mind and body while producing scores of benefits, most of which result from reducing the level and frequency of stress. Humans, as common with all animals, have evolved a "fight-or-flight" reaction to dangerous situations. Stress hormones surge through us raising blood pressure, tensing muscles and sharpening senses, seemingly slowing down the activity. Its a useful gift handed down from our cave-dwelling ancestors but folks in modern society over-use this conditioned response. People today often become stressed due to routine, daily annoyances such as predictably heavy traffic, one-register open at the store on double coupon day or dry cleaner mishaps. Some people even get agitated because they have to push "one" on their phone for English. All that stress can take a heavy toll on the mind and body leading to serious health conditions. Meditation helps people to relax. It acts as a counterbalance to daily stress, lowing blood pressure and, put simply, makes people feel better, both emotionally and physically, a fact that is supported by medical science. Some say meditation helps ones spirituality as well, which well have to accept though its difficult to quantify. Brief History The practice of meditation dates back as far as history has been recorded and likely well beyond that. Evidence has been discovered in India which dates to 6000 years ago in the "Tantra" which refers to this practice. In addition, scientists speculate the discovery of fire opened a venue for early humans to reach different levels of consciousness by staring into the flames. The Buddha, an ardent advocate of meditation, has been an important influence in its widespread practice throughout Asia for the past 2500 years. Western cultures were late in understanding the benefits of meditation. It was the mid 1900s until it started to become popular. The science community began to study the effects of meditation during the 1960s and 70s learning the many advantages of its practice. (Jones, 2014). The Science of Meditation Though many meditation techniques exist and can be as varied as the individual, they essentially fall into two categories, "concentrative" where one tries to suppress any thought entering the mind and "non-directive" in which the person is encouraged to allow thoughts to stray freely. A recent study from the University of Oslo examined how the body responded to each method. Only participants well practiced in meditative techniques were examined. One group was allowed free thought during meditation, another group was asked to repeat a mantra but to allow in random thought and a third group were told to focus intently preventing any thoughts, to concentrate on their breathing. Previously, it was largely assumed that blocking thought was the most beneficial method but this study, using and MRI, showed greater brain activity associated with memory and emotion increased with the non-directive, free-thought, method. Researchers were surprised brain activity was enhanced when the mind was allowed to wander rather than when the subject was intently focused. (Winter, 2014). "This area of the brain has its highest activity when we rest. It represents a kind of basic operating system, a resting network that takes over when external tasks do not require our attention. It is remarkable that a mental task like nondirective meditation results in even higher activity in this network than regular rest." (Midling, 2014). Researchers expressed the importance of discovering how meditation effects brain functions because millions of people are now availing themselves to the ancient technique. Studies of meditation from the 60s and 70s, and until relatively recently, have relied on rather primitive tools such as measuring blood pressure and heart rate along with imprecise participant surveys. New studies involving genomics technology and neuro-imaging have been performed which measures detailed physiological alterations. Only recently have these new technologies allowed scientists to measure how the brain and body at the cellular level change in greater detail following meditation. “There is a true biological effect,” said John Denninger, director of research at the Harvard teaching hospital, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General. “The kinds of things that happen when you meditate do have effects throughout the body." (Kitamura, 2013). Denningers work demonstrated how meditation can turn some genes associated with the immune system and stress off and on. Just one session using relaxation techniques increased genetic expression involving insulin secretion and energy metabolism while decreasing the genetic expression of stress and inflammation. Many of the participants had never meditated prior to the study yet all showed similar results. Scientists, along with Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn at the University of California, Los Angeles found a mere 12 minutes of meditation daily for eight weeks increased the enzyme telomerase significantly which reduces stress related aging. Telomerase has been labeled the "immortal enzyme" because it decreases the aging process at the cellular level. (Kitamura, 2013). The Genetic Connection Because scientists have discovered the influence of genetic expression, people can utilize tools that help to promote "good" and repress "bad" genes. Genetics can be manipulated and are not simply a static, unchangeable set of approximately 20,000 genes people inherit from their forbearers. The DNA we are born with interacts with conscious behaviors and environmental conditions to determine how the life of a person plays out. ("Taming," 2014). Meditation and relaxation techniques, along with other factors such as food choices and exercise have long been suspected to achieve what prescription medication cannot. Modern research is confirming this long-held assumption. Scientists at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine are studying the "relaxation response," in an effort to explain the mechanisms associated with a variety of meditation techniques. The relaxation response, according to Dr. Benson is, "a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress (e.g., decreases in heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, and muscle tension)." ("Taming," 2014). This response is characterized by: a decrease in blood pressure and metabolism and relaxation of muscles in addition to a slowed heart rate and breathing among other healthful outcomes. The study of genetic expressions due to meditation techniques has produced evidence of telomerase activity, oxidative stress and antioxidant production resulting from the relaxation response. Researchers theorize that the gene sets NF-kappa B could act as the courier between emotional stress and physical distress where the body converts anxiety and concerns into inflammation. Changes in gene expression were observed following just one session of meditation. The relationship between relaxation and gene expression is dose-related therefore, increasing time in meditative and reflexive endeavors increases genetic benefits. The bodys response to relaxation appears to alter and improve cellular connections in regions of the brain known to respond to stress, a phenomenon otherwise referred to as improving brain plasticity. The changes within the brain appear to recalibrate the nervous system and, according to Harvard University neuroscientist, Dr. Sara Lazar, meditation, over the long term, seems to be linked to thickening of the cerebral cortex. (Lazar, 2005). "…brain regions associated with attention, interoception and sensory processing were thicker in meditation participants than matched controls, including the prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula." These findings were confirmed by another eight-week study. ("Taming," 2014). The Inflammation Connection Stress-induced illnesses consist of heart disease, headaches and depression among scores of other serious conditions. The Benson-Henry Institute estimates stress accounts for approximately three-quarters of all visits to a physician or hospital. Stress drained $300 billion from companies through productivity loss, turn-over and absenteeism according to estimates by the World Health Organization. (Kitamura, 2013). Meditation, as discussed, has proven to reduce levels of stress therefore lessening the effect of all stress-related conditions. Understanding the extent of those issues is important in the appreciation of the effects meditation and relaxation has on the body and mind. While people indiscriminately invoke the fight or flight response for minor incidences, the stress created is wreaking havoc on more aspects of their health than is popularly thought. People may understand that stress affects the heart, mainly due to the tightness in their chest experienced when stress becomes overwhelming. Among the many negative health consequences of stress are cardio-vascular issues, insomnia, upset stomach, bowel problems, anxiety, depression and respiratory issues. What may be one of the least known byproducts of stress is suppression of the immune system due to the bodys inability to regulate the inflammatory reaction, a grave and hidden consequences resulting in contracting serious illnesses such as AIDS and cancer among others. Stress inhibits the bodys production of cortisol. When this occurs inflammation becomes unregulated which weakens the immune system. "Prolonged stress alters the effectiveness of cortisol to regulate the inflammatory response because it decreases tissue sensitivity to the hormone. Specifically, immune cells become insensitive to cortisols regulatory effect. In turn, runaway inflammation is thought to promote the development and progression of many diseases." (How," 2012). Stress will give you a cold, or at least make a person more susceptible to getting one. How about that? Meditation can cure the common cold (symptoms) - according to Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University Sheldon Cohen. Symptoms of the common cold are not directly caused by the virus that produced the cold; instead, symptoms are the result of the inflammatory response prompted by the bodys attempt to battle infection. Symptoms are a side-effect of the virus. "The greater the bodys inflammatory response to the virus, the greater is the likelihood of experiencing the symptoms of a cold." (How," 2012). An integral part of the immune systems response to infection, inflammation, if not controlled, can often be self-perpetuating possibly causing even greater harm to the individual than the original illness. ("What is Inflammation," 2014). Cohen conducted two studies. Both showed how stress weakened the bodys ability to combat symptoms of illness. In the first, Cohen gave 276 healthy adults a thorough stress level interview then gave them a cold by exposing them to virus. These subjects were then quarantined and examined regularly to determine symptoms of infection, if any. This information was compared with the stress levels of the participants. Cohen found that when a person experienced an extended stressful incident their bodys immune cells were less able to react to hormonal signals designed to control inflammation. Predictably, participants whose bodies were less able to regulate inflammation due to stress were more susceptible to "catch a cold" after being subjected to the virus. Cohens second study involved 79 health participants who were evaluated for their bodys capacity to control the inflammatory response. They were then exposed to a virus known to produce the common cold, closely observed and tested for the presence of cytokines, the chemical that instigates inflammation. He discovered that the participants whose bodies more stressed thus less able to control the inflammatory reaction, as evaluated prior to being exposed to the cold virus, produced a greater amount of cytokines upon being infected. "The immune systems ability to regulate inflammation predicts who will develop a cold, but more importantly it provides an explanation of how stress can promote disease," Cohen said. "When under stress, cells of the immune system are unable to respond to hormonal control, and consequently, produce levels of inflammation that promote disease." (How," 2012). Stress negatively impacts health in several ways, an important one being deregulating the inflammation response to virus as well as other types of disease and illness such as autoimmune disorders, asthma and cardiovascular issues. Meditation relieves stress which, in turn, greatly determines how bad symptoms become once we are exposed to illnesses. Meditation and Addiction By altering the processes by which the brain interprets anxiety, stress, introspection and self-awareness, people addicted to substances such as alcohol and drugs can interpret life circumstances in a way in which they react to those substances in a more positive manner rather than reverting to destructive, addictive habits. The positive effect meditation has on anxiety and stresses are particularly significant because they are usually the main reasons for relapse. A growing number of programs designed to treat substance abuse have integrated meditation into their agenda. Its not used as a replacement for other therapies but offers a supplemental benefit that improves recovery outcomes. Meditation is used during therapy then strongly suggested it be continued afterwards to help the addict cope with everyday stressful situations therefore reducing the chance of recidivism. Recent studies involving meditation techniques have conclusively demonstrated its usefulness for recovering addicts. One study involving intravenous drug users found that those in recovery identified meditation as a favored method of coping with and ultimately beating their addiction. (Manheimer & Stein, 2003). Researchers who studied substance abusers in prison found those who meditated suffered fewer relapses and experienced a greater degree of success upon release as compared to prisoners who did not meditate. (Marlatt & Parks, 2005). Meditation when incorporated with an exercise program has been shown to aid people with addictions. "Overall, current findings increasingly support yoga and mindfulness as promising complementary therapies for treating and preventing addictive behaviors." (Khanna & Greeson, 2013) Cocaine addicts who had just recently given up the habit were documented in a study which followed their progress. The former users employed the ancient Chinese practice of qigong, a method a meditation. Those using the technique reported a lesser degree of and fewer instances of cravings than those in another test group given only placebos. ("Meditation for Alcoholism," 2014). Meditation is a valuable tool for recovering addicts. Advantages include; it has no costs associated with its use, can be performed practically anywhere and its not difficult to learn. Mental/Spiritual Benefits The medical benefits of meditation and relaxation therapies are quantifiable, able to be studied and peer-reviewed. Spiritual experiences, therefore the benefits, are much more subjective. Terms and phrases often used to discuss meditative results such as "happiness," "in harmony with nature," and an "expanded consciousness" are vague therefore a less reliable measure of relaxation techniques. Still, these benefits have been heralded for a long period of time by a large number of practitioners therefore worth mentioning in a discussion of meditation effects. When meditation is practiced habitually it acts to awaken the mind bringing it to a heightened state of awareness. Other advantages include an increase of creativity and happiness along with heightened intuition and emotional stability. Lifes everyday problems seem less severe and more manageable. Meditating regularly helps clear the mind by allowing a sharper focus. It is then expanded by continued relaxation sessions. "A sharp mind without expansion causes tension, anger and frustration. An expanded consciousness without sharpness can lead to lack of action/progress. The balance of a sharp mind and an expanded consciousness brings perfection." ("Benefits," 2014). By meditating, a person becomes mentally aware. Discovering their inner outlook determines true happiness. Meditation evokes feelings of harmony and calm, acting to cleanse and nourish the spirit. This is particularly observable during times of distress, when people feel emotionally unstable and overwhelmed by life circumstances. Practitioners are transported to a place of inner harmony, experiencing feelings of joy and calmness, a state of being in which they then project into the world. (Estrada, 2014). The state of consciousness becomes clearer through meditation, evolving over time. The habitual practitioner experiences a more refined and heightened state of awareness which conveys a great benefit throughout each waking moment. "When your consciousness evolves and expands, the disturbances in your life become negligible. Anger and disappointments become fleeting emotions that occur momentarily and then vanish. You start "living in the moment" and "let go of the past." ("Benefits," 2014). Meditation allows for a genuine personal conversion, an inner makeover. When relaxed and at peace internally, a person discovers aspects of themselves previously untapped, a journey found only through meditative practices. The ancient practice of meditation serves to relax the body, mind and apparently, the spirit. The benefits are seemingly endless due to its scientifically proven ability to control inflammation thus reducing symptoms of illness. Incredibly, relaxation techniques also manipulate genetics and improve brain activity at the cellular level. Those who suffer from lifes stresses, whether justifiable or not, can reap enormous benefits from practicing meditation regularly. Its not a complex undertaking, requiring a small amount of time and no amount of money but the effects are incalculable. References: Benefits of Meditation. (2014). The Art of Living. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://www.artofliving.org/meditation/benefits-of-meditation Estrada, Gustavo. (2014). Inner Harmony through Mindfulness Meditation. Amazon Digital Services, Inc. How stress influences disease: study reveals inflammation as the culprit. (2012). Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved on December 9, 2014 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402162546.htm Jones, Mary. (2014). History of Meditation. Project Meditation. Retrieved on December 9, 2014 from http://www.project-meditation.org/wim/history_of_meditation.html Khanna, S & Greeson, J.M. (2013) Narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23642957 Kitamura, Makiko. (2013). Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit. Bloomberg. Retrieved on December 9, 2014 from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/harvard-yoga-scientists-find-proof-of-meditation-benefit.html Lazar, Sara Dr. (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361002/ Manheimer, Anderson E. E and Stein, B.J. MD. (2003). Use and assessment of complementary and alternative therapies by intravenous drug users. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12765213 Marlatt, George A. & Parks, Alan G. (2005). Mindfulness Meditation and Substance Use in an Incarcerated Population. University of Washington. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://www.prison.dhamma.org/en/na/NRF%20Substance%20Abuse%20Study%202006.pdf Meditation for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Recovery. (2014) Elements Behavioral Health. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/featured/meditation-for-alcoholism-and-drug-addiction-recovery/ Midling, Anne Slipper. (2014.) This is Your Brain on Meditation. Earth Sky. Retrieved on December 9, 2014 from http://earthsky.org/human-world/this-is-your-brain-on-meditation Taming the Monkey Mind—How Meditation Affects Your Health and Wellbeing. (2014). Mercola. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/20/meditation-relaxation-response.aspx#_edn3 What is inflammation? What causes inflammation? (2014). MNT. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248423.php Winter, Lisa. (2014). How Meditation Affects the Brain. IFL SCience. Retrieved on December 9, 2014 from http://www.iflscience.com/brain/how-meditation-affects-brain Read More