| When I was growing up in my predominately | | | | we tend to plan our vacations as if we were in |
| Euro-protestant mid-western culture, eastern | | | | one of those shopping spree contests, frantically |
| philosophies and religions were at best a distant | | | | running from one tourist attraction to another |
| curiosity colored by our naïve stereotypes | | | | making sure we get our money's worth. |
| made worse by popular post WWII | | | | The question is, how can we reduce and |
| generalizations about "Orientals". Among those | | | | counteract the effects of stress in our everyday |
| stereotypes, we dismissed meditation as a | | | | lives? |
| strange and useless religious ceremony of | | | | There are everyday proactive strategies for |
| cross-legged sequestered monks humming in | | | | de-stressing. For starters, there is scientific |
| monotonous monotones about nothingness. (As I | | | | medical evidence supporting the benefits of |
| said, it was a naïve generalization.) I've since | | | | singing, laughter, and meditation. Not only can |
| grown to appreciate many of the ancient eastern | | | | these activities reduce stress, they can |
| traditions, both cultural and medical. In the late | | | | significantly strengthen our immune system. For |
| 1970's, I was serendipitously introduced to | | | | the sake of simplicity, let's consider the |
| meditation through a groundbreaking form of | | | | physiological benefits of meditation. |
| therapy practiced by Dr. Michael Emmons, author | | | | Our mind in concert with our vagus nerve, the |
| of The Inner Source, and co-author with Janet | | | | primary monitor of infection throughout our major |
| Emmons of Meditation Therapy (Impact | | | | organs, reacts to stress as if it were detecting |
| Publications, 1999). Since that time, meditation | | | | the pathogen cells of a bacterial invasion. If you |
| therapy has become a more widely practiced | | | | had an infected cut on your finger, the mind/body |
| therapeutic technique. If you Google "meditation | | | | reaction is to send in the white blood cells to fight |
| therapy", you will find over 250,000 sites. | | | | the battle against the infection. Our finger at the |
| It is no secret that meditation has its primary | | | | point of the cut inflames - turning red, swelling, |
| origins in eastern philosophies. Indeed, meditation | | | | and radiating heat. Under stress, the vagus nerve |
| can be traced as far back as 5000 B.C. in | | | | can over-react telling the brain to defend our |
| Hinduism. But the practice of meditation can be | | | | primary organs and our cardiovascular system. |
| found in many religious traditions, including | | | | When our vagus nerve detects the tension in |
| Christianity and Islam. In Christianity we know it | | | | organs associated with stress, it tells the brain to |
| as "prayer", especially the ritualistic forms of | | | | send in the troops to fight the battle as if we had |
| prayer such as the rosary and the Adoration in | | | | an invading infection, the same way our immune |
| Catholicism. As late as 1975, Benedictine monk, | | | | system will order a response to the infected cut |
| John Main, re-introduced a form of meditation | | | | on our finger. This leads not only to increased |
| characterized by a repetitious chant of a | | | | stomach acid and inflammation but also to the |
| prayer-phrase. In 1991, the World Community for | | | | inflammation of the linings of our arteries making |
| Christian Meditation was founded. | | | | us more susceptible to arterial sclerosis and |
| New Age, an outgrowth of the | | | | stroke. |
| hippie-counterculture and the astrological coming of | | | | It has been found that meditation helps to calm |
| the "Age of Aquarius" of the '60s and '70s, | | | | the overly sensitive vagus nerve and shuts down |
| synthesized contemporary western ideas of | | | | the physiological mechanism that causes these |
| science (psychology) and ecology with Yoga, | | | | types of inflammation due to stress. Meditation |
| Hinduism, and Buddhism. Because New Age was/is | | | | does not eliminate the stress. It alleviates our |
| more of an individualized spiritual movement than | | | | physiological reaction to the stress. It can also |
| an organized religion, it significantly contributed to | | | | reduce our level of pain. |
| a wider, more secular acceptance and practice of | | | | We certainly know our body's need good quality |
| meditation. The increasing recognition and | | | | air rich with oxygen to function at its best. |
| validation of the benefits of Yoga have resulted in | | | | Football fans have seen players sitting on the |
| an increasing number of secularized Yoga training | | | | sidelines breathing supplemental oxygen to restore |
| centers, not so much as a religious practice but | | | | their depleted oxygen due to the demands of the |
| more as a body/mind fitness regimen. Many | | | | physical exertions, especially in cities at higher |
| fitness and exercise clubs offer Yoga and Yogic | | | | altitudes such as Denver. You may have noticed |
| fitness classes in addition to their physical exercise | | | | that the players inhale deeply through their nose. |
| classes. My wife is a certified instructor in a Body | | | | To increase stamina and endurance, long distance |
| Training Systems (BTS) program called Group | | | | runners inhale through their nose and exhale |
| Centergy, a synthesis of Thai-chi Yoga and Pilates. | | | | through their mouth. Obviously, we are should be |
| The increased popularity of Yoga and its | | | | able to inhale much greater quantities of air (and |
| symbiotic relationship with meditation have by | | | | oxygen) through our mouth. So why would a |
| mere association contributed to an increased | | | | distance runner or an exhausted footfall player |
| secularization of and familiarity with meditation in | | | | benefit from inhaling through their nose? The |
| the mainstream of contemporary western culture. | | | | reason is not due to an increase in oxygen intake |
| With the ever-increasing recognition of life-style | | | | but an increase in nitric oxide (NO) that allows |
| induced psychological stress and its negative side | | | | blood vessels to relax and dilate thus increasing |
| effects on health and longevity, the medical | | | | overall blood flow. We hear little about this very |
| disciplines have taken a closer look at the | | | | important but ephemeral gas (it lifespan is mere |
| long-professed benefits of meditation. This has | | | | seconds) that plays a major role in our bodily |
| been accompanied by an increased interest and | | | | functions. Nitric oxide, normally in small |
| acceptance in ancient non-western medicine | | | | percentages of the air that we breath, is |
| (sometimes grouped in the category of | | | | absorbed only through the lining of our nasal |
| "alternative medicine"). As early as the 1920's | | | | passages. Since it has a very short lifespan in our |
| western physicians were making scientific | | | | system, we need to replenish it by breathing as |
| correlations between reduction of muscular | | | | often and as deeply as we can through our nose. |
| tension and reduction of anxiety. In the 1960s, Dr. | | | | Some exercises of meditation encourage deep |
| Ainslie Meares published Relief Without Drugs, a | | | | inhalation through the nose and exhaling through |
| secular treatise on Hindu relaxation techniques to | | | | the mouth. This appears to have quite positive |
| reduce stress and chronic pain. In 1975, Dr. | | | | effects in restoring and rejuvenating organ |
| Herbert Benson wrote The Relaxation Response, | | | | function, especially associated with the |
| an expansion of the same subject. Today, Yogic | | | | cardiovascular system. Improved absorption of |
| meditation is common in western theories of | | | | nitric oxide through meditative deep breathing |
| counseling and psychotherapy. But more | | | | acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, similar to |
| interestingly, medical research is finding more and | | | | serotonin and dopamine, having a calming effect in |
| more scientific evidence of the physiological | | | | reducing stress at the same time it promotes |
| benefits of meditation. | | | | wakefulness. Consequently, this type of |
| We know that undue physical and psychological | | | | meditation is best practiced shortly after |
| stress can have short and long term negative | | | | awakening from sleep. Nitric oxide also promotes |
| consequences on our health and our longevity. Our | | | | healthy skin and reduces hair loss. |
| contemporary culture is looking for more and | | | | Meditation may not be a cure for baldness, but |
| more for ways to "decompress". But with our | | | | there is considerable evidence that its benefits in |
| modern lifestyles under accelerated | | | | the reduction of stress and increased blood flow |
| two-income-family financial pressures it's difficult | | | | contribute significantly in improving immunity to |
| to find the "down time" from the negative | | | | infection and reducing cardiovascular inflammation. |
| stressors. Certainly, weekend escapes from our | | | | Heart surgeons are more routinely prescribing |
| multi-tasking lifestyles provide short-term relief. | | | | mediation as part of the post-surgery regime for |
| And the annual vacation to the slower pace of | | | | their patients. |
| the tropics (if we can afford it) may lower our | | | | If you would like more information on the benefits |
| blood pressure for a while. But how often do we | | | | of mediation, I highly recommend reading You |
| hear about a friend that arrived home from their | | | | Staying Young, by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. |
| vacation more exhausted than when they | | | | Mehmet C. Oz (a.k.a "Doctor Oz" as frequently |
| departed. It seems we are so conditioned to our | | | | seen on the Oprah Winfrey Show), Free Press, |
| activity-packed lives that even when we escape, | | | | 2007. |