Medical Meditation

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Meditation As Anti-aging Medicine; Turn Back The Clock Naturally

By Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.

 

Imagine being able to rid yourself of a host of medical or psychological

maladies

without drugs or psychotherapy. Imagine being able to turn back the clock

naturally.

That's right without taking drugs and hormones, you can practice anti-aging

medicine with non- invasive medical meditation. These are proven effective in

one of

the most overlooked forms of therapy available today.

 

Time is rushing into the future. You can't deny the truth of it. And with each

passing

day, you age. There is no way out. Welcome to the world of the graying of

America.

Every morning perhaps you notice a sign-a wrinkle here, a gray hair there, an

ache, a

pain or a little bulge somewhere.

 

While you see the visible signs of aging on the surface of your body, beneath

the skin

there are telltale signs as well. Physiological studies have shown that your

cardiac,

pulmonary, musculoskeletal and brain functions are also declining as you become

older. As time passes, minor damage mounts up and cells, organs and systems

simply wear out.

 

One of the first systems that wears out is the endocrine system, the glands that

secrete hormones. Many researchers believe, and I agree, that the primary reason

we

deteriorate as we age is due to the degeneration of the endocrine system.

Furthermore, the function of the immune system generally follows the function of

the

endocrine system. For example, the production of critically important hormones,

such

as growth hormones, begin to drop off around age 30. The implications of this

growth hormone decline are very disturbing; HGH is vitally important in helping

you

feel energetic, to repair your muscles and other tissues and to retain strong

immunity.

 

Other endocrine glands are especially vulnerable to aging. The pineal gland,

which

produces the sleep hormone melatonin, quickly declines with age, until it

generally

becomes calcified and completely dysfunctional in most elderly people. It is

believed

that this decline contributes significantly to the increase in sleep disorders

that

occurs with aging. Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant and free-radical

scavenger so the decline of the pineal also contributes to an overall decrease

in

health.

 

Similarly, the extremely important steroid hormone, DHEA, drops off considerably

with time and this decline causes innumerable problems. DHEA helps protect the

body from stress and is vitally important for maintaining a good mood, a normal

sex

drive, a stable body fat ratio and a high level of energy. DHEA is also

important to

protect against the ravages of the stress hormone cortisone, which when elevated

can

lead to a decline in immunity, memory loss and accelerated aging.

 

Unbalanced stress in your life also causes the hypothalamus, a gland thought of

by

many doctors as the "brain's brain," to decline in function. As the hypothalamus

declines it becomes far less adept at perfectly responding to minor imbalances.

Sometimes it calls for the production of too few hormones and sometimes too

many.

In effect, it loses its elasticity and flexibility. Moreover, this degeneration

triggers

dysfunction of the rest of the endocrine system, which causes damage to the body

and the mind. Fat clings to the abdomen. Skin loses its suppleness. Memories

fade.

Viruses go unopposed. Eye muscles lose their focus. Immunity wanes. Sex drive

declines. Aging runs rampant.

 

Aging though is not the only problem caused by the decline of the endocrine

system.

The same factors that cause aging reduce quality of life and health in young

people.

You don't need to be old to have poor immunity, impaired eyesight, low energy,

depression, insomnia, decreased sex drive, poor muscle tone, hypoglycemia,

obesity,

muscle pain, impaired cognitive function or any other of the many problems

associated with endocrine decline. These problems are more prevalent among the

elderly but are absolutely common among young people. Unfortunately, many of

them appear to be increasingly common among younger patients. Two of the most

obvious are depression and obesity, which are now at their highest rates in

history

among the young. Remember, old age doesn't suddenly swoop down at 60; aging

starts early, especially if you subject your body and brain to one physical and

emotional assault after another.

 

By now I imagine you are ready for some good news. There is a powerful mechanism

that can ameliorate the ravages of aging and confer youthful vitality-at any

age. That

mechanism is meditation. Meditation is the true anti-aging medicine because it

activates our body's own natural anti-aging healing force. Beyond that, it is

easy to

do. There is no cost and it is totally free from dangerous side effects, which

have

been potentially attributed to some drugs and hormones. Medical meditation

directly

rejuvenates the hypothalamus, the pituitary, the pineal and other endocrine

glands.

Think of it as endocrine exercise. In addition, medical meditation is also the

single

most effective counter measure against stress. Moreover, medical meditation is

specific for ailments, including those associated with aging such as change of

life

issues or menopause, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and

stroke, among others.

 

Let's now scientifically assess meditation. According to the Office of

Alternative

Medicine of the National Institutes of Health, 1994 Omnibus 25-Year Report on

Meditation, the research indicates that meditators achieve the following

biological

reactions: marked reduction in oxygen use; notably lower secretion of stress

hormones; increase in immune factors, including blood leukocyte production; and

calm brain wave activity.

Meditation has also been shown to produce the following general medical

benefits:

reduction of anxiety

reduction of chronic pain

lowered levels of cortisone

increase in cognitive function

reduction of substance abuse

lowered blood pressure

improvements in post traumatic stress syndrome

reduction in the use of medical care and hospitalizations.

 

 

In a fascinating study on meditation, published over a period of years in three

different medical journals, we find that when a group of researchers measured

biological age (how old a person is physiologically rather than

chronologically),

determinants of blood pressure, vision and hearing were all improved for age

with

meditation. Those practicing meditation for five years were physiologically 12

years

younger than their non-meditating counterparts. Even the short-term participants

were physiologically five years younger than the controls.

 

An even stronger study on aging and meditation was conducted by researchers at

Harvard and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. This

study

analyzed elderly people who were introduced to meditation. In short they showed

numerous beneficial changes and ultimately lived longer on average than patients

in

the control group that did not practice meditation. The positive results were

noted to

endure when a follow-up study was conducted more than 10 years later.

 

Medical meditation is also very specific to distinct medical problems. A recent

study

conducted at the Mind Body Medical Institute, through the Israel Deaconess

Hospital

at Harvard, showed the heightened specificity of medical meditation in that by

changing one of the tools of meditation, increasing activity could be directed

to

different parts of the brain.

 

Medical meditation is so specific because it balances and regenerates the body's

ethereal and physical energies, forging an extraordinary healing alliance. The

five

unique attributes that endow this type of meditation with tremendous power are

special postures and movements, exact positioning of the hands and fingers,

particular mantras or sounds, specific breathing patterns and a unique focus of

concentration. The combination of those elements can change your entire profile

of

endocrine, neurotransmitter and hormone secretions, easing you into a calm,

healing,

anti-aging state.

 

Recently I was asked by a patient, "What's the most important thing I can do to

protect my health, now that I've turned 50." 1 told her the most important thing

she

could do was to start each day in a positive way, what I call "wake up to

wellness." In

our accelerated society today we have been programmed to believe that the best

part

of waking up is coffee in our cup. There is nothing supremely healthful or

anti-aging

about taking a drug, albeit from a natural plant, cooking it in water and

drinking it to

give ourselves a stimulating rush so we can jump right back into the stress

cycle

which has proven so detrimental to our health. The best part of waking up is to

take

some time for ourselves in the morning, while our hormones are rising, to bring

balance to our endocrine system, strengthen our nervous system and stimulate our

cardiovascular system so that we can set our mind, body and spirit right to

enjoy a

great day.

 

Many of my patients say, "I've tried to meditate and gave up because of all the

thoughts going through my mind." Don't let this stop you. The emergence of these

thoughts is one of the most important aspects of medical meditation. The

thoughts

represent a release of energy from the subconscious mind to the conscious mind.

Each time it happens, accept it. I have been meditating for 25 years and this

happens

every single day. It's very easy. Simply, when otherthoughts come in your mind,

start

all over again.

 

If you accept this, meditation will take you to what I call the "Fourth State."

The Fourth

State is elevated above the other three common states of mind: the wake state,

the

sleep state and the dream state. The Fourth State is the transcendent or bliss

healing

state. It creates the sacred space in which all healing and anti-aging

physiological

effects occur. Moreover, recent research has shown that with time and patience

you

will tap into a part of yourself known as the spirit. When you forge this

alliance of

body, mind and spirit, wonderful things begin to happen. You are healthier,

happier

and more whole as a human being. When medical interventions are needed, the

results are enhanced.

 

As we go forward in our lives and come to a fork in the road, let's choose the

natural

way. Meditation is our most potent form of natural, anti-aging medicine.

 

Meditating is easy to learn. To be ready, all you need are comfort, quiet, a

meditative

tool such as a mantra and a meditative attitude.

 

Go to a private place by yourself or with another meditator where you won't be

interrupted.

 

Allow 10-20 minutes for meditation and stick with it. You can look at your watch

on

occasion but don't set an alarm, because it might startle you and ruin your

relaxation.

 

Sit down on a comfortable mat, cushion or chair and try to relax every muscle in

your

body from bottom to top. Close your eyes and breathe deeply.

 

To help stop your internal dialogue and health calm down, silently repeat a word

or

mantra. It can be religious or philosophical, as long as it makes you feel good.

When

thoughts intrude, just say, "Oh, well" to yourself and start all over.

 

Adopt a calm, passive attitude, a neutral mind in which you don't judge yourself

or

others.

 

After you finish, sit quietly for a couple of minutes and try to carry your

calm, anti-

aging, meditative attitude into your daily activities.

 

Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., is the author of Brain Longevity, The Pain Cure, and

Meditation as Medicine. He is also the president/ medical director of the

Alzheimer's

Prevention Foundation in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Dharma is on the medical advisory

board of Miraval, Life in Balance Resort in Tucson, Arizona, where he conducts

workshops on Brain Longevity and Meditation as Medicine. To learn more log on

to:

www.meditation-as-medicine.com