Meditation may be the Future of Anti-Aging, Part I

February 15, 2010

Importance of Meditation on mind/body health...-------------------------------http://www.naturalnews.com/028157_meditation_longevity.html

According to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, 90% of all

adult illness is due to the degenerative processes of aging. Anti-aging

medicine, aiming for longevity and optimal health, is most certainly

the 'specialty' of the future and is based on the early detection,

prevention and reversal of age-related disease. While science continues

to search for answers, research has already revealed that meditation is

a potent anti-aging practice that can take years off your physiological

age.STRESS = AGINGAging is most certainly a

complex issue with many factors coming into play, but one thing that

researchers do agree on is that stress (mental, emotional, and

physical) causes us to age.Eva Selhub, MD, Medical Director of the Mind/Body Medical Institute says, " If we can affect the stress response, we can affect the aging process. " She says " There`s a reason why experienced meditators live so long and look so young. " (The Anti-Aging Effects of Meditation; http://www.more.com/2025/2674-the-a...)

In a recent interview with CNN, Dan Buettner, author of " The Blue Zones "

and researcher into longevity hotspots around the world, suggests small

lifestyle changes can add up to 10 years to most people`s lives. He

says aging is 10% genetic and 90% lifestyle. Buettner stated that

having mechanisms to shed stress, like prayer and meditation, was of

high importance in the longevity hotspots he studied and a major factor

in long-term health and aging.Dr. Robert Keith Wallace was one

of the first scientists to study the effects of meditation on aging and

he published his findings in the International Journal of Neuroscience

(16: 53 58, 1982). His research was based on the practice of

Transcendental Meditation.Dr. Wallace found that subjects

with an average chronological age of 50 years, who had been practicing

Transcendental Meditation for over 5 years, had a biological age 12

years younger than their chronological age. That means a 55-year-old

meditator had the physiology of a 43-year-old.Several of the

subjects in the study were found to have a biological age 27 years

younger than their chronological age. This study has since been

replicated several times. Other studies have also shown the beneficial

effects of Transcendental Meditation on the aging process. (The Transcendental Meditation Program; http://www.tmprogram.com.au/book/ch... )

History

reveals many examples of seemingly `ageless` saints, dedicated to the

practice of meditation, whose lives have demonstrated the enormous

capacity of the human body to live much longer than today`s average

life span.Yes, these `ageless` saints and yogis practically

dedicated their whole lives to meditation but even we, as average

householders, can potentially live much longer, healthier lives.

Meditation has revealed itself to be one of the most beneficial

practices to relieve some of the stress related to aging.Bernard Siegel, M.D., Professor, Yale University School of Medicine, wrote in Love, Medicine and Miracles (New York: Harper and Row, 1986): " Other

doctors` scientific research and my own day-to-day clinical experience

have convinced me that the state of the mind changes the state of the

body by working through the central nervous system, the endocrine

system, and the immune system. Peace of mind sends the body a `live`

message, while depression, fear and unresolved conflict give it a `die`

message. " " The physical benefits of meditation have recently been well documented by Western medical researchers, " says Dr. Siegel. " Meditation

also raises the pain threshold and reduces one`s biological age... In

short, it reduces wear and tear on both body and mind, helping people

live longer and better. " (Paramahansa Yogananda. 1995. The Bhagavad Gita, p 379-380)Bibliography:http://www.tmprogram.com.au/book/ch...

http://www.worldhealth.net/about-an...http://www.more.com/2025/2674-the-a...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/3...Paramanhansa Yogananda. 1995. The Bhagavad Gita, p. 379-380. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship