A great new study shows that you not only grow your brain with mediation, you grow the best parts!  Specifically, the study found that long-term mediators have significant increases in gray matter (gray matter includes nerve cells and their dendrites, or "connections") in the frontal lobe and the hippocampus.

The frontal lobes are evolutionarily the newest part of the brain; they are what make us human.  Frontal lobes are responsible for judgement, planning, ordering, and impulse and response control (and a whole lot more).  The hippocampus is related to long-term memory and spatial navigation--it is the first part of brain to be affected by Alzheimer's.  Interestingly, if you have a strong hippocampus, you are much more resistant to Alzheimer's.  The authors of the study state that the increases in gray matter in these regions among mediators "might account for meditators' singular abilities and habits to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behavior."

 Remember, you are incharge of your own brain!  We all do a great favor to all of humanity (not to mention ourselves) by creating the very best brains we can, and you can qoute me on that!

Check out my Stress Reduction page and click on the "A Simple Meditation" link to the left to learn a basic meditation.

Read the study here.

As we move through the daily grind in which we live, our brains often function reactively.  We have set "programs" that our minds use to deal with externally (from the environment) and internally (from our own bodies) generated stimuli.  Meditation allows us a chance to escape the reactive trappings of our mind.  This has been shown in many studies, and recently in Japanese Buddhist monks. What these studies show is an increase in frontal lobe activity during meditation.  The frontal lobe is the newest portion of our brain, evolutionarily speaking.  This portion of our brain allows us to discriminate, judge, and override more primal parts of our brain.  In short, it is the part of our brain that makes us human--the part that is able to rise to a moral, philosophical standard, rather than being trapped by instinct and desire.  

I bring all of this up because many believe that when meditating you are "doing nothing".  In fact, you are improving the part of you that makes you uniquely yourself!  If you wish to change yourself for the better it is crucial that you are able to choose the direction in which you wish to go, then override old programs to execute the new behavior.  I know of no more powerful tool for this than to meditate.  Read more on this subject on my Stress Reduction Page.

Read the study on Japanese monks.

A new study sheds some light on the healing benefits of prayer, yoga and meditation.  Researchers had healthy adults in the Indian military either practice normal physical training for six months, or practice prayer, breathing exercises, yoga postures, and meditation for 6 months.  Both groups were evaluated for antioxidant status before and after the 6 month intervention.

At six months the yoga group had a significant increase in antioxidant status, whereas the physical training group had a significant decrease in antioxidant status!  It is important to remember the power of the ancient practices of breath, prayer, and yoga.  Breathing Exercises have been shown to cause beneficial changes in hormone profiles, decrease stress, normalize brain function, and increase cardiovascular fitness.  Yoga Postures have been shown to create a host of benefits including increased bone density, increased strength, increases in cardiovascular health, and decreaces in musculoskeletal problems such as back pain and  carpal tunnel syndrome.  Prayer has been demonstrated to have multiple healing benefits for the practitioner and for society in general. 

Never underestimate the power of these tools!

Read the study here.

People who are chronically "distressed" are much more likely to develop memory problems and Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.  Scientists monitored 1,256 older people for 12 years.  During that period, 482 of the participants developed "mild cognitive impairment"--a fancy way of saying that their memories were beginning to fail.  Astonishingly, the individuals who had "stressful personalities" were 40 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment!  Of greatest concern is that the changes in the brain associated with mild cognitive impairment are also associated with the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Reasons for being stressed are many, but most of us cannot blame our life circumstances, in fact one of the researchers said "This isn't a measure of stress, but of the response to stress."  If you consider yourself as chronically stressed, it is important to remember that you can change with a little consistent effort over time.  There are many tools with which to do this on the Stress Reduction Page.  You can also check out the Mood Mind and Memory Page, and the Dementia/Alzheimer's Page for activities, foods, and herbs specifically geared toward improving your memory and increasing the health of your brain.

Read a commentary on the study here.

Practicing Yoga Postures for an hour increases levels of a powerful chemical messenger called GABA in your brain.  GABA is a neurotransmitter (messenger in the nervous system) that has the effect of creating calmness and decreasing anxiety.  Some research shows that elevated GABA levels result in elevations in Human Growth Hormone (HGH).  In May, researchers published a study showing that practicing Yoga postures for 1 hour results in a 27% increase in GABA levels in the brain!

The authors concluded "This suggests that the practice of yoga should be explored as a treatment for disorders with low GABA levels such as depression and anxiety disorders."  Indeed, there has been a great deal of research on Yoga as a treatment for anxiety and depression, and it works, this study sheds some light as to how. 

If you would like to know more about Yoga, meditation, prayer, or other stress reduction techniques, check out our "Stress Reduction" page here.

Read the study here.

 

More and more research is showing that depression may be an inflammatory illness.  We know that chronic pain creates changes in the brain, that low levels of omega-3 fats are associated with depression, and that inflammatory chemicals called cytokines have receptors in the brain that can create depression.  What all of these have in common is inflammation.  Inflammation is basically a response of the immune system.  The immune system, when creating inflammation, sends signals to the brain that cause "sickness behavior"--in other words, behavior that makes you want to hide away and heal--in short, depression.

This response makes sense if we are having an inflammatory response due to a serious injury or an infection.  If we are living a lifestyle that creates chronic inflammation, however, it can result in long term depression.  Here is a link to an excellent commentary on the subject that just came out.

Here are the 4 basic things you can do to lower systemic inflammation:

1.  See a chiropractor--follow this linkto see how chiropractic rapidly lowers inflammatory cytokines.

2.  Begin taking a high quality omega-3 product--here's the best one I know of.

3.  Begin a moderate, regular exercise program--here are some tips on how.

4   Eat right!  Use the tools here to learn how.

I am constantly amazed at the power of these simple steps in eliminating depression.  If these alone don't work for you, try 5-HTP--learn more here. (NOTE: We sell a great 5-HTP product in our store.)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects about 10-15% of Americans and is the most common disorder diagnosed by gastroenterologists.  Symptoms include pain, cramping, bloating, and diarrhea.  One theory of IBS is that the sympathetic ("fight or flight") nervous system is out of balance with the parasympatheitic ("relax and recharge") nervous system.  Researchers recently found that the daily practice of yoga is effective at relieving the symptoms of IBS.  Study participants reported a decrease in symptoms after only 1 month of yoga practice.

This is part of a growing body of evidence involving stress-reduction techniques for gastrointestinal disorders.  The gastrointestinal system is controlled to a large extent by the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.  Other research shows that it is possible for these systems to get "stuck in a rut."  Specifically, a mother experiencing a great deal of stress during her pregnancy can actually predispose her unborn child toward sympathetic dominace for life! 

We all make daily choices that either bring us toward peace and harmony or drive us toward a stress reponse.  This study is one of many documenting the healing benefits of regular yoga practice.

Link to the study.

Link to a study fetal responses to stress.

I've had several comments from readers wanting to know natural alternatives to pharmaceutical antidepressants.  As mentioned in a recent blog, SSRI's (the most popular group of antidepressants) decrease bone density by an average of 4%.  Another problem with SSRI's (this group of drugs includes amitriptyline, Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and others) is a drop in dopamine levels.  This phenomenon, detailed in the book Prozac Backlash by psychiatry professor at Harvard, Joseph Glennmullen, can result in apathy, violence, suicide, and sexual dysfunction.

I recommend 4 things to treat depression naturally:

1. 5-HTP has been shown in numerous studies to be effective in most cases of mild to moderate depression. SSRI's decrease the uptake, or breakdown of serotonin, and that creates trouble in your bones and plays a part in lowering dopamine levels.  5-HTP is converted to serotonin easily in your brain.  Thus, you create more of the mood-enhancing molecule without the negative side-effects associated with SSRI's. Use 50-300 mg per day.  It works best if taken on a relatively empty stomach with some juice (insulin apparently helps carry it into your brain--the sugar in the juice causes you to excrete insulin).
   
2. DL-Phenylalanine is a precursor to both dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which can be deficient in people with depression.  DL-phenylalanine is safe and effective.  Doses vary up to 500mg.
   
3. Omega-3 supplementation has been shown in numerous studies to be effective in treating depression.  You can't go wrong with it--its also excellent for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's!  Read more on omega-3's with references on depression here.  I recommend starting at a dose of 6-9 grams of omega-3 per day for 1 month, then taking 2-3 grams per day. Look for a ratio of 2-to-1 of EPA-to-DHA.
   
4. Learn tools to re-create your brain.  Everyone who experiences depression can benefit from directed exercises to cultivate happiness and peace.  Check out some techniques on the stress-reduction page.
   

Nice review on 5-HTP and DL-phenylalanine (full text).

Study on DL-phenylalanine.

Another on DL-phanyalanine.

Sufferers of chronic and/or widespread pain have drastically increased cancer rates.  Research reported in the British Medical Journal reports a 127% increase in death due to cancer in individuals with widespread pain.  The researchers were careful to exclude anyone from the study whose pain may have been due to undiagnosed cancer.

The three most common fatal cancers in individuals with chronic pain were lung, gastrointestinal, and female breast cancer.  Researchers concluded "This study has shown that people who report widespread pain have an increased risk of death, mainly from cancer, over the subsequent eight years."  Discussing possible mechanisms for the increases in cancer and death due to cancer, the researchers considered the following;  "Some studies have provided evidence that certain psychosocial factors may predispose people to the development of cancer. These include the inability to release emotion, the experience of stressful life events, psychosexual disturbance, and parental problems or separation in early life.¹⁹ Many of these factors have also been linked to widespread body pain. ^{20 21} Lifestyle factors subsequent to these adverse events, possibly in combination with changes in neuroendocrine function, may result in both an increased reporting of pain and an increased risk of cancer."

If you have chronic pain, do something about it.  Too often we give up and live with a diminished quality of life due to pain.  If you, or someone you know suffers from chronic pain, try chiropractic.  Several studies have shown chiropractic to one of the best ways to rid yourself of chronic pain.  Also consider the "inability to release emotion, the experience of stressful life events, psychosexual disturbance, and parental problems or separation in early life" mentioned by these authors.  These problems are detrimental to your health--check out the resources on the Stress Reduction Page and set your sights on the highest quality of life!

 Link to the study.

 

 

Exercise helps you to adapt your metabolism to the foods you are eating.  New research shows that after a high-fat diet, a person who regularly exercises is able to "shift metabolic gears" and burn more fat, whereas a non-exerciser will store the fat and preferentially burn protein and carbohydrate sources of energy.

Why?  Our bodies have evolved through times when there was not a supermarket on every corner.  During times of famine it is preferable that the body store fat when possible.  Our ancestors were hunter-gatherer's who primarily ate roots and vegetables and small animals.  On the rare occasion that a large animal was available for dinner, our metabolism adapted to the task of storing more fat when "famine" conditions were present (large quantities of fat were only available from animal sources at the time).  

What are famine conditions?  Three things are commonly perceived by the body as famine:

1. Stress--hunger is a stressful situation, in the past stress was a sensible trigger for fat deposition.  Now researchers believe that just by decreasing stress fat storage patterns in the body will change!  (Read a great article on this in the San Francisco Chronicle)
2. Long periods without food.  For years people have been telling you to have three meals a day--do it!  Have some healthy snacks in between (like nuts and raisins).  When you regularly go long periods without food you trigger the famine response and will store more fat after your meals.
3. Lastly, lack of exercise.  Your body perceives inactivity as you trying to conserve energy during hard times.  New research shows that simply exercising on a regular basis causes you to store less fat.  In other words, you not only burn calories, but change your metabolism.

Remember the law of supply and demand--whatever you demand of the body, it will supply.  If you demand it to store fat by not exercising, having a stressful lifestyle, and poor eating habits, it will!  If you demand it to remain fit and energetic by regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and regular peace cultivation, it will!

 Read the research.