A WHO report of 2008 stated that cardiovascular ailments and hypertension are gradually replacing communicable diseases as the chief killers globally.
A stressful and sedentary lifestyle coupled with a faulty diet system can be considered as prime reasons for many cardiovascular ailments and lifestyle diseases. Although medication has a clear role in treating many disorders, meditation can prove to be a natural supplement to rid us of certain symptoms and improve our immune system.
Stress makes us susceptible to ailments…
By relieving stress, mindfulness helps our body’s various systems to work efficiently.
Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School believes that any condition that is caused or worsened by stress can be alleviated through meditation.
Mindfulness activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which evokes the opposite bodily reaction to stress and promotes relaxation and happiness.
Researches have proved how mindfulness benefits us physically and psychologically.
A research on the effects of mindfulness on the immune system, carried out by a group of researchers at the University of California in 2008, established that HIV positive patients, who meditate regularly, slow down the drop in their immune cells.
The researchers attribute this result to the more serene outlook, which is common during and also between mindfulness sessions, which gives rise to a weaker secretion of adrenaline and cortisol. Lesser production of adrenaline and cortisol make the immune cells to remain more active.
Being Mindful can…
Being mindful can also have lasting effects on more common ailments like high blood pressure, headaches and digestive problems. The relaxed physical and mental state triggered by mindfulness meditation can make the body heal itself.