Meditation and physiology

Meditation is usually present as an antidote to stress. This idea was adopted and approved in the 90's. But some twenty years ago such a statement was new and sounded defiant. It is in the 70 years of meditation for the first time applied a scientific approach. Studies have shown that it produces noticeable physical changes in the number of observed parameters. 

It was found that meditation leads to a slowing of metabolism: oxygen consumption decreases and reduces the allocation of carbon dioxide, reduces the level of salts of lactic acid in the blood. This was a remarkable discovery, since the salts of lactic acid in the blood are linked to anxiety and stress in humans. Another shock was the discovered relationship between meditative practices and forms of certain brain waves. Getting scientists with experienced meditation showed that consciousness exceeds our ability to measure it. 

The book "The Relaxation Response" published by Herbert Benson (Norbert Vinson) in 1975, highlighted the therapeutic benefits are deeply relaxed state of the organism. This discovery led to new approaches in developing programs for psychosomatic treatment. Relaxation became used to help patients suffering from high blood pressure, and in the treatment of stress disorders. 

Research continued in the 80's, and in 1984 the National Institute of Health released a report which recommended the use of meditation as a primary measure to reduce blood pressure in addition to diet and prescribed medication. The researchers found that meditation reduces the body’s neither sensitivity to nor epinephrine, hormones that appears in the blood during cardio-vascular insufficiency. 

It turned out that the relaxation helps with angina and arrhythmia, but also helps reduce blood cholesterol. But much remains to be learning about the body and mind. West collected the data for twenty years that very little compared to the knowledge gained over centuries of quiet eastern practices. 

Yet studies have quite convincingly argued that meditation has a measurable physical effect. Undoubtedly, future survey will enrich our knowledge. New directions of research will enable us to penetrate deeper into the links between the brain and certain types of mental activity linked. The physical results are expected to be useful, if we look at meditation as opposed to stress. However, we remain committed to the Eastern view, as a means of meditation and spiritual transformation of the way to enlightenment.