DON'T STRESS

Thesis Statement: Prevention is the key to alleviating, if not eliminating many of societies woes such as, drug addiction, abuse and violence of all kinds, and physiological ailments and desease.

Introduction

In many cases, as I will illustrate later based on empirical data, the stress that humans suffer, and the consequences thereof, are created subconsciously and can be a thing of the past with proper techniques in self awareness and meditation. This is nothing new to the world; however it is new to Western medicine. The work of Freud in the early 1900’s is regared as many as the birth of psychology. In contrast many of Freud’s “discoveries” had already been in existence for over 2500 years.

An introduction and knowledge of these ancient concepts will enable the human populus to prevent any stress related phenomenon, and consequently achieve a calm and peace within themselves, regardless of any social situation or atmosphere. The power always begins and ends within. Grasping this concept is the key that will unlock the door to universal enlightenment.

Physiological Changes

I will begin by delving directly into the long documented benefits on physiology in relation to meditation of all styles, since I want to establish a concrete platform on which to build my own thesis. In addition, I would like to dispell any doubts from individuals who may not want to believe.

To begin, a relatively brief history of meditation is in order before the physiological effects are discussed. In all likelihood, meditation as humans have come to know it today started in India about 2500 years ago by a young man named Siddhartga Gautama (The Buddha).

Perhaps the most powerful and beautiful aspect of Buddhism is how it has taken the shape of the container that has held it in each place it has settled. A bowl can be narrow and tall or wide and short, simple or ornate, yet hold its contents well. Inevitably, Buddhism has also changed the vessel, and this transformation was no more evident than when Buddhism reached China and spread to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The practices of Buddhism as they existed in India and were transmitted southward to countries like Sri Lanka and Thailand probably resemble their origins more closely today than they do in the countries of the northern transmission (Smith, 2000).

Research shows that Western awarness of this phenomena has only occurred in the past 35 years or so. Since then however, there have been great strides in knowing more.

By itself, meditation is an effective treatment for reducing stress (Benson, 1995; Calderon & Schneider, 1999; Kulkarni, 1998; Shapiro, et al., 1998; Walton, et al., 1995). These factors may be instrumental in explaining the reports that meditation can improve outcomes of chronically ill patients (Anton, 1999; Davis, et al., 1998; Speca, et al., 2000; Vedanthan, et al., 1998; Young, 1999; Zaza, et al., 1999). One study even reported that Psoriasis patients recovered faster when including a meditation regimen into treatment (Kabat-Zinn, et al., 1998). Meditation has also become a popular tool in psychotherapy as a relaxation technique (eg. Benson, 1978) and to stimulate insight (Shapiro, 1995).

Some of the more popular techniques used in research are transcendental meditation (TM), Hatha yoga, and various forms of the method popularized by Herbert Benson in Studying the "relaxation response" (Benson, 1975). Benson was a real groundbreaker when it came to the true physiological benefits of meditation. Decreases in renal (kidney) and hepatic (liver) blood flow during meditation has been hypothesized as being due to increased muscle, skin, or brain blood-flow demands (Jevning, et al., 1978). Further research found that muscle and skin blood flow did not increase as renal and hepatic blood flow decreased, implicating an increase in blood flow to the brain (Jevning, et al., 1979; Jevning, 1992).

In addition to the work these great researchers, blood pressure has also been documented. Reductions in systolic blood pressure have been observed during experimental sessions (Barnes, et al., 1999; Castillo, et al., 2000; Lee, et al., 2000; Wallace, et al., 1971), as well as for long-term practitioners (Wallace, et al., 1983). One can also look to a distinct brain wave activity during meditation, which does not relate to sleep or dream states. For instance, it should come as no surprise that among the well-documented effects of meditation is the alteration of brain-wave patterns. Dozens of studies have shown an increase in alpha rhythms, which are correlated with a state of relaxed alertness. In addition, numerous studies have shown enhanced synchronization of alpha rhythms among four regions of the brain; right, left, front, and back. This may be an indication of increased coherence of brain-wave activity (Ibid., p. 15-18).

Sleep, rest, and meditation have been compared on EEG, and like other physiological measures, and with few exceptions (Fenwick, et al., 1977), meditation has been found to have its own signature (Banquet, 1973; Farrow, 1982; Herbert & Lehmann, 1977; Jacobs, et al., 1996). For example, long-term meditators in meditative states have been found to produce theta-burst activity, whereas such a phenomenon has not been found in restful or sleeping states (Herbert & Lehmann, 1977).

The relationship between pain and stress can be better understood with the excellent work of Dr. Kabat-Zinn, and how this research has really opened up people’s eyes and hearts to the benfits of meditation and how it relieves stress. Dr. Kabat-Zinn's studies have demonstrated decreases in many kinds of pain in people who had been unresponsive to standard medical treatment. A large majority of the patients in Kabat-Zinn’s studies who were taught to meditate improved, while control groups of similar patients showed no significant improvement. Various related studies have shown improvement in pain from muscle tension, headaches, dysmenorrhea, and other conditions (ibid., p.30).

Another very influential figure in the study of meditation and its inherent health benfits is a man by the name of Deepak Chopra. Deepak Chopra, M.D., is a physician and author who practices TM. Trained as an endocrinologist, he now practices traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine (which emphasizes the use of herbs and meditation) in Massachusetts, and has authored several best-selling, highly influential books on holism, the best-known of which is Quantum Healing. Dr. Chopra also serves on a review panel for the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine.

In his book Unconditional Life: Discovering the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams, he provides a set of questions with which to evaluate meditative practices.

"There are any number of important issues to consider when evaluating a form of meditation—above all: Did my mind actually find the silence I was seeking? Was I psychologically comfortable during and after meditation? Did my old self begin to change as a result of having meditated? Is there more truth in my self?"(Chopra)

It is important to note that all of the work these individuals have done are only scratching the surface.

Monetary Issues

A survey showed that the number of Americans who use such therapies rose from about 33 percent in 1990 to more than 42 percent in 1997 (Eisenberg, 1998). In addition, Americans spent over $27 billion on these therapies that year, more than was spent on out-of-pocket expenses for all U.S. hospitalizations. The U.S. government has also increased its financial interest in alternative medicines, increasing available funding for National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) from $2 million dollars in 1993 to 68.7 million in 2000.

Conclusion

All of the above is a combination of information of two articles with all of the necessary points in determining the intrinsic relationship of meditation and its contribution to the well being of humans. There is no doubt that all of this research is in its infancy and as professionals in the filed are aware, this is only scratching the surface. As technology grows and becomes more adaptable, the human species can expect to achieve higher levels of consciousness and awareness with very hard work and dedication.

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Appendix

Creativity can sometimes be a scary thing. True innovators are often laughed at, distained, beaten, killed, and in some cases become legends; the latter maybe the scariest of all if it happens very quickly. Anyway, I think that this course has given me some room to flex my creative muscle and I thank the students and teacher for that.

Without effectiveness, the world would cease to exist, or at least cease to exist in a productive fashion. A nation need not be a world power to achieve this phenomena. Many small villages in Asia and/or Africa use effectiveness and efficiency probably better than most other places on Earth, since they have so little, they do vast amounts with what they are given. However, many spoiled people have many material possessions and do not do much with their lives, and further complain that they do not have more.