Meditation in Healthcare

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the nature of transcendental and mindfulness meditation and how they can affect one's overall health. The paper explains the significance of the mental state to the overall health of the human body. The paper briefly discusses how such practice can be integrated into modern medical practice.

From the Paper:

"Meditation, put in a proper context, is one of many different methods of establishing a level of self-control over multiple systems within our bodies and minds. By itself, meditation continues to be regarded with skepticism by much of the Western medical world, but that impression is shifting as more and more evidence regarding the efficacy of meditation is found. One of the most confounding problems of modern medicine is the patient's mental state - patients with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook tend to heal faster and more fully than those given over to pessimism. How could "attitude" have any effect upon the function of your cells? How could blood flow and your immune system be related to a mental or emotional state? While the specific answers to these questions have not yet been answered by science, the proponents of transcendental and mindfulness meditation have achieved an understanding about how to improve the mental state so that healing may be enhanced."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, R. A. (2006). Immune responsiveness and meditation. Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine , 143.
• Bormann, J. E., Gifford, A. L., Shively, M., Smith, T. L., Redwine, L., Kelly, A., et al. (2006). Effects of spiritual mantram repetition on HIV outcomes: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Medicine , 359(18).
• Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Meditation. Retrieved May 11, 2008, from Reference.com: http://www.reference.com/browse/columbia/meditatn
• Maharishi University of Management. (2008). Transcendental Meditation (TM) Technique. Retrieved May 11, 2008, from Maharishi University of Management: http://www.mum.edu/tm
• Mind, Mood & Memory. (2008, April). Reducing Cerebral Aneurym risk: quit smoking and manage stress to help protect yourself from this potentially serious arterial disorder. p. 7.

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