The Value of Meditation

This article focuses on the effectiveness of meditation in treating issues such as pain, anxiety, and stress.

“According to a new study, even a brief crash course in meditative techniques can sharply reduce a person's sensitivity to pain” (Health Magazine 2010).The study’s results were astonishing; researchers mildly burned 15 men and women on two separate occasions. On the second occasion, the subjects participated in simple meditation techniques and exercises, after which they reported their pain levels. The subjects reported the pain as being 57% less unpleasant and 40% less intense after the meditation, numbers that mirror powerful painkillers such as morphine!

Meditation has also proven effective in treating conditions such as arthritis, anxiety, and mental health problems.  So what about meditation is so effective? Scientists believe that during meditation, the brain’s areas that are responsible for maintaining focus and processing emotions are at a heightened sense; this gives the meditator more control over their physical feelings. “The conventional wisdom has been that meditation relieves pain not by diminishing sensation but by helping people consciously control their perception of pain” (MacLean, Katharine, Ph.D.). Studies also show that in terms of pain relief, meditation changes the nature of pain or stress before it’s perceived by the brain, thus allowing people to better handle the stress.

I chose this article in light of our recently-completed behavior change assignment. Meditation has many health advantages, and it demonstrates the importance of the mind’s control over the health of the body. I believe that this mind-body balance is crucial to maintaining and improving one’s health, and the practice of meditation as a medical prescription may soon become common.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/05/meditation.reduce.pain/index.html