Hard evidence grows for including meditation in government-sponsored health programs

More people still die from cardiovascular disease than any other illness. Dubbed the number one killer and the silent killer, modern medicine has been researching and incorporating complementary and alternative approaches to help treat and in some cases reverse and hopefully prevent this health problem at an earlier stage of the disease. One of those modalities is meditation.

A new research review paper on the effects of the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on the prevention and treatment of heart disease among youth and adults provides the hard evidence needed to include such evidence-based alternative approaches into private- and government-sponsored wellness programs aimed at preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.

The paper, "Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents and Adults through the Transcendental Meditation® Program: A Research Review Update" is published in Current Hypertension Reviews, 2012, Vol. 8, No. 3.

• In teens, the TM technique has been found to reduce blood pressure, improve heart structure and improve school behavior. According to the paper, the technique has been shown to be a safe alternative. The NIH-sponsored clinical trials conducted with TM mentioned in this review did not observe any adverse effects from TM practice.
• In adults the technique reduced stress hormones and other physiological measures of stress and produced more rapid recovery from stress, decreased blood pressure and use of blood pressure medication, decreased heart pain in angina patients, cleared the arteries, reducing the risk of stroke, improved distance walked in patients with congestive heart failure, and decreased alcohol and tobacco use, anxiety, depression, and medical care usage and expenditures. The technique also decreased risk of death from heart disease, cancer, and all causes.

"These findings have important implications for inclusion of the Transcendental Meditation program in medical efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Vernon Barnes, lead author and research scientist at Georgia Health Sciences University, in Augusta, Georgia.

"This review is potentially more important than individual research papers because it shows that TM has an integrated, holistic effect on all levels of cardiovascular disease," says co-author, Dr. David Orme-Johnson.

Orme-Johnson says that no other meditation technique has been shown to produce this constellation of changes, especially when it comes to hard measures of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Barnes said it was important to start preventing heart disease with adolescents before the disease sets. "Adding Transcendental Meditation at a young age could prevent future cardiovascular disease and save many lives, not to mention reduce the national medical bill by billions of dollars."

Uniqueness of the Transcendental Meditation technique

The uniqueness of the outcomes of the TM technique may have something to do with the mechanics of the practice of the technique itself says Dr. Barnes. "Meditation practices are different from each other and therefore produce different results. And this is a very important consideration when evaluating the application of meditation as an alternative and complementary medical approach."

A paper in Consciousness and Cognition discusses three categories to organize and better understand meditation. See Are all meditation techniques the same?

The two common categories are focused attention, concentrating on an object or an emotion, like compassion; and open monitoring, being mindful of one's breath or thoughts, either contemplating the meaning of them, or just observing them.

Transcendental Meditation uses a different approach and comes under the third category of automatic self-transcending, meditations that transcend their own activity.

The TM technique does not employ any active form of concentration or contemplation, but allows the mind to effortlessly experience the thought process at more refined levels until thinking comes to a quiet settled state without any mental activity. The mind is awake inside and the body is resting deeply, a level of rest much deeper than deep sleep. It is this state of restful alertness that allows the body to make the necessary repairs to rebalance its normal functioning. This cumulative process resets the physiology and shows up as reduced symptoms of cardiovascular disease and improved health.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/muom-heg101712.php

“It’s Too Hard to Modify a Kid’s Environment—Let’s Just Give the Kid Amphetamines”

Some doctors are now prescribing long-term ADHD medications to low-income kids who don’t have ADHD—simply to boost academic performance.

One physician, Dr. Michael Anderson of Canton, Georgia, calls ADHD a “made up” disorder, “an excuse” for doctors to prescribe Adderall to treat poor academic performance in inadequate schools. According to a disturbing article in the New York Times ^[1], increasing numbers of doctors are prescribing stimulants to struggling students in low-income areas—even though the child may not have ADHD—because the drugs are thought to help the kids achieve higher grades.

Adderall may seem to help kids improve their grades. It is in the class of drugs called amphetamines which are also called “speed.” But they are also highly dangerous and controlled substances with recognized side effects including growth suppression, increased blood pressure, and in some cases psychotic episodes: seeing people and hearing voices that are not there, and feeling suicidal.

If a child has real, not phony, ADHD or ADD, better, more natural alternatives exist ^[2] to treat it. There’s also a promising new treatment to add to the list: neurofeedback training ^[3].

Even when doctor and patient reject a more natural approach and want to use a drug, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. Human beings have important differences, and not just the obvious ones of age or gender; differences which are currently ignored in drug research.

For example, SSRIs and the smoking cessation drug Champix ^[4] have been linked to suicides or violence—results which could reflect genetic variations that make the drugs metabolize poorly. Consider this:

• The primary metabolism of many drugs is governed by cytochrome P450 (CYP), a group of enzymes in many tissues including the intestines and liver. If someone is lacking one of these CYP enzymes, they may be unable to detoxify their body from SSRIs and other drugs ^[5], leading to psychotic episodes.
• Other people are deficient in glutathione ^[6] (or may be lacking a glutathione gene altogether), the molecule that helps detoxify the body, acts as an antioxidant, and strengthens the immune system.
• Other genetic variations affect drug transporters and receptors.

In other words, no medication should be given to all patients as a kind of panacea—least of all children with their growing brains and immune systems. Drugs should always be carefully tailored to an individual’s specific needs.

http://www.anh-usa.org/children-amphetamines/

Too late to stop global warming by cutting emissions

Governments and institutions should focus on developing adaption policies to address and mitigate against the negative impact of global warming, rather than putting the emphasis on carbon trading and capping greenhouse-gas emissions, argue Johannesburg-based Wits University geoscientist Dr Jasper Knight and Dr Stephan Harrison from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

"At present, governments' attempts to limit greenhouse-gas emissions through carbon cap-and-trade schemes and to promote renewable and sustainable energy sources are probably too late to arrest the inevitable trend of global warming," the scientists write in a paper published online in the scientific journal, Nature Climate Change.

The paper, entitled The Impacts of climate change on terrestrial Earth surface systems, is published in the Perspective section of Nature Climate Change and argues that much less attention is paid by policymakers to monitor, model and manage the impacts of climate change on the dynamics of Earth surface systems, including glaciers, rivers, mountains and coasts.

"This is a critical omission, as Earth surface systems provide water and soil resources, sustain ecosystem services and strongly influence biogeochemical climate feedbacks in ways that are as yet uncertain," the scientists write.

Knight and Harrison want governments to focus more on adaption policies because future impacts of global warming on land-surface stability and the sediment fluxes associated with soil erosion, river down-cutting and coastal erosion are relevant to sustainability, biodiversity and food security.

Monitoring and modelling soil erosion loss, for example, are also means by which to examine problems of carbon and nutrient fluxes, lake eutrophication, pollutant and coliform dispersal, river siltation and other issues. An Earth-systems approach can actively inform on these cognate areas of environmental policy and planning.

According to the scientists, Earth surface systems' sensitivity to climate forcing is still poorly understood. Measuring this geomorphological sensitivity will identify those systems and environments that are most vulnerable to climatic disturbance, and will enable policymakers and managers to prioritise action in these areas.

"This is particularly the case in coastal environments, where rocky and sandy coastlines will yield very different responses to climate forcing, and where coastal-zone management plans are usually based on past rather than future climatic patterns," they argue.

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report on extreme events and disasters and the forthcoming fifth assessment report, due 2013, include more explicit statements of the role of Earth surface systems in responding to and influencing climate forcing.

"However, monitoring of the response of these systems to climate forcing requires decadal-scale data sets of instrumented basins and under different climatic regimes worldwide. This will require a con-siderable international science effort as well as commitment from national governments," Knight and Harrison urge.

Can Probiotics Help Reduce Anxiety?

Normally, we think of probiotics as digestive supplements. However, more and more research is showing that they could do much more than help your gut.

In fact, a double-blind placebo controlled study found that two probiotic strains, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175, actually alleviated symptoms of anxiety.

The French researchers also found those treated had lower levels of cortisol, a hormone which elevates due to stress.¹

This research is actually pretty interesting. It’s beginning to paint a clearer picture of how our gut can influence our minds and emotions. This might explain why stressful situations may cause “butterflies” in our stomachs and wreak havoc on our digestive system. 

But just how is it that probiotics influence our mood? The science isn’t 100% clear, but we’ll explore some ideas below.

Probiotics Boost Neurotransmitters and Lower Inflammation

Scientists have referred to the gut as the “second brain.” Why? Because it contains a vast network of neurons. In fact, it contains over 100 million neurons, which is more that what’s found in your spinal cord.²

Just like the neurons in your brain, the neurons in your gut communicate with neurotransmitters. One particular nerve, called the vagus nerve, communicates directly to your brain. This is why your digestive system responds to stress and outside stimuli. 

Rat studies show probiotics increase the number of GABA receptors³ in the brain and the production of GABA⁴, a neurotransmitter which supports rest and relaxation. The anti-anxiety class of meds called benzodiazepines work by modulating GABA levels.

Probiotics also lessen gut inflammation.⁵ The French scientists think this is one possible mechanism behind its mood enhancing effects. Studies indicate that inflammation is tied to mental health problems like anxiety.⁶

How to Get More Probiotics Into your System

Yes — yogurt does contain probiotics. However, they only supply a small dose of beneficial bacteria. For more therapeutic effects, we suggest a high quality probiotic supplement.

And not all probiotics are created equal — there are many strains and preparations on the market. It’s important that you actually get the clinically effective strains in whatever product you choose. Remember, the French study used Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum. 

The amount of live bacteria is important as well. Look for products that contain several billion CFUs per serving. That way you’ll increase the odds of the probiotic colonizing your gut. It’s also important that you take your probiotics frequently so that the dying bacteria are replaced.

What You Need to Know

Can probiotics help you feel less anxious? Possibly. As is often the case, more research needs to be done to come to a solid conclusion. 

What we do know is that scientists are uncovering new ways that your mind is connected to your gut. Specifically, science is now suggesting that mental health is not just about your brain; it’s about your gut too. 

What do you think?

References:

1. Br J Nutr. 2011 Mar;105(5):755-64. Epub 2010 Oct 26.
2. Available at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gut-second-brain. Accessed October 8th 2012.
3. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Sep 20;108(38):16050-5. Epub 2011 Aug 29.
4. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2008 Feb;72(2):278-85. Epub 2008 Feb 7.
5. Gut Microbes. 2012 Jan-Feb;3(1):25-8. Epub 2012 Jan 1.
6. Gastroenterology. 2010 Dec;139(6):2102-2112.e1. Epub 2010 Jun 27.

http://blog.lef.org/2012/10/can-probiotics-reduce-anxiety.html

Mr. Fish - Paul Krassner: The Politics of Being a Smartass

Paul Krassner, a founding member of the Yippies, a Merry Prankster and the editor of what writer Terry Southern said was “the first American publication to really tell the truth,” The Realist, has been called the father of the underground press. He has also been called a lousy motherfucker by his establishment detractors, an addendum that, if true, calls into question the genetic integrity of the children that he is purported to have fathered, which are typically depicted as cross-eyed and babbling and groping at their groins in total disregard for whoever might be watching. Of course, when it comes to creation myths all over the world and the grotesquely unflattering depictions of every mother made to appear in each—whether they are virgins, a discarded rib or a duplicitous and distrustful moon—most people are encouraged by Krassner’s relentlessly infectious curiosity about how and why the American culture dysfunctions so well, so much so that they are more than willing to ignore the details of the underground press’ inception and to simply marvel at the multitudinousness of the father’s offspring.

Read More:

http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/paul_krassner_the_politics_of_being_a_smartass_20121017/

Robert Reich - Obama Is Back

He’s back.

Tuesday night, our president was articulate and forceful — in sharp contrast to his performance in the first presidential debate. He stated his beliefs. He defended his record. He told America where he wanted to take the nation in his second term.

And he explained where Romney wanted to take us.

For example: “Romney says he’s got a five-point plan. Governor Romney doesn’t have a five-point plan; he has a one-point plan. And that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. That’s been his philosophy in the private sector; that’s been his philosophy as governor; that’s been his philosophy as a presidential candidate. You can make a lot of money and pay lower tax rates than somebody who makes a lot less. You can ship jobs overseas and get tax breaks for it. You can invest in a company, bankrupt it, lay off the workers, strip away their pensions, and you still make money.”

Read More:

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/obama_is_back_20121017/

Tom Engelhardt - How We Gained the Ability to Create Our Own End Times

Here was the oddest thing: within weeks of the United States dropping an atomic bomb on a second Japanese city on August 9, 1945, and so obliterating it, Americans were already immersed in new scenarios of nuclear destruction.  As the late Paul Boyer so vividly described in his classic book By the Bomb’s Early Light, it took no time at all -- at a moment when no other nation had such potentially Earth-destroying weaponry -- for an America triumphant to begin to imagine itself in ruins, and for its newspapers and magazines to start drawing concentric circles of death and destruction around American cities while consigning their future country to the stewardship of the roaches. 

As early as October 1945, the military editor of Reader’s Digest would declare the first atomic bomb “dated,” and write, “It is now in the power of the atom-smashers to blot out New York with a single bomb... Such a bomb can burn up in an instant every creature, can fuse the steel buildings and smash the concrete into flying shrapnel.” 

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/10/17-5

David Lindorff - Children Under Attack in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Six children were attacked in Afghanistan and Pakistan this past week. Three of them, teenaged girls on a school bus in Peshawar, in the tribal region of western Pakistan, were shot and gravely wounded by two Taliban gunmen who were after Malala Yousufzai, a 14-year-old girl who has been bravely demanding the right of girls to an education. After taking a bullet to the head, and facing further death threats, she has been moved to a specialty hospital in Britain. Her two wounded classmates are being treated in Pakistan.

The other three children were not so lucky. They were killed Sunday in an aerial attack by a US aircraft in the the Nawa district of Helmand Province in Afghanistan, not so far from Pakistan. The attack, described by the military as a “precision strike,” was reportedly aimed at several Taliban fighters who were allegedly planting an IED in the road, but the strike also killed three children, Borjan, 12; Sardar Wali, 10; and Khan Bibi, 8, all from one family, who were right nearby collecting dung for fuel.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/10/17-3

Daryl Hannah - Why I'm Standing Up to TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline in East Texas

On 4 October 2012, in rural east Texas, a 78-year-old great-grandmother, Eleanor Fairchild, was arrested for trespassing on her own property … and I was arrested standing beside her, as we held our ground in the path of earth-moving excavators constructing TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline.

Seems there's showdown in Texas – but, in fact, it's a battle being waged all over the United States. It's being fought by ordinary citizens of all colors, economic strata and political persuasions – against the world's wealthiest multinational corporations, misinformation and deeply embedded fears. While I'm not a fan of war terminology, in these struggles, war analogies seem to highlight both the crisis at hand and perhaps the solution we seek.

Let's face it, we are in times of great crisis: economic crisis, overpopulation crisis,< climate crisis, extinction crisis, water crisis and a humanitarian crisis on so many levels. Energy, and how we create it, is a pivotal issue for many of these crises. It has become increasingly clear that we need to move in a different direction, yet as a species, we humans are uncomfortable with, and resist, change – though we know it is the very nature of life and not only essential, but inevitable.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/10/17-6

Laura Flanders - Freedom of Beach: Dump 'Citizens United'

With rigged debates, pay-to-play races and a money-mad media that feeds at the same corporate trough as the candidates, what’s a person to do to send a message in today’s America?

San Francisco taxi driver Brad Newsham decided to get down and if not dirty, then at least sandy. This Saturday, with 1,000 like-minded people, he lay his body down on a San Francisco beach and spelled out “DUMP CITIZENS UNITED!” in huge human letters, complete with exclamation mark.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/10/17-8