Mind/Body/Spirit: The Meditation Connection

June 27, 2008

There has been much in the news about the interdependency of mind, body and spirit. Studies using brainwave technology measured actual physical changes in the brains of longtime meditators — Tibetan monks. Recently another study showed how meditators often fared better than their nap-taking counterparts in mitigating the effects of sleep deprivation. Yet another explores the myth of multi-tasking, concluding that single focus is ultimately more efficient, less prone to errors and less stressful that trying to attend to more than one thing at a time. Meditation as a practice using single focus trains us to be more mindful of competing demands for our attention and to choose wisely by virtue of that awareness.

Read the complete article by Kay Goldstein…

Keywords: Jill Bolte Taylor, Meditation, Research, Mindfulness, Spirituality, Tibetan Monks, huffingtonpost.com

Filed under: BODY, MIND, SPIRIT | Comments (0)

Top 10 Reasons Pain Medication Use is Increasing

June 27, 2008

  1.   Insurance companies have cut benefits for alternative therapies. 

  2.   The baby boomers are getting older and the joints are wearing out.

  3.   Many people can’t afford the time or money for treatments like physical therapy, acupuncture, and massage.

Read the complete article by Christina Lasich, MD for reasons 4-10 …

Keywords: physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, pain, pain management

Filed under: BODY, acupuncture | Comments (0)

Anheuser-Busch to Stop Caffeinating Alcoholic Beverages

June 25, 2008

b>Brewer Enters Into Settlement Agreements with CSPI, State AGs/b>br/>WASHINGTON—Anheuser-Busch will remove the caffeine, guarana, and ginseng from its flavored malt beverages Tilt and Bud Extra, and is calling on its competitors in the industry to similarly stop making pre-packaged caffeinated alcohol beverages. The move comes as part of agreements reached with the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which in February threatened to file suit against the company over the drinks, and a group of 11 state Attorneys General, which has separately been investigating the company.

Filed under: News | Comments Off

NASAs James Hansen to Deliver Keynote at CSPI Conference on Rejuvenating Public-Sector Science

June 24, 2008

b>/b>br/>WASHINGTON—James Hansen, the director of NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Representative Brad Miller (D-NC) will deliver keynote addresses at an upcoming conference on rejuvenating public-sector science, sponsored by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. The title for Hansens address will be Threat to the Planet: The Dark and Bright Sides of Global Warming. Miller will speak on Preserving Scientific Integrity: The Role of Congressional Oversight.

Filed under: News | Comments Off

8 drugs doctors wouldn’t take

June 22, 2008

If your physician would skip these medicines, maybe you should, too

With 3,480 pages of fine print, the Physicians’ Desk Reference (a.k.a. PDR) is not a quick read. That’s because it contains every iota of information on more than 4,000 prescription medications. Heck, the PDR is medication — a humongous sleeping pill.  … Of course, plenty of M.D.’s do know which prescription and over-the-counter drugs are duds, dangers, or both. So we asked them, "Which medications would you skip?" Their list is your second opinion. If you’re on any of these meds, talk to your doctor. Maybe he or she will finally open that big red book with all the dust on it.

Read the complete article by Morgan Lord…

Keywords: advair, avandia, celebrex, ketek, prilosec, nexium, visine, pseudoephedrine, asthma, diabetes, cox-2 inhibitor, antibiotic, heartburn, pneumonia, sinus, acupuncture

Filed under: BODY | Comments (0)

House Vote for More Food Safety Money Praised

June 19, 2008

b>Statement of CSPI Food Safety Director Caroline Smith DeWaal/b>br/>The Food and Drug Administration desperately needs the $150 million in new money approved by the House of Representatives last night, particularly the $67 million designated for the Centers for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Its good news for consumers, merchants, and restaurateurs, who are sick and tired of outbreaks, like the latest one linked to tomatoes, that result in illnesses, wasted food, and a reduction in consumer confidence in our federal food safety programs. While FDA urgently needs even more funding, were glad that the House leadership and the White House came to agreement on this down payment for restoring credibility to the FDA…

Filed under: News | Comments Off

A Guided Meditation for Kids Who Aren’t Feeling Well

June 19, 2008

Recently, I had an opportunity to teach an introductory meditation class to a small group of pediatric nursing students. After the class, I had a lot more insight about their work with young patients and it triggered the idea of adapting guided meditations for kids who are sick or in the hospital. While most nurses are already experts at helping kids with the stress of hospital routines and doctor’s visits and already quite busy, this is simple tool for them that might also facilitate the healing process and treatment procedures. Parents and teachers might also find it useful to have a calming exercise on hand for those inevitable meltdown moments.

Read the complete article by Kay Goldstein…

Keywords: meditation, visualization

Filed under: MIND | Comments (0)

Changing Your Lifestyle Can Change Your Genes

June 19, 2008

New research shows that improved diet, meditation and other non-medical interventions can actually “turn off” the disease-promoting process in men with prostate cancer.

“Genes may be our predisposition, but they are not our fate.” Dean Ornish

Read the complete article by Dean Ornish…

Read the study Abstract

Keywords: diet, exercise, stress management, epigenetics, genetics, psychosocial, prostate cancer, psa, Preventive Medicine Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, Dr. Peter Carroll, Dr. Mark Magbanua, Dr. Chris Haqq, Dr. Dean Ornish

Filed under: BODY, MIND | Comments (0)

Beware nocebo effect: Thinking you’ll get sicker could make you so

June 19, 2008

Everyone has heard the expression “scared to death.” But can the mind actually influence our dying — or at least our well-being? Medical science has a name for the possibility: The nocebo phenomenon.

“With the nocebo effect, people expect something bad to occur. For instance, they may develop symptoms after learning about painful side effects of medication.”

Read the complete article by Desonta Holder, McClatchy-Tribune Newspapers…

Keywords: placebo, nocebo

Filed under: MIND | Comments (0)