Meditation: It does a mind-body good

For those of us who meditate, we know it works. It calms the mind, brings clarity and focus, and helps to ease the effects of challenges in our lives. Some folks are skeptical about "all that mind-body" stuff, and they're not going to be swayed by personal opinion. So it's really nice when research backs you up and says, Yep, it's not all in your head. This stuff really works.

Where is this great evidence, you ask? The National Academy of Sciences (which, by the way, is the adviser to the U.S. on science, engineering, and medicine) publishes a weekly rag. In the most recent edition there was a study on meditation. And how it works. And not just for long-time practitioners.

The researchers enrolled 80 Chinese college students into their study. They randomly assigned 40 students to a test group and 40 to a comparison group. They taught the test group a form of meditation known as integrative body-mind training, which incorporates meditation and mindfulness work. The group practiced for 5 days 20 minutes at a time. The comparison group was taught a relaxation technique, which they also practiced for 20 minutes daily over 5 days. Before and after the 5-day training, the students were given a variety of tests to examine their emotional states and concentration abilities.

They found that compared to the relaxation group, the meditation group had less anxiety, fatigue, depression, and anger. They also showed decreases in stress and increases in their immune response. All in 5 days. 100 minutes. With no previous training.

You too can receive the benefits of meditation. There are a host of guided meditation CDs that can get you started (just check out your favorite book store or Amazon). A practice called yoga nidra is one of my favorites. And you don't have to spend a lot of time. Just 20 minutes a day to be on your way to less stress and greater relaxation. Sounds too good to be true, huh? But it isn't.

Making Babies Part II - Alternative Therapies

I had a request for information about yoga for infertility, so I did some investigating. When I say investigating, it means I checked PubMed, which is considered "the source" for medical research. Here's what I found.

To date, no published studies have actually documented yoga in relation to fertility outcomes (so here's a novel study idea for the complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] researchers out there). However, a single article on yoga and meditation for infertility published in the journal Fertility and Sterility did suggest that yoga and meditation can help patients to handle the challenges of fertility treatments, including developing patience (which is a requirement when first attempts at assisted pregnancy fail), reducing overall stress, and growing more in touch with their bodies.

Studies have documented, however, the use of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy to infertility treatments, and specifically IVF. A recent review of these studies suggested that acupuncture may indeed be a useful aid in improving the success rate of IVF, as well as improving the quality of life of women who undergo it.

According to another review of the effectiveness of vitamins and herb supplements, too few studies have been conducted on how well they work for infertility. However, the author noted preliminary evidence suggests chasteberry, antioxidants, and Fertility Blend may have some benefit.

One thing that is important, couples who decide to use CAM therapies in conjunction with fertility treatments should inform their doctors, so they can be certain doctor-prescribed therapies are not contraindicated with the naturopathic remedies. Also, while there are no published studies on the subject, if you do want to try yoga for infertility you might find some ideas here.

(Note: As stated in my sidebar, always check with your doctor before starting any physical activity.)