Alternative Medical Treatments Blog » Meditation

Meditating On Alternative Therapy

Andrew — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:44:40 +0000

The list of alternative therapies that are not readily or legitimately recognized by the medical community is long. Most members of traditional medical organizations like the American Medical Association would never recommend treatments like herbal therapy, homeopathy, or acupuncture to their patients. But what is surprising is that in recent years more and more traditional medical practitioners have pushed their patients to practice meditation.

Meditation is recommended to a very wide variety of patients suffering from any number of symptoms and illnesses. For example, patients with chronic pain from severe illnesses like cancer or arthritis often will practice meditation to alter the brain’s perception of pain. Patients with emotional disorders, like Generalized Anxiety Disorder, are often prescribed meditation as a way to calm the mind during severe anxiety attacks. Other benefits of meditation are heightened self-awareness and observation as well as relaxation and concentration.

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Yoga as a Religious Principle

Andrew — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:46:17 +0000

Yoga is commonly known in the western world as a method of exercise. However, yoga in fact takes its root in a much different place. Yoga actually began as a part of the Hindu religion, one of the major religions practiced in India. India is, of course, where yoga really began. Yoga is defined in the Hindu religion as being closely related to asceticism and meditation. The practice of yoga actually does teach meditation in some form, even in its practice in the west.

In western countries like the United States yoga is more of a forms of exercise than it is a practice of religion. Yoga involves movements and poses that strengthen the body as well as bringing a meditative quality to the mind. There are several different types of yoga commonly practiced in the United States, especially Hatha Yoga.

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Meditating On Meditation

Andrew — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:35:27 +0000

Meditation is the practice of concentrating one’s thoughts and awareness on a specific thought. This concentration may not seem like something that could in any way affect a person’s health, but in fact studies and thorough research has shown that in fact meditation can help improve a person’s health.

The most interesting physical benefit of meditation is improved cardiovascular health. There are many theories about why meditation helps the cardiovascular system, but one of the dominant theories is that the calming effect of meditation not only relaxes the mind, but it also relaxes the entire body. Over time, regular meditation can help a person’s heart to be healthier. Since heart disease is prevalent in both men and women, meditation is helpful for everyone. Of course, meditation also helps a myriad of other ailments by the same relaxation method.

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Meditating On Science Fiction

Andrew — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:47:36 +0000

For science fiction fans, mediation is nothing new. While the actual, real-life practice of meditation varies greatly from practitioner to practitioner, it is not at all like the forms of meditation portrayed in the movies and on TV. Generally, movies and TV programs show meditation as a way for the practitioner to accomplish something other than personal wellbeing.

In many science fiction movies characters will use mediation as a way to focus their energies against their foes. Some science fiction films show protagonists recharging their mental or physical abilities with meditation, while others use these meditative practices for things like telepathy. Still there are instances of semi-real meditation practices. For example, in the television show Stargate SG1, some species use meditation to obtain access to a higher level of existence, much like real life practicing Buddhists do.

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