Meditation is a practice used to free the mind of cluttered thoughts and focus on a relaxed mental and physical state.
Meditation is used for stress, fatigue, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, anger management, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), congestive heart failure (CHF), back pain, and many other conditions.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate..
The effectiveness ratings for MEDITATION are as follows:
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of meditation for these uses.
Meditation is used to free the mind of cluttered thoughts and focus on a relaxed mental and physical state. There are several types of meditation. “Concentrative meditation” uses an object of focus such as breathing or a sound to help clear the mind. “Mindfulness meditation” allows the mind to experience what is going on outside the mind, but there is no reaction to these external things. “Transcendental meditation” involves deep physical relaxation while maintaining a highly alert mind.
Through meditation, the brain is thought to switch from resting brain waves (called alpha waves) to relaxing brain waves (called theta waves). This switch is thought to increase release of pain-killing chemicals called endorphins, slow breathing and heart rate, decrease blood pressure, and decrease metabolism.
Some researchers suggest that psychological stress and fatigue significantly contribute to many disease processes. Therefore, it is thought that meditation, by reducing stress and fatigue, might be helpful for treating and preventing a variety of conditions.
There are no known safety concerns. Meditation has been safely used in research and there is no known reason to expect any harmful side effects.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn’t enough information to know how practicing meditation might affect pregnancy and breast-feeding, but so far there is no reason to expect it would do any harm.
It is not known if this treatment interacts with any medicines.
Before using this treatment, talk with your health professional if you take any medications.
There are no known interactions with herbs and supplements.
There are no known interactions with foods.
The appropriate or safe use of meditation depends on several factors such as the condition being treated or the person administering the treatment. Be sure to seek and follow relevant directions from your physician or other healthcare professional before using this treatment.
Concentrative Meditation, Meditación, Méditation, Méditation Concentrative, Méditation de Pleine Conscience, Méditation Transcendantale, Mindfulness, Mindfulness Meditation, Mindfulness Training, TM, Transcendental Meditation.
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