special subjects
Meditation
Medicinal Uses of Meditation
Meditation has been shown to offer numerous health benefits, including relieving the following: Stress, anxiety, depression Insomnia Pain Symptoms of chronic disorders such as cancer Possibly ear ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) Sexual dysfunction Meditation has favorable effects on brain activity. For example, it may increase activity in parts of the brain associated with mental clarity. Meditation often induces physical relaxation, mental calmness, and favorable emotional states such as loving-kindness and even-temperedness. Meditation has been proposed to have many beneficial effects on heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) health. The American Heart Association has endorsed the use of meditation as a low risk, low cost intervention in the prevention of cardiovascular disease while at the same time commenting the strength of the evidence for meditation is low quality and needs to be studied further. Meditation is beneficial in reducing stress and enhancing overall well-being. Its roles in chronic medical conditions, including pain and neurologic disorders (for example, Parkinson Disease) are under study. 