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Meditation is a vital factor in brain health So far, science hasn't been successful in reversing Alzheimer's. It may be that we're trying to intervene too late, argue some researchers. They're looking at the brains of people genetically disposed towards Alzheimer's decades before expected symptoms appear. And they're finding that the brain deterioration begins at least 10 years (and maybe many more) before recognition of onset of the disease. Can early preventative action be the key to avoiding this disease? Meditation is a vital factor in the preventative action one can take to increase brain health and functioning. From the current best selling book by Jean Carper: “100 Simple Things you can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s” 5 Compelling Reasons to meditate: 1. Reduce Stress and Anxiety Why do anxiety, stress, or negativity arise? Because you turned away from the present moment. And why did you do that? You thought something else was more important. One small error, one misperception, creates a world of suffering. 2. Suffer less cognitive decline People who meditate regularly tend to retain more brain grey matter, show more sustained attention, and suffer less cognitive decline as they age says Giuseppe Pagnoni, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Psychiatry at Emory University. He found the non-­‐meditators have the decline in grey matter expected with ageing. But remarkably, practitioners of Zen meditation did not! Further, those who meditated also performed better on a computerised test of sustained attention. 3. Increase brain size Scientists used to say it was impossible for the brain to regenerate. Then landmark discoveries by Fred Gage, Ph.D., at the Salk Institute for biological studies in California showed that thousands of neurons are born in the brain daily, primarily in the hippocampus, a learning and memory region. The process is called neurogenesis. Scientists now know that by encouraging the birth and survival of these neurons, you can increase the size and intellectual strength of your brain, making it more resistant to memory decline and dementia. The hippocampus of old people with sharper memories was 20% larger than that of those with poor cognition, despite similar Alzheimer's pathology according to research at John Hopkins University. Researchers believe that larger neurons with more synapses sprang from thinking, reading and active mental and social life. 4. Meditation elevates mood Robert S Wilson, PHD, and colleagues at Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago have discovered personality predictors of dementia in their research on elderly men and women participating in long-­‐
running studies. he notes that personality traits tent persist throughout life, it may help to be aware that fretting, getting upset by minor frustrations, and being stressed and in a low mood may damage an ageing brain. his findings support taking up the way of achieving calmness and serenity through meditation. UCLA researchers agree that meditation may help “build a bigger brain." MRIs scans revealed that people who had meditated 10 to 90 min every day for 5 to 46 years had larger volumes of grey matter in certain regions of the brain related to memory and emotions then control subjects who did not meditate. The differences in brain anatomy may help explain why people who consistently meditate have more positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage better in mindful behaviour (that is, are more focused). 5. Reduce damage to the ageing brain . Curbing brain shrinkage, a typical consequence of ageing, is not the only way meditation may preserve their brains as we get older. Meditation can also lower blood pressure; reduce stress, depression and information; improved blood glucose and insulin levels; and increase blood flow to the brain–all related to memory loss, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's. Meditation is a technique designed to relax the body quickly and calm the mind. This restores to the body to a state of balance, and the resulting mental clarity prepares us for whatever we plan to do next. It not complicated to understand or do. Children get it quite easily. It actually works because it simplifies our mental activity. It requires no special props or beliefs. It can be done for a minute or for an hour, at any time we are alone. Most people get good results from their very first attempt, although improvement only comes with practice. Bill Patterson is a psychotherapist and meditation teacher www.mindbodysolutions.com.au He conducts meditation classes and courses and you can click here to be on the mailing list for the informative monthly newsletter Bill Patterson
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