| During the two decades since the relaxation | | | | blood pressure in meditators. In a study, the |
| response first appeared, mediation has gone | | | | relaxation response was taught to 36 people with |
| mainstream. Most people who practice it do so to | | | | moderately elevated blood pressure. After several |
| reduce stress, anxiety, anger and other negative | | | | weeks of practice, their average blood pressure |
| emotions. But increasingly, physicians prescribe | | | | declined significantly, reducing their risk of stroke |
| meditation as part of the treatment for a large | | | | and heart attack. |
| and growing number of medical conditions. Here | | | | 4. Cancer |
| are some of the conditions that mediation can | | | | Cancer is very scary. Meditation and other |
| help. | | | | approaches to deep relaxation help center people |
| 1. Panic Attacks | | | | so they can figure out how they would like to |
| Sometimes anxiety becomes paralyzing and | | | | handle the illness and proceed with life. |
| people feel that they are about to suffer some | | | | 5. Respiratory Crises |
| horrible fate. Panic attacks are often treated with | | | | Asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive |
| drugs, but studies show that if people who are | | | | pulmonary disease (COPD) all restrict breathing |
| prone to panic attacks begin focused, meditative | | | | and raise fears of suffocation, which in turn |
| breathing the instant they feel the first signs of | | | | makes breathing even more difficult. Studies show |
| an episode, they are less likely to have a | | | | that when people with these respiratory |
| full-blown panic attack. | | | | conditions learn breath meditation, they have |
| 2. Pain Management | | | | fewer respiratory crises. |
| Anxiety decreases the threshold for pain, and pain | | | | 6. Depression |
| causes anxiety. The result is a vicious cycle. | | | | Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and isolation |
| Compared with people who feel relaxed, those | | | | are hallmarks of depression - the nation's most |
| under stress experience pain more intensely and | | | | prevalent mental health problem. Meditation |
| become even more stressed, which aggravates | | | | increases self-confidence and feelings of |
| their pain. Meditation breaks this cycle. Childbirth | | | | connection to others. Studies have shown mood |
| preparation classes routinely teach pregnant | | | | elevation in depressed people who regularly elicit |
| women deep breathing exercises to minimize the | | | | the relaxation response. |
| pain and anxiety of labor. Few call it breath | | | | 7. Infertility |
| meditation, but that is what it is. Meditation may | | | | Couples dealing with infertility may become |
| not eliminate pain, but it helps people cope more | | | | depressed, anxious and angry. To help them cope, |
| effectively. In a recent study at the Mind/Body | | | | relaxation response was taught to one group of |
| Medical Institute, after people with chronic pain | | | | infertile couples at the Mind/Body Institute. |
| learned the relaxation response, their pain-related | | | | Compared with a similar group of infertile couples |
| physician visits decreased 36 percent. | | | | who did not learn deep relaxation, the meditators |
| 3. High Blood Pressure | | | | experienced less distress - and were more likely |
| Transcendental meditation (TM) reliably reduced | | | | to get pregnant. |