Simple lifestyle changes directed at modifying the physiological environment can be effective in treating menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes. For example, there is evidence that regular exercise, elimination of smoking and the avoidance of stress can reduce the impact of hot flushes.
A study by Casper (1985) reports cessation of hot flushes immediately upon exposure to [...]
Relaxation-based meditation is a generic meditation technique based on Western ideas of meditation as contemplation and relaxation. It involves a combination of modifying and focusing thinking activity and visualisation. Participants are instructed to sit comfortably, to breathe regularly and commence their meditation by reflecting on the day’s events. They are then shown how to focus [...]
In this excerpt from his thesis, Dr Ramesh Manocha introduces a study with which he examines the use of Sahaja Yoga meditation as a treatment for asthma.
The studies reported in previous chapters, have suggested that there is a health effect associated with the practice of Sahaja Yoga meditation (SYM) which has been imputed as to [...]
In general behaviour strategies of therapy focus on moderating the impact of illness by modifying cognitive appraisal of the symptoms, ameliorating negative mood states and/or reducing physiological arousal (sympathetic activation) associated with stress. They include: breathing exercises, relaxation, cognitive behavioural therapy and biofeedback. Meditation may also appropriately be included in this category.
Dr Ramesh Manocha
The Hathayogapradipika is a tract of almost 400 verses on the so-called Hatha Yoga. The first chapter of the Hathayogapradipika describes a variety of bodily postures, diet and general topics. The second deals with the control of the life force to be achieved by breathing exercises. The third chapter describes the 10 mudras which are [...]
Future research emphasis should be placed on the evidence in my thesis and elsewhere that suggests that mental silence is not only a therapeutic tool, but a method that changes cognitions and perceptions. In health behaviours, interpersonal relationships, the management of organisations, and society, the “human factor” is both the key weakness and the most [...]
The consensus definition of the menopause is “the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from the loss of ovarian follicular activity. It is recognised to have occurred after 12 consecutive months of amenorrhoea, for which there is no other obvious pathological or physiological cause.” It therefore occurs with the final menstrual period (FMP) only in retrospect [...]
In a 2001 US study Meisenhelder surveyed a sample of 1,400 Presbyterian pastors and found that they had considerably better health in comparison to US normative values. After controlling for age and other demographic variables, a small correlation was found between frequency of prayer and certain important health dimensions, particularly mental health (r = 0.117, [...]
One of the central themes of my thesis is that the failure of the proponents of meditation in the West to produce conclusive data on its specific efficacy in the health sphere has been due to understandings having been largely confined to Westernised versions of the practice. Such understandings have meant that the original ideas [...]
In traditional cultures around the world, spirituality has been associated with better health. Both Eastern and Western historical traditions closely linked physicians with the religious establishment. In the East, Traditional Chinese and Indian medical systems clearly describe, even today, the idea that the mind/soul is an important influencing factor in health is integral to their [...]