Meditation is effective at helping to manage a variety of conditions because the symptoms of many diseases are amplified by the inability to detach from them. Meditation trains the mind to observe, accept, and relax (Carlson, 2012). Mindfulness-based meditation methods have many positive health benefits. They can treat mood and anxiety disorders as well as chronic pain conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. They do this in part by reducing the degree of psychological suffering. By strengthening attention ability and emotional control they diminish obsessive thinking and negative emotions. Meditation also improves memory, executive cognitive functions, as well as quality of sleep (Chiesa, 2012).
Biological Aging
Brain Health
Aging is a progressive increase in physiological malfunctioning leading to the inevitability of death (Marciniak et al., 2014). Aging involves a continuing decline in specific brain networks and cognitive processes that control memory and self-control (Schlesinger et al., 2017). Common executive control functions are such things as decision-making, planning, emotional self-regulation, and self-experience. Further, aging deteriorates the attentional networks that control awareness and concentration. Chronic stress, anxiety, or depression are common maladies that contribute to aging by accelerating cognitive decline and memory dysfunction (Slavich & Irwin, 2014; Sood & Jones, 2013; Khalsa, 2015). Another factor, and one that is often ignored, is untreated mental illness such as anxiety disorder, major depression, or addiction which, cumulatively over time, contributes to aging. The deleterious effects of growing older can be positively addressed on two fronts: the brain and the body. Here in this blog-lecture we begin with the brain and how meditation can rejuvenate cognitive ability. Research over the last several decades strongly suggests that meditation improves cognitive abilities such as attention control, emotional self-regulation, perspective taking, and meta-awareness. The research evidence this far acquired suggests that meditation combined with a healthy lifestyle preserves and supports good mental and physical health. Meditation may become a standard and essential treatment to slow brain and body aging. It preserves and often increases gray matter volume in the cortex and brainstem along with improving glucose metabolism. These result in improved attention, executive function, fluid intelligence, and memory. Side effects of meditation also include improved emotional responses (Klimecki et al., 2019).
Physical Health
Meditation improves the immune system and helps reduce inflammation by decreasing cytokine. Meditation has been shown to be beneficial in the management of diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and fibromyalgia. Studies have revealed that it improves blood pressure and reduces high-density lipoprotein levels; the “bad” cholesterol (Jamil et al., 2023).
Telomere Activity
These are all promising findings, but the real linchpin for enhancing longevity is in how meditation affects the telomere structures at the cellular level. A telomere is a multi-part structure located at the ends of chromosomes and govern cell division. Telomere length progressively shortens over time thus incrementally driving the accuracy of each replication further and further away from that of the first cells. Progressive telomeric deterioration distortion is a major factor behind biological aging.
Meditation, it appears, has some effect upon telomere activity, but this area of study is only in its earliest stage, but the initial results are very interesting. One study of the effects of meditation upon telomere degradation was conducted with a group of middle-aged adults (n=142) and a control group. Two different meditation methods were used: mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation. The loving-kindness meditation group showed less telomere deterioration than the mindfulness and control groups. This means that loving-kindness meditation contributes to telomeric health (Le Nguyen et al., 2019).
A three-month meditation retreat was used for a random control study of telomeric structures and psychological health of 60 meditators. The study began by measuring telomerase activity and psychological traits. It found that telomerase activity was significantly greater in meditators. They also had more positive emotional states and an enhanced sense of control. The experience of control is related to less emotional negativity and stress. The researchers speculate that meditation increases relaxation which, in turn, increases positive emotions and that these are somehow related to telomerase activity (Jacobs et al., 2011).
Serious Illness
Cancer
Mindfulness meditation is an ancient Buddhist practice intended to dispel personal suffering. It is now used in Western clinical psychology, somatic clinical psychotherapy, and folk psychology to heighten self-awareness to resolve emotional pain and unhealthy behaviors (Bishop et al., 2004).[1]
There is a large body of research into the effects of meditation on the cancer experience. Results generally show improvement in mood and attitude. Meditators commonly report that they feel less tension, depression, and anger while having more physical energy. They also experience relief from tingling in the hands and feet, cardiopulmonary signs, shortness of breath, dizziness, and stomach upset (Carlson, 2012).
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) meditation is often used with cancer patients and there is now a substantial literature regarding its application. A qualitative study of nine patients in cancer treatment were interviewed regarding their subjective experience of MBSR. Meditation helped the subjects open up more to their experience and the inescapable changes in their lives because of their cancer. The loss of self-control was an especially distressing aspect because cancer almost completely strips it away. MBSR helped patients rebuild their sense of personal power starting in very small ways beginning with heightening their awareness about their behaviors. As they achieved deeper understanding of their own thoughts and emotions, they experienced a deeper sense of self-clarity. As meditation changed the subjects’ attitudes toward themselves and their lives, the more they experienced personal growth. Finally, even though spirituality is not an aspect of MBSR, its presence helped subjects to revive their own personal meanings for living along with enhancing their relationships with others. Meditation also helped enlighten their personal attitudes with gratitude and appreciation (Mackenzie et al., 2007).
Another study applying mindfulness to 38 women after their surgery from breast cancer confirmed that NK cell and cytokine levels were returned to almost normal compared to a non-randomized control group (Witek-Janusek et al. 2008).
Cardiovascular
Two small random control trials applied MBSR to cardiovascular patients. Results show a lowering of anxiety, improved emotional stability, and less use of negative emotions in their coping styles. One test group of 19 patients with congestive heart failure experienced an improved quality of life, lower levels of epinephrine, and improved cardiopulmonary performance on cardiac stress tests (Olivo et al., 2009; Tacón et al., 2003).
Holistic Well-Being
The threads of physical and mental health are interwoven into a single fabric (Schuette, Shiu, & Moskowitz, 2018). Included in this is the relationship between positive body image and good mental and physical health (Gillen, 2015). Lifestyle choices across the lifespan are equally important as they can either accelerate or slow the deterioration of the bodymind. Therefore, achieving a state of physical and psychological well-being necessarily incorporates various health practices and regimens. Maintaining well-being over the lifespan is a major life issue, but what is well-being exactly?
Well-being is a psychophysical state based on positive feelings about the self while living a life of personal meaning. The main experience of well-being comes from positive emotions such as calmness, peace, satisfaction, confidence, energy, enthusiasm for living and pursuing a constructive life purpose (Boehm & Kubzansky, 2012; Ryff, Singer, & Love, 2004). Overall, well-being has two sides: hedonic and eudaimonic states (Deci & Ryan, 2008; Ryff, Singer, & Love, 2004; Winefield et al., 2012). Hedonic well-being deals with subjective body states including feelings of pleasure, happiness, positive mood, and life satisfaction. Eudaimonic well-being is an existential state-of-mind arising from actualizing the self by having a life meaning and personal freedom (Deci & Ryan, 2008). The difference between the two is that one deals with the experience of vitality and the other with the meaning one attributes to life (Hernandez et al., 2018). They are two sides of the same coin.
Meditation brings mindfulness which increases one’s sense of well-being (Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007). In fact, just attaining a state of mindfulness automatically increases well-being (Lau et al., 2006). And it may not matter which meditation style a person practices. A study of both mindfulness meditation and Transcendental Meditation found that the frequency of meditation regardless of style was more important in improving well-being (Shoormans & Nyklíček, 2010).
The theory behind all of this is metacognitive self-regulatory capacity: the ability of self-consciousness to monitor itself and make adjustments to changing states of self and reality as necessary (Dorjee, 2016).
Closing Thoughts
I find it interesting that many people will exercise their bodies and care for them with good food and plenty of rest but not give their health of their minds even a single thought. I am particularly struck by the medical profession at large ignoring the benefits of meditation especially with cancer patients. It seems to me that based upon the findings that mindfulness practices can be a powerful supplement to cancer treatment and post-treatment recovery. And, what’s more, it sure is cost-effective compared to other options.
The evidence is apparent and growing that meditative practices are of positive benefit for their physical health and holistic well-being. A lifestyle approach combining traditional medicine and holistic health measures is a very interesting and productive avenue to explore. I’m conducting my experiments and so wish you well in your own.
Paul Shane, Ph.D., LMT
Director, Academic Content
NOTE
Please note that the information given here is for educational purposes only and does not advocate any particular treatment method(s). Be sure to always consult with your licensed healthcare provider before initiating any changes to your healthcare regimen.
References
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[1] See Mehta et al., 2019 for a good overview of the effects of mindfulness on the cancer experience.