Relaxation key in maintaining good health
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
How well you're able to relax could have a significant impact on how your body reacts to stress.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital studied how deep relaxation - elicited by meditation, deep breathing or repetitive prayer- affects the genes involved in the stress response. They found relaxation had a beneficial effect on genes involved in inflammation, cell death and molecules that damage tissue. The positive effect was greater for people who had been practicing deep relaxation long-term.
The researchers are now studying whether deep relaxation can help people with stress-related disorders, like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The study assessed whole blood transcriptional profiles in 19 healthy, long-term practitioners of daily relaxation practice, 19 healthy controls, and 20 individuals who completed 8 weeks of relaxation training. It's published in the journal PLoS One.
