Ayurveda and Chinese traditional medicine, currently known as alternative medicine in western society were not merely fields of medical knowledge but life styles. For an example, this is reflected in the meaning of Ayurveda itself, which is translated in to “the science of life”.
Though we didn’t have much experimental knowledge about the benefits of these lifestyles until the recent years, experience knowledge was what we received from our ancestors who lived in the great civilizations of Indus-Valley and China more than 5000 years ago.
Among these experience knowledge meditation, yoga, tai chi, organic vegetarian diet, and abstinence from alcohol can be considered as the basic practices, which were passed from generations to generations in the name of culture.
However, thanks to the centuries of hard work by many researchers, we are lucky to have experimental knowledge to support these lifestyle practices in the 21st century. I would like to share following information to expand your understanding about the importance of healthier life style for your welbeing.
Dr. Herbert Benson, an American Cardiologist was among the first pioneers in mind-body research. In 1960’s as a research fellow at the Harvard University School of Medicine, he observed that meditation can play a significant role in reducing stress response creating an opposite reaction to fight-or-flight response.
Among one of the most recent is a new research published in the Journal Frontiers in Immunology founds that mind-body interventions including meditation, yoga and tai chi not only relax us, but also may actually have the ability to reverse molecular reaction to stress at DNA level.
I think, having a basic understanding about the human stress response will help us to understand the uncovered secrets of meditation, yoga and tai chi.
Selye Janos, was a pioneering Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist; conducted important scientific work around general adaptation syndrome [a theory on stress] in mid-1900’s. He was the first western medical researcher to describe the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis [HPA axis] while pointing out three stages of stress, which included “alarm state”, a resistance state” and “exhaustion state”.
As we all know, activation of the fight-or-flight mechanism to stress is a genetically embedded protective mechanism important for survival. But research has found that it is the chronic activation of this survival mechanism, which contributes to chronic mental health conditions [anxiety, depression], chronic physical conditions [obesity, high blood pressure, and auto-immune conditions] and cancer.
At AROGYA PTY LTD, we are here to provide you the basic guidance in developing a healthy lifestyle. Join our “Heal with Buddhism” programs to improve wellbeing through a healthier lifestyle.
