Health Benefits of Meditation by Shirley Archer JD, MA ? fitmommy

A growing body of research evidence is supporting the claim thatmeditation?is good for our health. With benefits ranging from fewer colds to pain management, meditation seems to allow people to cultivate a sense of clarity and calm that can permeate all aspects of life and that improves with practice.

Here are some of the many beneficial effects that scientists have identified in studies:

• Stronger immune system.?Meditators experienced fewer wintercolds?and flus (Barrett et al. 2012) and produced more antibodies in response to a flu vaccine (Davidson et al. 2003) than those who did not meditate.
• Enhanced attention.?After 3 months of meditation training, subjects had better attention and used their resources more efficiently (Slagter et al. 2007).
• Lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease.Transcendental meditation lowered blood pressure among African Americans with heart disease and was associated with a 43% reduction in risk of death, heart attack and stroke (Schneider et al. 2009).
• Less anxiety and depression.?A research review found that both Mindfulness-Based?Stress Reduction?and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy had broad applications for people with depression and anxiety (Marchand 2012).
• Increased feelings of compassion and empathy.?Mindfulness training helped to increase self-compassion and empathy in people with mood disorders (Farb, Anderson & Segal 2012).
• Fewer binge episodes.?A group of women who practiced mindfulness meditation for 6 weeks cut their binge eating episodes by half after experiencing meditation (Kristiller & Hallett 1999).
• Lower blood sugar.?Patients with metabolic syndrome lowered blood pressure and blood sugar and improved insulin regulation after practicing transcendental meditation for 16 weeks (Paul-Labrador et al. 2006).
• Improved sleep.?A literature review found that consistent meditators using a variety of meditation styles experienced better sleep quality than people who did not meditate (Nagendra, Maruthai & Kutty 2012).
• Better pain management.?The same literature review showed that both Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Zen meditation helped people with?pain management?(Nagendra, Maruthai & Kutty 2012). In another study, expert meditators experienced the same intensity of pain as novices, but felt less unpleasantness (Lutz et al. 2012).

Changes in the Brain

Researchers are using modern technology to explore how meditation is able to provide these (and other) benefits. Findings confirm that meditation practice creates structural changes in the?brain, which is significant, because neuroscientists used to think the brain?s development reached a peak in adulthood and then declined with age. Research is now showing that how we use the brain impacts its development and function (just as how we use the body affects its health and function).

The structural changes in the brain that occur with meditation are associated with improved functionality: enhanced concentration, better ability to learn and remember, more ability to tolerate pain and less emotional reactivity toward external stimuli. In multiple studies, people who meditate have better attention, concentration, emotion regulation, pain tolerance and memory than those who do not.

Note:?See?www.ideafit.com/meditation-brain?for specific research findings on how meditation changes the brain.

The Fountain of Youth?

New lines of research show that meditation may lead to biological changes that decrease the inflammation response of the immune system on a cellular level and can contribute to looking and feeling younger. Two separate studies of meditation, one involving the practice of a Kirtan Kriya meditation from?kundalini yoga?and the other involving?qigong?practice, a moving meditation, both identified improved telomerase activity, which is linked to cellular health (Black et al. 2012; Ho et al. 2012).

?Telomerase is an important enzyme that protects us from aging by guarding the shortening of telomeres during cell division,? said study author Rainbow T. Ho, director of the Centre on Behavioral Health at the University of Hong Kong. This reduction in inflammation may be related to optimizing health and slowing damage from the aging process.

For more information on meditation, plus a full list of references, please see??Meditation: Push-Ups for the Brain??in the online IDEA Library or in the January 2013 issue of?IDEA Fitness Journal.

For the latest research, statistics, sample classes, and more, ?Like? IDEA on Facebook?here.

Shirley Archer, JD, MA, was the 2008 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year and is IDEA?s mind-bo??more

February 2013

? 2013 by IDEA Health & Fitness Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

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February 10, 2013 - Posted by atcshan | Health, Mind-body awareness | aging, Anxiety, Brain, Depression, Heart disease, Inflammation, Meditation, Pain Management, Sleep

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Chemicals linked to obesity in black children - Mother Nature Network

Black children with high levels of hormone-altering chemicals used in some shampoos and lotions are more likely to be obese, according to research published today.

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The study by New York University scientists is the second to link phthalates to obesity in children but the first to use a large sample of children and look for racial disparities.

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Black children have much higher levels of the chemicals in their bodies than children of other races, and for every tripling of certain compounds, they were 22 percent more likely to be obese, according to data from 2,884 children aged 6 to 19. No links to obesity were found in white or Hispanic children.

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?The takeaway is we need to consider environmental exposures when looking at the obesity problem,? said Leonardo Trasande, a professor at New York University School of Medicine and lead author of the study. ?Environmental chemicals may contribute independently of diet and exercise.?

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Phthalates are a large family of chemicals with varied uses. The phthalates associated with black children?s obesity were the kind commonly added to personal care products to make fragrances last longer. Other phthalates are used to make vinyl and can be found in food packaging, medical devices and flooring.

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Trasande and colleagues checked for a variety of phthalates and only found a link to the kinds used in personal care products.

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Both Trasande and other researchers were quick to point out that this doesn?t mean phthalates cause obesity.

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?It?s a big study and nationally representative, which is good,? said Joe Braun, an epidemiology professor at Brown University who was not involved with the research. ?But since they measure phthalates levels in urine and obesity at the same time, it?s a chicken and egg problem. Do phthalates cause obesity or are obese children more exposed?? It?s unclear, he said, when they were exposed relative to when they became obese.

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Kathryn St. John, a senior director of product communications at The American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers, said no conclusions can be drawn from this study about whether a significant increase in childhood obesity can be linked to phthalate exposure.

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?Attempts to link our national obesity problem to minute exposures to chemicals found in common, everyday products are a distraction from efforts to address this important national health issue,? St. John said.

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Previous studies have linked phthalates to hormone disruption ? including hormones responsible for fat tissue and development of the brain and reproductive system. Trasande said it?s plausible ? though not proven by this study ? that phthalates could contribute to obesity by messing with receptors that metabolize lipids and carbohydrates.

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One previous study linked phthalates to obesity in children. High phthalate concentrations were associated with increased body mass and waist size in Hispanic and black children aged 6 to 8 in New York City. Phthalates also were linked to adult obesity in a 2007 study.

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In the new study, it is unclear why there was only a link for black children, but it could be due to their higher concentrations of the chemicals. For the personal care product-type phthalates, black children had levels 81 percent higher than white children, 45 percent higher than Mexican American children and 4 percent higher than other Hispanic children.

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"One possibility is that different racial/ethnic groups use phthalate-containing shampoos and lotions differently, or use products containing different [phthalate] mixes," says the study, which was published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

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Researchers didn?t see any differences by age groups. And, while the black children had higher levels of phthalates as a whole, the association with obesity happened at relatively low levels of exposure, Trasande said. The study used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s 2008 nationwide testing of chemicals in people?s bodies.

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It?s possible black children are simply more exposed, or they metabolize the chemicals differently, said Emily Barrett, a professor at the University of Rochester who studies exposure to environmental chemicals.

Many factors ? including nutrition and stress ? could alter how different children metabolize chemicals, said Jennifer Adibi, an epidemiology professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

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In a study released late last year by Trasande and colleagues, another hormone disrupting chemical ? bisphenol A ? was linked to obesity in only white children.

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Trasande controlled for diet, television watching, gender and age in the phthalate study. Pinning chemicals to weight gain is a challenge, but the study forces some new thinking about obesity, he said.

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The next research step is to look at phthalate exposures from fetus to childhood to try to tease out whether the chemicals are contributing to obesity, he said.

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Adibi said the findings are ?interesting and scary.? While it?s not enough evidence to spur policy changes, she hopes it will reframe the conversations about risks to disadvantaged communities.

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?This is another reason to increase awareness among low income, African American and Hispanic populations and let them know they?re at an increased risk of exposure to these chemicals and that we?re seeing these associations (with obesity),? Adibi said.

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Related on MNN:

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Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/chemicals-linked-to-obesity-in-black-children

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X-Wing Squadron Seeks $11M On Kickstarter For Measured Response To Funding Of Intergalactic Weapon

The Death Star may be well on its way to Kickstarter success, with ?224,596 pledged out of total ?20,000,000 goal, but its construction won't go unopposed. Rebel forces have rallied to crowdfund a means to oppose Imperial tyranny, in the form of an X-Wing fighter and a pilot trained to use it to take down any moon-sized space stations that may end up floating around in the void.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/LoHgF9FjNvI/

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Rock pioneer Patti Smith receives Hepburn medal

FILE - This May 29, 2012 file photo shows rock musician and writer Patti Smith in New York. Smith is being honored by Bryn Mawr College with a medal named after the late actress Katharine Hepburn. Smith accepted the 2013 Katharine Hepburn Medal on Thursday night, Feb. 7, 2013 in a ceremony at the college in suburban Philadelphia. (AP Photo/John Carucci, File)

FILE - This May 29, 2012 file photo shows rock musician and writer Patti Smith in New York. Smith is being honored by Bryn Mawr College with a medal named after the late actress Katharine Hepburn. Smith accepted the 2013 Katharine Hepburn Medal on Thursday night, Feb. 7, 2013 in a ceremony at the college in suburban Philadelphia. (AP Photo/John Carucci, File)

BRYN MAWR, Pa. (AP) ? Rock musician and writer Patti Smith was honored by Bryn Mawr College with a medal named after the late actress Katharine Hepburn.

She received the 2013 Katharine Hepburn Medal on Thursday night in a ceremony at the women's liberal arts school in suburban Philadelphia.

Smith is recognized as a rock 'n' roll trailblazer whose work as a musician, writer, performer and visual artist influenced multiple generations. Her 1975 debut album, "Horses," is considered one of rock's greatest albums and she received the 2010 National Book Award for non-fiction for her memoir, "Just Kids."

Smith said when the college approached her about receiving the award, "I enthusiastically accepted without hesitation."

"Bryn Mawr is helping shape the futures of young women and providing them with the tools to be dominant forces in our society," she said.

Smith said her career has always been colored by the written word.

"My love of literature permeates my songs, poems and is certainly prevalent in my photography. Sometimes it may be a stylistic influence and at times a direct reference," she said in an email to The Associated Press. "I have taken photographs of Virginia Woolf's bed, Sylvia Plath's grave, Hermann Hesse's typewriter, Victor Hugo's desk. I have recently written a song and lengthy poem in homage to the great Chilean writer Roberto Bolano. My song 'My Blakean Year' gives a nod to William Blake and 'Easter' was written for Arthur Rimbaud and his siblings.

"One can find such references all through my work," she said. "Literature has always been in the center of my existence. I loved books so much that I worked in book stores right up to the recording of 'Horses.'"

College President Dr. Jane McAuliffe said Smith "conveys enormous passion and continues to transform herself throughout her artistic journey."

The college comprises 1,300 female undergraduates, two coeducational graduate schools and a coeducational pre-medical program.

The medal named after Hepburn, a Bryn Mawr alumna, honors women who change their worlds and whose work and embodies the intelligence and independence of the four-time Oscar winner.

It was awarded by the college's Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center, which memorializes Hepburn and her mother, an early feminist activist who shared the same name, with programs focusing on the arts and theatre, civic engagement, and women's health.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-08-Patti%20Smith-Hepburn%20Medal/id-7bb98d9652cb4ecab2b07a4f7f889d11

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Business Sales Leads That Do Not Look Like Business

There are times when you need so many?business?sales leads?for you energy company, it will not matter to you what kind of businesses you end up providing power to (so long as they are legit of course). Still, such a sudden expansion into other markets and other industries can result in you finding your business sales leads among places and prospects that, well, do not look like business.

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Usually the response to this is either one of two ways: blend in or stand out. But believe it or not, both can be valid for pursuing energy leads?provided that:

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• 1. It is truly better for your salespeople
• 2. It can be done right so as not to waste possible sales leads

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#1 can be a no-brainer (at least in comparison to #2). You just have to make sure that your salespeople have both themselves and the business itself in mind when they say that the corporate image of suit-and-tie fits you better than having a wardrobe of different costumes (and vice-versa). After all, playing to your strengths is one of the first things that can attract you your sales leads.

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Now as for #2:

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Blending in right

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• Organizing your prospects?? First, you need to organize your business sales leads properly. It will give you a better background on what ?territories? your salespeople will be entering. Again, qualifying only legitimate businesses for sales leads does not automatically kill a whole lot of diversity.

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Related Content:?Business Sales Leads ? Is Your Energy The Blue Core Or The Red Core

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• What is appropriate in their setting??- This applies to everything from what your salespeople will wear to how they must behave. Your sales leads in turn must provide enough details to help them develop this understanding. Are you meeting the owner of a disco or a bookshop? How friendly are your rates towards businesses their size? How does a variety of sales leads translate to a wider set of attire?

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Standing out right

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• Avoid alienation?? Coming in dressed in either formal or casual all the time comes with the risk of alienating those who are only used to one or the other. On the other hand, changing this may have more to do with your behavior than how you dress. To be safe though, make sure your?energy sales leads?are qualified with as few false impressions as possible.

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• Coping with differences?? Some prospects might think your business (or at least your business image) may be just too different. You can fix this if you cope with these differences with grace, professionalism, or simply put, easy keeping up. What is important to you is their value as sales leads, as possible business clients and nothing matters in the face of your desire to provide for their business.

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Related Content:?Lead Generation Tips ? Align With With A Business? Passions

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Do not be mistaken. You can still compromise your sales leads if you do not put equal importance on both #1 and #2. Make sure your B2B lead generation strategy can help you determine which approach works best for your salespeople and qualify the sales leads in ways that help them do business with people who do not seem to look like it.

This entry was posted in Appointment Setting, Benefits of Lead Generation, Business, Business Development, Marketing, Sales lead generation and tagged business leads, energy leads, energy sales leads, lead generation, sales lead generation, sales leads by Matt Ford. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.121directmarketing.com/blog/business-sales-leads-that-do-not-look-like-business/

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Japan scrambles jets, claiming Russian air space invasion

Japan said two Russian fighter jets briefly entered Japan's air space near disputed islands, prompting Japan to scramble combat fighter jets in response. Russia denied the charge

By Staff,?Reuters / February 7, 2013

A Russian fighter jet SU-27 flies over the sea off the Japanese island of Hokkaido on Thursday afternoon. The Defense Ministry said two SU-27 jets, including this one, briefly intruded into Japanese air space, prompting Japan to scramble its own jets.

Joint Staff Office of Defense Ministry of Japan / AP

Enlarge

Two Russian fighter jets briefly entered Japan's air space near disputed islands and the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday, prompting Japan to scramble combat fighters and lodge a protest, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.

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Russia, which is currently holding military manoeuvres around the disputed Kurile islands, denied any such intrusion took place.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is expected to visit Moscow later this month to discuss territorial matters.

Thursday was Japan's "Northern Territories Day", when rallies are traditionally held calling for the return of the disputed islands it calls the Northern Territories.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had told a rally he was determined to press ahead with negotiations with Russia for the return of the islands.

"I had telephone talks with President (Vladimir) Putin in December, and told him I would like to work to find a mutually acceptable solution to this last-remaining major problem between Japan and Russia," Abe said.

"The government intends to follow its basic policy of settling the territorial issue and then sign a peace treaty. We will press ahead with negotiations with strong will so that progress will be made towards the conclusive resolution of the territorial problem."

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev landed on the remote island chain in July, prompting protests from Tokyo.

Unlike Japan's dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea, which are near potentially vast maritime oil and gas reserves, the feud with Russia has more to do with the legacy of World War Two.

Soviet soldiers seized the islands at the end of the war and the territorial row has weighed on diplomatic relations ever since, precluding a formal peace treaty.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Writing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/olLlNt4nPOA/Japan-scrambles-jets-claiming-Russian-air-space-invasion

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