Meditation Can Help Manage Anxiety, Depression And Pain

[DriftingCrow]

Meditation Can Help Manage Anxiety, Depression And Pain
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/01/07/260470831/meditation-can-help-manage-anxiety-depression-and-pain
Author: Alison Aubrey Source: NPR News

Meditation does help manage anxiety, depression and pain, according to the 47 studies analyzed in JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday, but does not appear to help with other problems, including substance abuse, sleep and weight.

"We have moderate confidence that mindfulness practices have a beneficial effect," wrote the author of the paper, Dr. Madhav Goyal of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in an email to Shots. He says the positive effects on anxiety, depression and pain can be modest, but are seen across multiple studies.

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Thought you'd all be interested in the article, it's about the scientific study of the benefits of mediatation.

[Anatta]

Kia Ora Nimrata,

From  what I gather from a Buddhist perspective, meditation was designed to be the ambulance at the top of the cliff (prevention and stimulating well being) more so than at the one at the bottom of the cliff ie, used to alleviate/cure anxiety, depression and pain...

It would seem managing these symptoms through mindfulness is just the modern 'byproduct' of this ancient technique....

However in saying this, the Buddha is also known as the Great Physician, hence why the Four Noble Truths are often stated as follows :

1) The truth of dukkha: identifying the illness and the nature of the illness (the diagnosis)

2) The truth of origin: identifying the causes of the illness (the etiology)

3) The truth of cessation: identifying a cure for the illness (the prognosis)

4)The truth of the path(the Eight Fold Path): recommending a treatment for the illness that can bring about a cure (the prescription)

1) Right Thought

2) Right Understanding

3) Right Speech

4) Right Action

5) Right Livelihood

6) Right Effort

7) Right Concentration

8 ) Right Mindfulness

As the old saying goes : "Prevention is always better than cure !"

Metta Anatta