‘Spirituality as a therapeutic modality has immense potential,’ eminent cardiologist Ashok Seth of the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, told IANS. ‘Spirituality is as much about a disciplined, balanced approach to life as about pursuit of things metaphysical. In its various manifestations, for example music and prayer, spirituality has been observed to have a considerable impact in terms of preventing diseases and promoting healing,’ he added.

Seth’s thoughts found resonance among other experts who believe that veering towards spirituality is walking towards a well-balanced, disciplined life that ultimately promotes health.

‘A religious or spiritual person tends to live a disciplined life. Waking up early for prayers, which is a form of meditation that calms your mind and de-stresses you, is beneficial for one’s health. Most people who call themselves religious or spiritual live healthy lives, shun alcohol and tobacco, eat simple, and are philanthropic, which are all antidotes in today’s times,’ opined cardiologist Rakesh Sharma.

Sharma related the example of one of his patients, Saira Sheikh, who couldn’t maintain a regular exercise regime and, after some discussion, decided to turn the spiritual way, and took to praying five times a day. ‘Praying regularly has helped me a lot. It has calmed my mind, plus, as the doctor says, it’s a good exercise that I now do regularly,’ Sheikh said.

Mental health expert Sameer Malhotra of Max Super Speciality hospital also stressed that spirituality helps in the healing process.

‘Spirituality reaffirms faith and hope and that helps in the healing process,’ Malhotra told IANS. ‘When you have hope, you have the will to get better. It improves the quality of life.’

‘What doctors are saying now we have known for ages,’ said Ranjana Das, a 50-year-old homemaker. ‘My sister fought breast cancer not just with medication but also with prayers. We all prayed for her together during those initial days, calling up each other to think of her every time she underwent therapy. After the initial loss of hope, she started believing that she could become better. And she did,’ Das added. What all doctors, however, add is that spirituality or any other holistic treatment can only act as add-ons to the mainline allopathic treatment. ‘Such therapies do help, but not in lieu of allopathy,’ Seth said.

Source: IANS

Now, a study conducted by the Sociedad de Prevencion de Ibermutuamur, in collaboration with experts from the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital (Malaga) and the Santiago de Compostela University, analyses the relationship between job stress and different parameters associated with how fatty acids are metabolised in the body. ‘The workers who stated that they had experienced difficulties in dealing with their job during the previous 12 months (8.7 percent of the sample) had a higher risk of suffering from dyslipidemia,’ Carlos Catalina, clinical psychologist and an expert in work-related stress, said. Dyslipidemia is a lipoproteins’ metabolic disorder that can manifest itself in an increase in total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and triglyceride levels, in addition to a drop in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs).

Source: IANS

New research shows that stress can lead to dyslipidemia, which is a disorder that alters the levels of fats and lipoproteins in the blood. Researchers at the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital in Malaga and the Santiago de Compostela University analysed the relationship between job stress and different parameters associated with how fatty acids are metabolised in the body.

Specifically, people who suffered from job stress were more likely to suffer from abnormally high levels of bad cholesterol, excessively low levels of good cholesterol (the ‘good’ cholesterol) and were more likely to develop blocked arteries. ‘One of the mechanisms that could explain the relationship between stress and cardiovascular risk could be the changes in our lipid profile, which means higher rates of plaque accumulation (leading to hardening) of the arteries,’ said Carlos Catalina, clinical psychologist and an expert in work-related stress.

Source: IANS

Laughter in animals is a form of social bonding based on a primordial reflex to tickling, but human laughter has come a long way from these playful roots, researchers said. Though many people laugh when they’re tickled, ‘social laughter’ in humans can be used to communicate happiness, taunts or other conscious messages to peers. Researchers studied participants’ neural responses as they listened to three kinds of laughter: joy, taunt and tickling.

‘Laughing at someone and laughing with someone leads to different social consequences,’ said Dirk Wildgruber from the University of Tuebingen, Germany. ‘Specific cerebral connectivity patterns during perception of these different types of laughter presumably reflect modulation of attentional mechanisms and processing resources,’ said Wildgruber.

The researchers found that brain regions sensitive to processing more complex social information were activated when people heard joyous or taunting laughter, but not when they heard the ‘tickling laughter’. However, ‘tickling laughter’ is more complex than the other types at the acoustic level, and consequently activated brain regions sensitive to this higher degree of acoustic complexity.

These dynamic changes activated and connected different regions depending on the kind of laughter participants heard. Patterns of brain connectivity can impact cognitive function in health and disease. Though some previous research has examined how speech can influence these patterns, this study is among the first few to examine non-verbal vocal cues like laughter. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

You may have heard the phrase, ‘laughter is the best medicine’ but how often do you put this to practice in your real life? Laughter Yoga is a unique exercise routine which combines unconditional laughter with yogic breathing(Pranayama). Anyone can laugh without relying on humour, jokes or comedy. Laughter is initially simulated as a physical exercise while maintaining eye contact with others in the group and promoting childlike playfulness. In most cases, this soon leads to real and contagious laughter. Science has proved that the body cannot differentiate between simulated and real laughter. Laughter Yoga sessions start with gentle warm-up techniques which include stretching, chanting, clapping and body movement. Breathing exercises are used to prepare the lungs for laughter, followed by a series of ‘laughter exercises’ that combine the method of acting and visualisation techniques with playfulness. Read on to find out more about laughter yoga.

The statement is published online in the association’s journal, Circulation. ‘Pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, is probably associated with a decreased risk of heart disease,’ said Glenn N. Levine, MD, professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. ‘In essence, data suggest that there probably is an association between pet ownership and decreased cardiovascular risk,’ Levine said. ‘What’s less clear is whether the act of adopting or acquiring a pet could lead to a reduction in cardiovascular risk in those with pre-existing disease. Further research, including better quality studies, is needed to more definitively answer this question.’

Source: IANS

The study, published in proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was co-funded by Briain’s National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR BRC) for Mental Health at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. Depression is a common mental disorder worldwide affecting more than 350 million people of all ages. The World Health Organisation estimates that by 2030, depression will be the leading cause of the global burden of disease.

In India, a study in 2011 found that around nine per cent of people reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime and nearly 36 per cent had suffered from a major depressive episode (MDE). Treatment for depression involves either medication or talking therapy, or usually a combination of both.

Current anti-depressant medication is only successful in treating depression in about 50-65 percent of cases and fewer than half of those affected worldwide receive such treatment. Depression and successful anti-depressant treatment is associated with changes in a process called neurogenesis – the ability of the adult brain to continue to produce new brain cells. ‘With as much as half of all depressed patients failing to improve with currently available medication, developing new, more effective anti-depressants is a priority,’ said Carmine Pariante of the King’s College Institute of Psychiatry and lead author of the paper.

‘In order to do this, we need to understand the abnormal mechanisms that we can target. Our study shows the importance of conducting research on cellular models, animal models and clinical samples, all under one roof in order to better facilitate the translation of laboratory findings to patient benefit,’ he said. In the study, the multi-disciplinary team of researchers studied cellular and animal models before confirming their findings in human blood samples. Christoph Anacker of the King’s College Institute of Psychiatry and co-author of the paper said: ‘Because a reduction of neurogenesis is considered part of the process leading to depression, targeting the molecular pathways that regulate this process may be a promising therapeutic strategy.’

Source: IANS

‘Anecdotally, chocolate is often linked to mood enhancement,’ said lead author of the study, Matthew Pase, from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. ‘This clinical trial is perhaps the first to scientifically demonstrate the positive effects of cocoa polyphenols on mood,’ Pase said.

Seventy-two healthy men and women aged 40-65 years took part in the randomised study to receive a dark chocolate drink mix standardised to contain either 500 mg of cocoa polyphenols, 250 mg of cocoa polyphenols or 0 mg of cocoa polyphenols. The drink mixes were given to participants in identical packaging so that both the investigators and participants were unaware of which treatment they were receiving. Participants drank their assigned drink once a day for 30 days.

After 30 days, those who drank the high dose concentration of cocoa polyphenols reported greater calmness and contentedness than those who drank either of the other drink mixes. The researchers did not find any evidence that cocoa polyphenols significantly improved cognitive performance.

Additionally, only those who consumed the highest amount of polyphenols (500 mg per day) reported any significant positive effects. Participants who consumed a moderate amount (250 mg per day) reported no significant effects. The study was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Earlier research has shown that dark chocolate has immense health benefits but only when consumed in moderate amounts. It’s supposed to keep heart disease away, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

Here are some of the some  benefits of dark chocolate:

1. Reduces heart attack risk – Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can suppress the chances of heart attacks. Also it is the oxidative damage by free radicals that is responsible for cancer.

2. Lowers blood pressure – Flavonoids (the antioxidants in chocolate) lower high blood pressure through the production of nitric acid and helps maintain hormonal balance.

3. Lowers cholesterol- Dark chocolate Lowers LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) by 10% according to some studies.

4. Makes you happy – Like exercising, chocolate stimulates endorphin production which gives an immense sense of pleasure. Alcohol too gives an endorphin high but then chocolate is a much healthier option and isn’t known to cause liver damage.

5. Lowers depression – Chocolate raises your serotonin level (neurotransmitter) which acts as an anti-depressant.

6. Acts as a stimulant – Theobromine can be described as a stimulant similar to caffeine but without affecting the Central Nervous System to a great extent which gives a similar feel-good effect.

7. Mostly contains good fat – Chocolate contains three kinds of fat in equal proportion:

The Good: Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that occurs in olive oil as well.

The Neutral: Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research shows has no effect on cholesterol levels.

The Ugly: Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat (the bad fat), one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk. So we can see 2/3 of the fat from dark chocolate  isn’t bad at all. We are not saying that you tuck into a pound of chocolate a day though.

8. Acts as an aphrodisiac – Chocolate has long been linked to sexual desire. In fact it was the Aztecs who drew a connection between cocoa beans and libido. Chocolate contains two chemicals with aphrodisiac qualities: tryptophan (building block of serotonin) a brain chemical involved in sexual arousal and  phenylethylamine, a stimulant related to amphetamine, which is released in the brain when people fall in love.

9. Contains lots of natural minerals – As a plant-based cocoa contains many naturally occurring minerals that boost your health. Some of them are copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Disclaimer: Overconsumption of dark chocolate may lead to obesity and other related diseases

Published in PLOS ONE, new research from Carnegie Mellon University provides the first evidence that self-affirmation can protect against the damaging effects of stress on problem-solving performance.

Understanding that self-affirmation – the process of identifying and focusing on one’s most important values – boosts stressed individuals’ problem-solving abilities will help guide future research and the development of educational interventions.

‘An emerging set of published studies suggest that a brief self-affirmation activity at the beginning of a school term can boost academic grade-point averages in underperforming kids at the end of the semester. This new work suggests a mechanism for these studies, showing self-affirmation effects on actual problem-solving performance under pressure,’ said J. David Creswell, assistant professor of psychology in CMU’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Source: IANS

As dawn breaks, a group of men and women standing in a circle in a neighbouring park twirl their arms in the air, waddle like penguins and start laughing. They are part of an increasing number of people who are choosing laughter therapy to cure distress. According to doctors, laughter therapy entered India around 1995 and as of now, there are over 7,000 laughter clubs and 10,000 members across the country. World Laughter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of every May. The Delhi Laughter Club, which includes National Captial Region (NCR) towns like Gurgaon and Noida has 27 clubs and over 1,000 members.

 Laughter therapy involves laughing for about 20 minutes without any specific reason while laughter yoga therapy combines gentle breathing exercise and stimulated laughter at regular intervals. According to Delhi Laughter Club, the therapy has gained more steam in recent years. ‘I started the laughter clubs in the national capital in 2001 with just 10 members. But now there are over 1,000 members,’ Umesh Sahgal, a dentist and president of the Delhi Laughter Club, told IANS.

 ‘Mirthful laughter is the equivalent of internal jogging because it can lower blood pressure, stress and boost the immune system, much like moderate exercise,’ he explained. On the other health benefits of laughter therapy, Sahgal said: ‘People practising laughter therapy report several positive changes. Many diabetics have switched to pills from insulin after laughter therapy.’

 He said shared laughter is one of the most effective stress-busting tools and fake laughter turns into real after a few months. People practising laughter therapy say they have seen tremendous change in their lives for the better.

 ‘Laughter provides instant relief and gets you out of depression. Dealing with criminals day in and day out made me so stressed that I became like a robot. I have been practising laughter yoga for past few months and it has made me happier and calm,’ a senior officer of the Delhi Police Crime Branch told IANS.

 Thirty-eight-year old Satish Chawla, a businessman, said, ‘The session makes me feel better. I feel healthy and it’s more than just laughing: You bring your good energy to whatever you do in life. The simple and playful exercises – waddling like a penguin, roaring like a lion and hooting like an owl – pump up your energy levels and elevate your mood.’

 Psychologists say that when one laughs, the body responds by releasing feel good neuro-chemicals into the brain. ‘The brain is divided into two sets of nerves – the sympathetic system and the para-sympathetic system. Each of these nervous systems releases chemicals that affect mood, behaviour and body,’ Nikhil Raheja, psychiatrist, National Institute of Psychiatry told IANS.

 According to cardiologists, laughing together not just binds people but increases happiness and intimacy, besides instigating healthy physical changes in the body.

 ‘Laughter is good for overall health. It has positive benefits on mental health and also helps the body fight infection, besides relaxing the muscles,’ Z.S. Meharwal, director, cardiac surgery at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, told IANS.

Source: IANS

Understanding that self-affirmation – the process of identifying and focusing on one’s most important values – boosts stressed individuals’ problem-solving abilities will help guide future research and the development of educational interventions. ‘An emerging set of published studies suggest that a brief self-affirmation activity at the beginning of a school term can boost academic grade-point averages in underperforming kids at the end of the semester. This new work suggests a mechanism for these studies, showing self-affirmation effects on actual problem-solving performance under pressure,’ said J. David Creswell, assistant professor of psychology in CMU’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Source: IANS