Neurologists Study Mainstream Effects of Meditation

By Debbie Wilson
Debbie.Wilson@MedicalHealthCareCareerSchools.com
Medical Healthcare Career Schools Columnist

Once thought of as a soul-searching, inner-peace activity, meditation is now considered by neurologists as a brain-builder, stress-buster, and depression-fighter. Find out what's the fuss with meditation's new mainstream image.

Benefits of Meditation

While you may be thinking to yourself that you're as likely to meditate as you are to take a trip to the moon, you don't have to be a hemp-loving hippie to enjoy it. In fact, meditation has been shown to provide all kinds of health benefits. According to current studies performed by neurologists worldwide, meditation can affect your brain the way exercise affects your body--making you stronger, healthier, and more efficient. And there's even evidence to show that meditation can prevent or even reverse the effects of aging on the brain. For short-term effects, meditation might just do more for your ability to stay alert than an hour nap.

Of course, meditation's most famous effect, relaxation, still holds true. Neurologists studying gamma-waves have found that long-term meditators have less of the stress hormone cortisol than nonmeditators. And who couldn't use a little less stress in their lives?

Finally, meditation has the profound ability to help alleviate depression. Neurologists who treat depression patients with meditation are finding they're up to 50-percent less likely to relapse than patients who don't add meditation to their treatment mix.

Career as a Neurologist

If you have a strong desire to study and treat functions of the brain, a rewarding and highly challenging career as a neurologist is the one for you. Career opportunities can range from scientist, surgeon, researcher, psychiatrist, and much more. Utilizing meditation to treat and stimulate brain function is only a small part of what can be considered an unfathomable opportunity. However, meditation can allow neurologists a way to help retrain their patient's reactions to certain situations, giving them a longer, more fulfilling life.

About the Author
Debbie Wilson operates a lakeside resort. Her previous experience includes profitability consulting for a national health-care company. Debbie holds a B.A. in Business Management with a minor in Physical Education.

Posted on: April 24, 2006