More Evidence for Breathing as Treatment!

This morning, I came across an email from a friend of mine in Switzerland who has apparently been a regular reader of this blog. He forwarded a link to me of an article on NPR that again touts the benefits of a regular breathing practice to relieve stress, improve the immune response, and even affect the expression of genes! Who knew that something so simple and automatic as breathing can have such a positive effect if only we bring our attention to it? (I guess Indian gurus have known for centuries, which should be even more reassuring, breathing, or "pranayama," is an ancient practice that has been perfected over time, available to the western world to reap its benefits. So, check out the following article and try it out sometime! (PS, thanks Sandi for thinking to send this to me!)

Just Breathe: Body Has A Built-In Stress Reliever

by GRETCHEN CUDA

 

December 6, 2010

There are plenty of ways to relieve stress — exercise, a long soak in a hot bath, or even a massage. But believe it or not, something you're doing right now, probably without even thinking about it, is a proven stress reliever: breathing.

As it turns out, deep breathing is not only relaxing, it's been scientifically proven to affect the heart, the brain, digestion, the immune system — and maybe even the expression of genes.

Mladen Golubic, a physician in the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine, says that breathing can have a profound impact on our physiology and our health.

"You can influence asthma; you can influence chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; you can influence heart failure," Golubic says. "There are studies that show that people who practice breathing exercises and have those conditions — they benefit."

He's talking about modern science, but these techniques are not new. In India, breath work calledpranayama is a regular part of yoga practice. Yoga practitioners have used pranayama, which literally means control of the life force, as a tool for affecting both the mind and body for thousands of years.

To read the full article, click here to head to NPR's website.