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Relaxation Techniques Let Your Mind Control Stress Genes
Researchers have come out and stated that relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, prayer, etc. can actually turn off genes which are linked to stress.
The new study was led by Dr. Herbert Benson of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind, Body Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
For the study, Benson and his colleagues looked at the gene patters of 19 long-term practicioners, as well as 20 new people, and 19 healthy control participants.
They all went through 8-weeks of relaxation-response training.
Researchers found that when you take part in relaxation techniques, the actual genes which cause stress are turned off.
What they discovered is that your mind actually has the power to turn on and turn off genes.
The study, which researchers believe is the first to look at how the mind can impact genes, has been published in the journal PLoS One. Researchers have come out and stated that relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, prayer, etc. can actually turn off genes whi... more -
Stop stress - destruction therapy
Participants destroy a car with sledge-hammers during an anti-stress session or "Destruction Therapy" before town's fiestas in Castejon, northern Spain, June 21, 2008. Participants destroy a car with sledge-hammers during an anti-stress session or "Destruction Therapy" before town's fiestas in Castejo... more
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Anger release machine
Insert a coin and your selected piece of China will fall to bottom of the vending machine. As it breaks into million pieces, you feel happier and relieved.
Insert a coin and your selected piece of China will fall to bottom of the vending machine. As it breaks into million pieces, you feel ... more -
Don't work too hard
Office worker goes absolutely insane.
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Cuddling reduces stress on premature babies
A McGill University study has found that cuddling with babies born prematurely can reduce the stress of operations that they must undergo.
Cuddling always makes me feel better. A McGill University study has found that cuddling with babies born prematurely can reduce the stress of operations that they must unde... more -
I Heart Music: 30 Minutes of Calming Tunes A Day Reduces Blood Pressure
Scientists from the University of Florence in Italy report that listening to classical, Celtic or Indian music for just 30 minutes a day for a month can significantly reduce blood pressure. The researchers presented their findings last week at the American Society of Hypertension's 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans.
"Listening to music is soothing and has often been associated with controlling patient-reported pain or anxiety and acutely reducing blood pressure," noted Dr. Pietro A. Modesti. "But for the first time, today's results clearly illustrate the impact daily music listening has on ambulatory blood pressure."
"We are excited about the positive implications for both patients and physicians, who can now confidently explore music listening as a safe, effective, non-pharmacological treatment option or a complement to therapy," Modesti added.
The study involved a small group of 48 patients between the ages of 45 and 70 who were taking medication for mild hypertension. 28 of the patients were given a CD of down-tempo, "rhythmically homogenous" music, and were asked to listen to it for 30 minutes once a day for a month while practicing controlled breathing exercises. The 20 remaining participants made no lifestyle changes, and served as a control group. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring after the first and fourth weeks revealed a marked reduction in blood pressure among the patients who'd been asked to listen to music.
Similar previous studies have closely related blood pressure to music tempo, noting corresponding blood pressure increases when subjects were exposed to more aggressive, up-tempo music, indicating that the speed and genre of music is key to music's heart-calming potential.
"Sadly, despite the global focus on prevention, it predicted that 56 billion people worldwide will be hypertensive by 2025," said Modesti. "In light of these devastating statistics, it is reassuring to consider that something as simple, easy and enjoyable as daily music listening combined with slow abdominal breathing, may help people naturally lower their blood pressure."
http://www.dailymantra.com
Scientists from the University of Florence in Italy report that listening to classical, Celtic or Indian music for just 30 minutes a d... more -
Meditation ups your Intelligence
15 minutes of meditation alone can improve your mental wellbeing. By focusing on an image, a sound, or your breath, the goal is to trigger a state of mental stillness, where you're alert and aware yet free of active thoughts.
When people report achieving this state of being, they not only feel good, their brainwave patterns change in consistent ways.
15 minutes of meditation alone can improve your mental wellbeing. By focusing on an image, a sound, or your breath, the goal is to tri... more -
Rats feel the pressure too.
Andrew Whiten from the University of St Andrews, UK, says that the discovery emphasises the importance of social learning in the animal kingdom.
Source: New Scientist Andrew Whiten from the University of St Andrews, UK, says that the discovery emphasises the importance of social learning in the anima... more -
Justice: videoclip scandalo
"Stress" è l'ultimo video del duo rivelazione francese Justice. In rotazione da poco più di una settimana, è già diventato un fenomeno pop internazionale e ha sollevato polemiche in tutto il mondo. Da Le Monde a The Guardian, ovunque si parla delle violente immagini contenute nel videoclip: un gruppo di ragazzini della banlieue parigina in atteggiamenti rissosi e razzisti.
Ma è veramente scandalo?
La mia prima reazione a "Stress" è stata piuttosto tiepida. Il video ricorda lo stile di "La Haine", "Galvanize" dei Chemical Bros., "Come To Daddy" di Aphex Twin e altri lavori di Chris Cunningham. Questa volta, mi pare che il confine tra provocazione e déjà-vu sia davvero sottile.
English version: http://current.com/items/88939555_justice_new_video_off... "Stress" è l'ultimo video del duo rivelazione francese Justice. In rotazione da poco più di una settimana, è già diventato un fenomeno... more -
College Students are Stressed!
College can be a wonderful time, but it can also be one of the most stressful. We get the inside scoop on what's making students so stressed and what you can do to combat it. College can be a wonderful time, but it can also be one of the most stressful. We get the inside scoop on what's making students so st... more
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College Students are Stressed!
College can be a wonderful time, but it can also be one of the most stressful. We get the inside scoop on what's making students so stressed and what you can do to combat it. College can be a wonderful time, but it can also be one of the most stressful. We get the inside scoop on what's making students so st... more
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7th annual Great American Grump Out
Quit your whining peeps, today is the Great American Grump Out, which means no complaining or grouching or grumping or otherwise being an Oscar (as in the Oscar-the-Grouch) for 24 whole hours. Quit your whining peeps, today is the Great American Grump Out, which means no complaining or grouching or grumping or otherwise being... more
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More and more British men don't wanna do the dirty no more
Marriage counsellors report a 40 per cent rise in husbands uninterested in physical relationships
'Not tonight, Joséphine.' Napoleon Bonaparte's lacklustre response to the bedtime blandishments of his wife is being repeated every evening in bedrooms across the country. Men are simply going off sex, according to the UK's largest firm of relationship counsellors.
Relate, which provides counselling, sex therapy and relationship education, said there had been a 40 per cent increase in male clients admitting that, despite being physically able to have sex, they can't be bothered.
Men used to come to us with impotence - now known as erectile insufficiency - but Viagra has sorted some of that problem,' said Peter Bell, Relate's head of practice. 'What we have is a lot of men who say, as women did in the Fifties: "I can have sex, but I don't want to. It's not rewarding".'
Bell says that around half the men he is now seeing admit to a complete lack of libido. Ten years ago, he said, such complaints were unheard of.
'They tend to be men in their thirties, forties and fifties and married,' he said. 'It is a serious issue. It counts as a psychosexual dysfunction, rather than just a relationship problem, because these men haven't simply gone off their partner, but off sex altogether.'
Billy, 43, a graphic designer in Newcastle upon Tyne, who has been married for 10 years, said his sexual desire had waned dramatically in the past three years. 'I still love my wife and am very clear that she's the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, but I just don't want to make love with her any more,' he said. 'The curious thing is that I can get erections, and I don't fancy or fantasise about other women. It's just that, over the years, my desire to have sex with anyone at all has faded.
'I'm not particularly unhappy about the situation, but I am curious and have tried to work out why I feel this way,' he said. 'My wife and I have always had a difficult relationship but, in the past, that always led to great sex. It's true that I have a stressful job, but previously sex helped me relax and forget my work problems. I'm baffled by my lack of interest, but not particularly unhappy.'
Bell said the problem is 'partly because women are more aware of what they want sexually and are prepared to ask for it'. He added: 'I think it's also that men and women are more sexually similar than they like to think. It is traditionally believed that, while women only enjoyed sex if it happened in the context of a positive and nurturing relationship, men could always be turned on by visual cues alone. But what we're seeing is that, once the thrill of the chase has disappeared and the sex is happening in a committed relationship, the libido of both men and women is affected by the quality of the relationship they are in.'
Professor Michael King, of the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, believes the problem might lie in depression. Last week he completed a study into mental illness across six countries which found that the rate of major depression and panic syndrome was highest among men in the UK. 'Men are most likely to suffer depression between the ages of 30 and 50,' said King. 'One of the explanations is that men are less able to talk about their problems than women or express their emotions.'
Professor Cary Cooper, president of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, agreed. 'Men have less social support and, as a generalisation, are less emotionally intelligent than women and have not traditionally been encouraged to share their feelings,' he said.
Marriage counsellors report a 40 per cent rise in husbands uninterested in physical relationships ... more -
Ready, Set, WAKE!
It's seven a.m. and the multi-tasking begins. What's at stake when our desire for efficiency infiltrates the morning routine?
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1 in 5 undergrads is constantly stressed
Geez wait till they get out of college.
According to a poll of undergraduates (from coast to coast) 4 in 10 students say they endure stress often, and 1 in 5 say they feel it all or most of the time.
Most of the students polled site classic stress symptoms: trouble concentrating, sleeping. Most of the undergrads also say they have trouble finding motivation, they have been agitated, worried, and too tired to work.
Substantial numbers are even concerned about spring break, chiefly not having enough money or being in good physical shape.
Good news: 6 in 10 in the survey say they are usually hopeful and enjoy life. Half even concede they feel understood by their families.
Got any advice for these stressed out undergrads? Geez wait till they get out of college. ... more -
17 unbeatable ways to create a peaceful, relaxed workday
This pragmatic collection of tips offers comprehensive solutions for reducing stress in the workplace and creating a greater sense of peace and happiness on the job.
"The first step is the realization that you are in control of your day. You can create the perfect workday, if you’re willing to start from scratch." This pragmatic collection of tips offers comprehensive solutions for reducing stress in the workplace and creating a greater sense of ... more -
Rude Brits Make Indian Operators Sick
Research carried out by India's booming call centre industry has found the 1.6 million people who work in them, mostly in their twenties, are plagued by ailments arising from the stress of dealing with irate customers. Research carried out by India's booming call centre industry has found the 1.6 million people who work in them, mostly in their twenti... more
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TOO KINKY
People are nuts. Allergic Reaction? And: can I ever feel as good sober as I did on Quaaludes?
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The War, On Drugs.
People are fighting the war on drugs... literally. Dishonorable discharges because of failed drugs tests have increased. The Army is dismissing the equivalent of almost a battalion of soldiers every year for taking drugs. The Royal United Services Institute said the number of positive tests for illegal drugs, like cocaine, ecstasy and heroin, rose from 517 in 2003 to 769 last year. People are fighting the war on drugs... literally. Dishonorable discharges because of failed drugs tests have increased. The Army is d... more
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Stress
