Meditation – The Best Medication You Will Ever Find.

There is a small difference in the spelling of the words Medication and Meditation – One small letter. But there is a huge difference when it comes to the side effects of medications as compared to meditation.

To medicate is to treat with medicine. Medicate, in our western world, is to use ‘something’ to fix another ‘something’. Medication or prescriptions, usually from a doctor is that first ‘something’. And the second ‘something’ can range from physical, mental or emotional dis-ease, something that needs fixing or improving. I don’t know about you but when I think of medication, I think of something external to myself. Something you take on recommendation of a doctor; a Band-Aid which covers the problem but doesn’t necessarily make it go away.

Have you heard the term “just what the doctor ordered?” If the Doctor ordered it, it must be good for you right? This saying came from an attempt to bypass prohibition in the US and have alcohol, namely beer, defined as a medicine thus making it legal. It’s meaning is “exactly what is wanted or needed” and if a medical doctor tells you that a prescription for beer will solve your woes, then that’s just what the doctor ordered. As historian W. J. Rorabaugh, president of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society wrote, Americans in the early 18th century classified whiskey, rum and other liquors as “medications that could cure colds, fevers, snakebites, frosted toes, and broken legs, and as relaxants that would relieve depression, reduce tension, and enable hardworking labourers to enjoy a moment of happy, frivolous camaraderie.” Just what the doctor ordered, where’s the corkscrew?

So what has this got to do with Meditation? Let’s follow the bouncing ball for a moment.

Let’s look at one disease –  Cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is a collective term for diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The term commonly includes diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and stroke.

Obviously lifestyle such as smoking, diet, and exercise play a huge role in preventing CVD and medication is always an option for moderating the progression of the disease. But did you know stress is one of the leading causes of CVD? And meditation is proven to be one of the best medications for the stress. Yep! Reduce (or manage) your stress and save your beating heart!

Stress is a specific response by the body to a stimulus such as fear, worry or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.  A body ‘in stress’ is said to be in ‘Fight or Flight mode’. Your clever little brain sense a threat and rallies the troops. This is a biological response and a necessary part of keeping you alive.

In response to a stressor your brain releases chemicals to protect you. Your heart ramps up its capacity to pump blood around your body, making sure your little legs can run or your fighting fists can defend you. Your blood pressure increases as blood and oxygen is routed to the front line in anticipation of an attack. Your eyes dilate so you can see anything that may attack and you will switch to tunnel vision, which is quite ironic, as it reduces your capacity to see an attack from the side. With your peripheral vision reduced, you constantly have to scan your environment in case you miss something. And guess what? There is no chance you are digesting that lunch you just ate, as blood bypasses your digestive organs in favour of your extremities. Good luck getting your bladder to hold either, as the blood vessels relax and the muscles let go. Your adrenal glands are working to pump ‘go go’ juice into your blood stream, which is all good while you are being chased by a lion but soon leads to adrenal fatigue if that lion turns out to be a mouse (or your boss!).

When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response, but in our times of chronic stress, this often doesn’t happen, causing physical damage to the body, mental fatigue and cloudiness and the emotional merry-go-round turning.

So your heart is physically damaged by stress. I am sure you would agree, a damaged heart is a pretty life threatening condition. But what about the quality of your life, constantly being ready for an invisible attack?

So how do you treat this heart killing disease that is THE NUMBER ONE KILLER in Australia? Your doctor might prescribe lifestyle change, such as out with the smokes and fatty comfort foods and in with moving your bum more. They may also offer medication to help reduce the risks of having a major event such as a pill to reduce cholesterol, a pill to manage the regularity of your heart beat, a pill to reduce your blood pressure, a pill to thin your blood and more pills to counteract the side effects of the pills taken to treat the disease in the first place. Anyone hearing a rattling sound as they walk?

Or you could use an alternative medication which has zero negative side effects! Yep, I’m talking MEDITATION.

Meditation – A prescription for most everything.

Meditation is defined as continued or extended thought, the act of contemplation or reflection.  Meditation is in actual fact a medication that can be applied to innumerable disorders. It is freely available and accessible to all, can be learned at any age, practiced anywhere at any time and is safe and did I mention FREE?

While it has taken several decades to gain acceptance in conventional (western) medicine, Eastern philosophies have known about its benefits for eons. Go ask Buddha! He’s been an advocate of meditation since 5000 BCE.

There are over 1000 research studies, most of them published in peer reviewed scientific journals, which confirm a wide range of measurable improvements in human functioning and reduction in symptoms, as a result of meditative practices. In experimental studies, meditation has been found to reduce chronic pain; reduce anxiety; reduce high blood pressure; reduce serum cholesterol level; reduce substance abuse; increase intelligence related measures; reduce post-traumatic stress syndrome in Vietnam veterans; and lower blood cortisol levels initially brought on by stress.

Hang on… Aren’t most of these related to the Cardiovascular disease we were discussing before? And what? Meditation can make me smarter? Who would have thunk it?

So if you have any of the following –

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Addiction
• Stress
• Sleep disorders
• Low self-esteem, and
• Mental health issues
• Heart problems
• Respiratory issues
• PMS
• High Blood Pressure
• A range of emotional disorders
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of direction in life or lost life purpose
• Loss of self
• Feelings of Spiritual disconnection

(Holy Moly the list goes on and on!) You could medicate, and I would never suggest not follow your doctor’s prescriptions or seeking medical advice, or you could meditate! You could do both. I bet one will stand out as more effective than the other! And as a bonus, if used for one disorder, its flow on effect for other dis-eases is nothing short of a miracle!

The best things about Meditation are:

• Anyone can learn how to do it.
• It can be learned at almost any age.
• It can be practiced anywhere at any time.
• It is safe and it is free.
• Oh, and you might just be able to live a longer, happier life by becoming more connected to your Soul.

Meditation offers a completely drug free and natural way to greatly improve and maintain mental, physical and emotional health. So relax and discover how meditation actually can be the best medication you will ever find.

Think you can’t meditate? Let’s bust that myth right now. Check out Myths Busting Meditation.

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