Since childhood we
were always told to meditate, do yoga and this would help you stay happy and
healthy. As a child, I always found meditating (sitting in one place, eyes
closed and concentrate on your breath) very boring. But now as I read papers on
benefits of yoga I am stunned.
Now researchers in
Canada have found the first evidence to suggest that support groups that
encourage meditation and yoga can actually alter the cellular activity of
cancer survivors.Their study is one
of the first to suggest that a mind-body connection really does exist.
The team found that the telomeres - the protein caps at the end of our chromosomes that determine how quickly a cell ages - stayed the same length in cancer survivors who meditated or took part in support groups over a three-month period. On the other hand, the telomeres of cancer survivors who didn't participate in these groups shortened during the three-month study.
You must be
wondering what are telomeres. Let’s compare it to a "shoelace". One
chromosome is the shoelace and the plastic tip is the telomere. The telomeres
protect the whole genetic information present in the chromosome and prevent the
ends from fraying and sticking to each other. These telomeres hold some secrets
to how we age and get cancer.
Each time a cell
divides, the telomeres get shorter. When they get too short, the cell can no
longer divide; it becomes inactive or "senescent" or it dies. This
shortening process is associated with ageing, cancer, and a higher risk of
death. So telomeres also have been compared with a bomb fuse.
It’s a pretty huge
first step towards understanding more about how our mental state affects our
health. Also this study
links science to a very old practice followed by a huge population! Yoga and
meditation has such immense strength and this study, has opened doors to a
world, where we can now give scientific evidences to the ancient practices and
beliefs.
I say let’s start
meditating from today and have a sound mind in a sound body!
(Shuts the laptop,
closes eyes, starts meditating)
Reference- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29063/pdf
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| Telomeres at the end of chromosome |
