(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists have found that an intense meditation retreat can significantly improve the functioning of the immune system. They concluded that meditation can play an important role in the treatment of various diseases.
The positive effect of meditation on human well-being has been documented, but the molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon are not fully understood. To learn more about this, scientists from the universities of Florida, Pittsburgh (USA) and other scientific organizations conducted a study involving 106 men and women, whose average age was 40 years.
During the experiment, all of them were engaged in meditation practices. And blood samples were taken from all of them several times: five to eight weeks before the meditation retreat, immediately before it began, and three months after it was complete. During the eight days of meditation practice, the participants followed a vegan diet and followed a regular sleep schedule. The meditation sessions lasted 10 hours a day and took place in silence.
The conclusions of the scientists are encouraging: three months after the completion of the retreat, the participants revealed a surge in the activity of 220 genes associated with immunity, including 68 genes involved in the so-called interferon signaling (it is important for limiting the occurrence of congenital infections and the development of a healthy pregnancy, as well as serves as effective protection against a wide variety of diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and even coronavirus infection).
Thus, the scientists concluded that meditation can play an important role in the treatment of various diseases associated with a weakened immune system. True, they warn: such lengthy meditation retreats are far from accessible to everyone, so the widespread use of the method of speech is not yet discussed. The results of the work were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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