Body/Mind Healing: Herbert Benson
"The Relaxation Response" - Avon Books, 1976
"The physical benefits of meditation have recently been well documented by Western medical researchers, notably Dr. Herbert Benson in his book, "The Relaxation Response" - Avon Books, 1976.
Dr. Benson is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and Director of the Hypertension Section of Boton's Beth Israel Hospital. In this book he describes how heart attacks develop in the body. He shows how high blood pressure is related to stress and how to lower stress through the Relaxation Response. In a summary of research he reports meditation tends to lower or normalize blood pressure, pulse rate, and the levels of stress hormones in the blood. It produces changes in brain wave patterns, showing less excitability.
These physical changes reflect changes in attitude, which show up on psychological tests as a reduction in the over competitive Type A behavior that increases the risk of heart attack. Meditation also raises the pain threshold and reduces one's biological age. It's benefits are multiplied when combined with regular exercise. In short, it reduces wear and tear on both body and mind, helping people live better and longer.
* The US Army War College in Carlisle, PA., offers a nine month program for officers with Type A behavior. This program, started over ten years ago, has meditation as a central method.
Body/Mind Healing articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5