Medical Reports: Meditation

WSVN -- What do Heather Graham, Richard Gere and Al Gore have in common? They all take time out of their busy day to meditate.

Mike Scozzari: "So I think what I would like to do today is practice a little bit of the technique of meditation."

Mike Scozzari has been a meditation coach for more than 30 years. He says meditation is a way to calm the cluttered mind.

Mike Scozzari: "We take the normal thinking process, and we give it a direction to move within itself, so the mind can settle down."

Even though it looks like the person is sleeping, the body is actually achieving a state of restful alertness.

Mike Scozzari: "You are deeply rested, sometimes deeper than sleep, and you're still awake according to brain wave studies."

A number of studies have shown meditation does have a major impact on our brains and our bodies.

Dr. Robert Dollinger, FIU New College of Medicine: "I see a big, big number of people, including some of my patients, resort to meditation as a way to deal with stress."

Dr Dollinger says meditation actually changes the way our brains work and deal with stress. Other studies have shown it can help people suffering from hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorder by training the mind to focus. It has also been show to be effective for chronic pain and even hypertension.

Dr. Robert Dollinger: "People can lower their blood pressure, particularly their systolic blood pressure by 10, 20 points, simply through meditation."

Jonelle Milton herniated several discs in her back in an accident. She says meditation helped her work through the pain without medication.

Jonelle Milton: "Had a compressed fracture and when the orthopedic surgeon prescribed medication, Oxycontin, I knew I didn't have to take it."

Meditation has been shown to boost serotonin, a hormone that aids in sleep and relieving depression.

Mike Scozzari: "What meditation does is it gives you a tool so that you can reduce stress, help the body heal and come out and perform better."

Diana Diaz: "There are different forms of meditation. Although this one is usually practiced for about 20 minutes, twice a day."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Transcendental Stress Management
Mike Scozzari
Tel: (954) 354-0804
http://www.tsmforlife.com/