Meditation associated with preserved telomere length in breast cancer patients(fastcompany.com)
fastcompany.com
Meditation associated with preserved telomere length in breast cancer patients
http://www.fastcompany.com/3040039/its-not-just-for-your-brain-meditating-can-actually-change-your-dna
6 comments
Maybe it's as simple as this :
Start a new research. Work with 1-sigma significance (~2% error rate allowed). Then investigate the favorite brand of soup of the brothers of cured cancer patients. Make sure to research about 50 brands.
Huge news ! If you get your brother to eat soup brand 23 you have a significantly higher chance to survive cancer ! Huge article in every newspaper.
What happened here ? 2% error rate.
Start a new research. Work with 1-sigma significance (~2% error rate allowed). Then investigate the favorite brand of soup of the brothers of cured cancer patients. Make sure to research about 50 brands.
Huge news ! If you get your brother to eat soup brand 23 you have a significantly higher chance to survive cancer ! Huge article in every newspaper.
What happened here ? 2% error rate.
Can people who meditate point to good resources on how and where to start? Books, videos, blogs etc.
Meditation is a lot less complicated than sometimes advertised. It can be helpful to know that alternative terms for the same activity is "contemplation" or "deep thought". It's a skill though, and you'll get better at it over time.
Set a timer for five minutes, sit down in a comfortable position (usually better than lying down, to keep yourself awake). Count your breaths until 10 and then count backwards down again. Repeat until the timer goes off, and bam! Meditation accomplished.
Don't worry if your mind drifts off, that's not a sign of failure. Just keep doing the task at hand (counting).
Use headphones if you need to block out sound. Slow music without lyrics or plain nature sounds usually work better.
Once you have that down, there are about a billion variations and ways to continue, but starting out doesn't have to be more complicated than outlined above.
Usually we wish to measure progress when undertaking any kind of endeavor, especially new ones, but measuring (or even defining) progress when it comes to meditation can be hard sometimes. It may require discipline on your part in order to overcome the perceived lack of feedback, but I assure you that you'll be very glad that you kept at it once you do start to notice what happens.
Set a timer for five minutes, sit down in a comfortable position (usually better than lying down, to keep yourself awake). Count your breaths until 10 and then count backwards down again. Repeat until the timer goes off, and bam! Meditation accomplished.
Don't worry if your mind drifts off, that's not a sign of failure. Just keep doing the task at hand (counting).
Use headphones if you need to block out sound. Slow music without lyrics or plain nature sounds usually work better.
Once you have that down, there are about a billion variations and ways to continue, but starting out doesn't have to be more complicated than outlined above.
Usually we wish to measure progress when undertaking any kind of endeavor, especially new ones, but measuring (or even defining) progress when it comes to meditation can be hard sometimes. It may require discipline on your part in order to overcome the perceived lack of feedback, but I assure you that you'll be very glad that you kept at it once you do start to notice what happens.
I fully agree that meditation is less complicated than advertised. However I'd like to state that "contemplation" and "deep thought" are alternative terms for a specific type of meditation called mindfulness meditation: "the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment."
When I meditate, my goal is not actually to contemplate anything at all -- it is to clear my mind, whittle my senses down until the only thing I feel is consciousness. Ultimately, in a state of deep meditation, my goal is a fully blank state, in which I'm doing nothing except existing.
I find that this helps me tremendously in my mindfulness in normal life, but I don't attempt to be mindful _during_ meditation in the same way.
When I meditate, my goal is not actually to contemplate anything at all -- it is to clear my mind, whittle my senses down until the only thing I feel is consciousness. Ultimately, in a state of deep meditation, my goal is a fully blank state, in which I'm doing nothing except existing.
I find that this helps me tremendously in my mindfulness in normal life, but I don't attempt to be mindful _during_ meditation in the same way.
Absolutely, this was not intended to be about semantics. The alternative interpretations were given so as to make it easier to dispel the cumbersome connotations that usually comes with the word "meditation", not to make it seem like it's about a particular school of thought or anything like that. It's just to make it easier to sit down and try it out with fewer preconceived notions as to what it's supposed to be.
I think it's the privilege of the practitioner to formulate what meditation is to them, and the easier it is to establish a personal relationship to the practice unhindered by baggage (cultural, institutional, linguistic or otherwise), the better.
I think it's the privilege of the practitioner to formulate what meditation is to them, and the easier it is to establish a personal relationship to the practice unhindered by baggage (cultural, institutional, linguistic or otherwise), the better.
Since we're discussing semantics here, "deep thought" is not something I'd think as mindfulness meditation either: you're not supposed to be chasing your thought while meditating. You should just be observing them as they come ("the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment." as you said), and then let it pass by, which is pretty much actually the opposite of deep thought.
but I assure you that you'll be very glad that you kept at it once you do start to notice what happens.
Can you expand a little on this? What does one starts noticing?
Can you expand a little on this? What does one starts noticing?
I'd be disinclined to describe what you'd notice as that might lead to you looking for those milestones in particular. Everyone is probably wired a little bit differently and may end up noticing different things. If one were given to drama, one could say that part of the practice is to sort of walk out into the wilderness and purposefully NOT bring a map, making exploration a part of the game.
To give you an example (with the disclaimer above in mind), I've a friend who noticed that he doesn't need as much sleep when he meditates regularly. Stop meditating, need for sleep increases. That's not the case for me, I need about the same amount of sleep regardless of amount of meditation. If I'd been told that less sleep is achievable, I might have been discouraged by the fact that this particular perk is nowhere to be seen for me. But I happen to know not to use another person's map for my personal wilderness.
For me, focus, patience, attention, memory and a very even (almost immutable, lately) temper are some of the things that have come out of this.
To give you an example (with the disclaimer above in mind), I've a friend who noticed that he doesn't need as much sleep when he meditates regularly. Stop meditating, need for sleep increases. That's not the case for me, I need about the same amount of sleep regardless of amount of meditation. If I'd been told that less sleep is achievable, I might have been discouraged by the fact that this particular perk is nowhere to be seen for me. But I happen to know not to use another person's map for my personal wilderness.
For me, focus, patience, attention, memory and a very even (almost immutable, lately) temper are some of the things that have come out of this.
I agree with everything @fnordsensei said. With the same disclaimer as above, here are some of the things I noticed: heightened 'awareness' (ie: senses appear to be more sensitive than earlier), reduced anxiety, reduced 'restlessness'.
Is there any chance the effects of meditation can be achieved by, say, trying to solve a puzzle in your head? Meditation sounds great and all but when you actually start doing it, it's painfully boring and feels like a waste of time. And that's what usually puts me off, every time I start.
I certainly think that you could solve a puzzle and still have it down as meditation. In fact, that's sort of what a zen koan is. However, a koan would be designed to be tough to crack, but simple in structure (as opposed to complex). There's something to be said for learning to operate the brain in ways that are different to the sort of logical, problem solving kind of operational state that I'm sure many here (myself included) spend most of their time in. A koan is designed to make that part tired until it gives up. In that way, the inability to make progress with the puzzle itself is a design feature of a koan. But working on it produces a sort of meta-progress that has to do with the mind. Meditation is weird in that way, in that it's not about learning to play the piano, but learning to play the piano player. So to speak.
Also, boredom goes away eventually. Single minded, laser focus attention is one thing that this practice cultivates, and the kind of focus that I'm talking about is mutually exclusive with boredom.
Also, the shit your brain will make up and entertain you with once the chatter dies down is absolutely fascinating all in itself.
Also, boredom goes away eventually. Single minded, laser focus attention is one thing that this practice cultivates, and the kind of focus that I'm talking about is mutually exclusive with boredom.
Also, the shit your brain will make up and entertain you with once the chatter dies down is absolutely fascinating all in itself.
>> Also, the shit your brain will make up and entertain you with once the chatter dies down is absolutely fascinating all in itself.
I had thought that the absence of chatter only helps in calmness and lessening the anxiety. What kind of stuff/shit?
I had thought that the absence of chatter only helps in calmness and lessening the anxiety. What kind of stuff/shit?
What's the difference between sitting with your eyes closed solving a puzzle and sitting at your computer figuring out how to solve a problem?
Quiescence is the whole point of the exercise. It requires a lot of discipline, which builds with practice, which is also the point of the exercise.
Quiescence is the whole point of the exercise. It requires a lot of discipline, which builds with practice, which is also the point of the exercise.
There is quite a big difference. At the computer I have a myriad of distractions available at a click away.
This. Getting started is tough (specially if you are a skeptic) due to the lack of perceived feedback, but if you manage to get through with it, before you realize you'll be doing it for a lot longer than your first tries.
Thanks. Is there a specific time of the day that this should be done? This seems really simple for what meditation has been advertised by some camps and "gurus". I can give five such minutes for the betterment.
I'd advise against meditating shortly after having a meal, as it is harder to focus. Apart from that, pick a time that'll most likely work for you every day. Otherwise it's hard to build a habit.
I started out doing it between "coming home from work" and "having dinner", but that didn't really work out. Some days, I came really late and my GF was already waiting with dinner ready, other days I would go to meetup, hang out with friends etc.
I'm now doing Yoga and Meditation every morning after waking up, and there's just much less that can get in the way.
My GF and me are right now building an iOS app for forming a daily habit of Meditation and/or Yoga, based on our own experience and reading the book "Hooked: How to build habit-forming products". If you (or anyone else!) would like to beta-test, shoot me a mail at chris [at] screenscott.com :-)
I started out doing it between "coming home from work" and "having dinner", but that didn't really work out. Some days, I came really late and my GF was already waiting with dinner ready, other days I would go to meetup, hang out with friends etc.
I'm now doing Yoga and Meditation every morning after waking up, and there's just much less that can get in the way.
My GF and me are right now building an iOS app for forming a daily habit of Meditation and/or Yoga, based on our own experience and reading the book "Hooked: How to build habit-forming products". If you (or anyone else!) would like to beta-test, shoot me a mail at chris [at] screenscott.com :-)
Find a time when you're naturally fairly calm. A lot of people like the morning right after waking up and getting ready. My preferred time is in the early afternoon.
There really isn't a specific time meditation should be done, you just need to find what works for you.
There really isn't a specific time meditation should be done, you just need to find what works for you.
UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center: http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
Jon Kabat-Zinn doing a session at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
And, of course, Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/
Just sit back, relax, and enjoy one of those. And then all of them.
Jon Kabat-Zinn doing a session at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
And, of course, Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/
Just sit back, relax, and enjoy one of those. And then all of them.
Is it worth paying headspace 8 bucks a month?
Mindfulness in Plain English (http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html)
Great recommendation. It's an older edition of a print book (still in print for decades) that's online for free with permission. It's well done, clear, and has very little woo in it.
I've tried quite a few things and the most useful thing for me has been https://www.headspace.com/ . It's "daily" guided meditation (that after not too long is barely guided). The narrator's voice is really good, not too hippie, very calming. Everything is pleasant and well-designed.
This was also pretty good, if you'd rather read a book: http://www.amazon.com/Search-Inside-Yourself-Unexpected-Achi...
This was also pretty good, if you'd rather read a book: http://www.amazon.com/Search-Inside-Yourself-Unexpected-Achi...
Edit: Do you pay for headspace or just use their 10 minute? I just signed up.
Thanks for the book suggestion, I just bought this book.
Thanks for the book suggestion, I just bought this book.
Here's a nice five minute example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMz_UagXkFk
headspace is a tremendous app with a new guided meditation everyday.
It slowly lets you build up your practice, as well as choose a specific branch of focus as you progress. The ptich sounds gimmicky, but I never managed more than 5 consecutive days on my own. With Andy (the narrator) I'm at 30 days and counting
It slowly lets you build up your practice, as well as choose a specific branch of focus as you progress. The ptich sounds gimmicky, but I never managed more than 5 consecutive days on my own. With Andy (the narrator) I'm at 30 days and counting
reddit.com/r/meditation is pretty decent
Exercise can also change your DNA:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/how-exercise-change...
Exposure to radiation can change your DNA.
Heck, everything can change (read mutate) your DNA.
Exposure to radiation can change your DNA.
Heck, everything can change (read mutate) your DNA.
The title of the article you provided is completely incorrect. There is no change to DNA detected by these studies. What gets changes is the expression level of individual genes. Expression level can be changed by almost everything, as it is exactly the fine art of turning ACTG sequence into living organisms.
Or.. Just set up a context such that genes become disabled, enabled, or in combination, yield different behaviors due to the presence (or lack) of signaling structures.
It's not like you suddenly evolve or jam a syringe of one minute retrovirus in your neck.
It's not like you suddenly evolve or jam a syringe of one minute retrovirus in your neck.
I see after a Google search that it has been mostly popular press outlets without experienced medical reporters who have commented on this story so far. For the most part, what we are seeing online are recycled editions of the study group's press release. The underlying journal publication "Mindfulness-based cancer recovery and supportive-expressive therapy maintain telomere length relative to controls in distressed breast cancer survivors" is open-access,[1] so medically knowledgeable people here can read the study and check whether its methodology makes sense.
I note that the lead author of the study, Linda E. Carlson, is part of a group of cancer researchers promoting "integrative" approaches to cancer treatment. Another cancer researcher commenting on this approach thinks that "integrative" cancer therapy so far promises much more than it can actually deliver in improved patient outcomes.[2] The original headline of the Fast Company article submitted here, already changed by the Hacker News moderation team, is surely wrong, and it's not at all clear that this extraordinary claim will replicate if an independent group of researchers attempt to replicate the results. If I or any of my loved ones should happen to have a case of cancer (which is rather rare in my family), I will ask for advice on how to treat it from a doctor who practices science-based medicine.
[1] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29063/full
[2] http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/selling-integrative-onco...
I note that the lead author of the study, Linda E. Carlson, is part of a group of cancer researchers promoting "integrative" approaches to cancer treatment. Another cancer researcher commenting on this approach thinks that "integrative" cancer therapy so far promises much more than it can actually deliver in improved patient outcomes.[2] The original headline of the Fast Company article submitted here, already changed by the Hacker News moderation team, is surely wrong, and it's not at all clear that this extraordinary claim will replicate if an independent group of researchers attempt to replicate the results. If I or any of my loved ones should happen to have a case of cancer (which is rather rare in my family), I will ask for advice on how to treat it from a doctor who practices science-based medicine.
[1] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29063/full
[2] http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/selling-integrative-onco...
Your argument appears to be that the word "integrative" implies non-science based medicine/research. Is there any reason to believe the journal Cancer is in some way lacking in scientific standards? I have no idea. But assuming it is a well-respected publication the results appearing in it require more evidence to dismiss other than a paper author does "integrative" research.
One of my problems with this study (and many preliminary medical intervention studies hyped mostly by press releases) is that it deals with a biomarker--telomere length--rather than with a hard endpoint, for example actual improved cancer survival and reduced all-cause mortality in the patients.
Anyone looking on can read the paper for themselves for issues like sample size, the reported statistics, whether the expected finding was specified in advance, and so on. A recent submission to HN[1] cautions that press releases are not usually good guides to what a study has actually found.
[1] http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/communicating-health-sci...
Anyone looking on can read the paper for themselves for issues like sample size, the reported statistics, whether the expected finding was specified in advance, and so on. A recent submission to HN[1] cautions that press releases are not usually good guides to what a study has actually found.
[1] http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/communicating-health-sci...
> One of my problems with this study (and many preliminary medical intervention studies hyped mostly by press releases) is that it deals with a biomarker--telomere length--rather than with a hard endpoint, for example actual improved cancer survival and reduced all-cause mortality in the patients.
That is not an issue with the study's quality. It is more of an issue with the study's motive (goal?).
That is not an issue with the study's quality. It is more of an issue with the study's motive (goal?).
Telomeres are not the same as DNA.
A more accurate headline might be that meditation appears to ameliorate genetic damage associated with stress. But I guess that's less surprising, exciting and clickable than implying that meditation causes Lamarckian inheritance.
Yes, and it is worth noting that telomeres, while technically being DNA, do not code any proteins. In fact their complexity is at a completely trivial level - just a repeated sequence of "TTAGGG". This is also the part of DNA that does not get sequenced with the rest of one's code. There is a lot of speculation on what else can extend telomeres [1]. So yes, a clickbait.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere#Lengthening
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere#Lengthening
We edited the title in an attempt to make it more accurate and neutral. If anyone suggests a better one, we can change it again.
Life is all about that Lamarckian inheritance buddy boy!
this is a crummy article with a crummy headline about one single study which may or may not also be crummy