Meditation Versus Medication

A study published in Psychiatry Research shows that subjects who undertook a mindfulness meditation programme (30 minutes a day for 8 weeks) had measurable changes in the parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress.

Mindfulness meditation focuses on non-judgemental awareness of one's feelings, sensations and state of mind, which often results in greater peacefulness and relaxation, the researchers explained.

According to an article in The New York Times, brain scans taken before and after the participants' meditation regime establish increased grey topic in the hippocampus, an area vital for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of grey topic in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes. "It is fascinating to see the brain's plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life," says first author of the research Britta Holzel Ph. D.