Differential effects of relaxation techniques on ultraweak photon emission.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Evidence has accumulated favoring the possible role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases. Meditation is utilized as an adjunct to conventional medical treatment for several clinical conditions. A few studies suggest a role of long-term meditation in the control of the free-radical metabolism. Many techniques for recording reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been made available. However, most are invasive and none are applicable to all conditions. Attention has recently been drawn to spontaneous ultraweak photon emission (UPE). However, the application of this method in meditation studies is very limited.

OBJECTIVE:
The present study recorded spontaneous UPE at multiple anatomic locations of subjects with long-term experience in transcendental meditation (TM) and compared this with a group that practiced other meditation techniques (OMT) and with subjects having no meditation experience.

METHODS:
The study examined the anatomic pattern of UPE of 20 subjects practicing TM, compared to 20 subjects practicing OMT, and 20 control subjects with no experience in meditation. Subjects were men who were reported to be healthy and nonsmokers. Meditation was not practiced on the day prior to recording. UPE was recorded in a dark room, using a highly sensitive, cooled photomultiplier system designed for manipulation in three directions. The protocol for the multisite registration of UPE included recording 12 anatomic locations, including the anterior torso, head, neck, and hands.

RESULTS:
Data demonstrated emission intensities in the TM and OMT groups that were 27% and 17% lower, respectively, compared to the control group. The decrease was recorded at all anatomic locations. The percent emission contribution of each location to total emission was very similar for the three groups.

CONCLUSIONS:
Data supported the hypothesis that persistent meditation resulted in decreased UPE. However, the determination of oxidation levels as the source of group differences needs to be verified further to confirm our hypothesis.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Van Wijk, Eduard P A (EP); Lüdtke, Rainer (R); Van Wijk, Roeland (R);

Affiliation: International Institute of Biophysics, Neuss, Germany.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) (J Altern Complement Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Apr; vol 14 (issue 3) : pp 241-50

Dates: Created 2008/04/10; Completed 2008/07/11;

PMID: 18399758, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Biophysics
Case-Control Studies
Circadian Rhythm
Forehead - physiology
Hand - physiology
Humans
Luminescent Measurements

Male
Meditation - methods
Middle Aged
Neck - physiology
Oxidative Stress
Photons
Relaxation - physiology
Ultraviolet Rays

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.