Health through Breath

Since modern medicine is often costly and also has side effects, attention is redrawn towards traditional systems of medicine such as ayurveda, homeopathy and mind body medicine (MBM), termed as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Of the MBM therapies, meditation and hypnosis have been quite popular. A number of studies on transcendental meditation (TM) have revealed that TM can be applied effectively for many of the mental health problems. It may also be useful in cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension and myocardial ischemia. Breathing processes including pranayama (P) and sudarshan kriya (SK), a rhythmic breathing process, have recently been researched. Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies indicated that SK&P leads to a state of relaxed alertness. Among police trainees, blood lactate level dropped ( indicative of relaxation ) and anti-oxidant status improved. Natural killer (NK) cells increased in both normal persons and cancer patients. Subjects gave up tobacco addiction without any effort. Managerial staff experienced improved state of mind and better interpersonal relations. SK&P had effect even at the molecular level. Heart rate variability improved. SK&P were effective in controlling symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This practice had positive effect on patients suffering from breast cancer. It can be concluded that to achieve perfect health, one needs to take proper food, regular exercise and practice of yoga, meditation , SK&P on a daily basis.