Techniques used in mind-body practices help us better link our emotional, mental, and physical selves. Examples include guided visualization, yoga, Tai Chi, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, breathwork, and general relaxation techniques.
The brain is a dynamic organ that alters over the course of a person's life and has the capacity to rearrange itself by forming new neural connections in response to experiences, actions, thoughts, feelings, illness, and damage.
Mind-body therapies like yoga and meditation are becoming increasingly popular methods for enhancing health and treating diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Approximately 66% of Americans with type 2 diabetes engage mind-body activities, and many do so because they believe it helps them control their blood sugar. However, whether mind-body practices help lower blood glucose levels has never been carefully tested.
What Research and Study says:
Researchers conducted a review of previously published articles on mind-body practices and type 2 diabetes, focusing solely on intervention studies in which participants were allocated to use a stress-reduction strategy and its benefits were assessed. There were 28 such studies that matched the researchers' inclusion criteria for their analysis. The data from all of these trials was then merged by the researchers, who calculated the glucose-related benefits of mind-body approaches in general as well as individual practices.
In the studies, the average drop in A1C connected to mind-body activities was 0.84%, which they found to be both statistically significant and clinically relevant; suggesting that this reduction is large enough to have a meaningful influence on the health of persons with diabetes. Each of the mind-body practice subgroups had an average decline in A1C. Mindfulness-based stress reduction was connected to an average drop of 0.48%, yoga was linked to an average drop of 1.00%, and qigong (an ancient Chinese practice) was linked to an average drop of 0.66%.
The researchers also discovered that the frequency of mind-body practices had an effect on A1C decrease. Over the course of the trial, individuals had an extra A1C drop of 0.22% for every additional day of yoga practice per week.
Fasting blood glucose levels decreased by 22.81 mg/dl in persons who practiced mind-body medicine. However, unlike A1C, no significant improvement in fasting blood glucose was connected to more frequent yoga practice.
Mind-body activities are substantially linked to improved glucose control in type 2 diabetes patients. In addition, these activities may be useful as therapies in the same manner that doctors prescribe diabetes medications.
This could be a useful tool for many people because type 2 diabetes is a huge chronic health concern that we are not doing a good enough job of controlling. Although this study does not address it as a preventive measure, it does imply that it may help those who are pre-diabetic lessen their risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Mind-body practices and their benefits:
Meditation
Meditation can result in a deep level of relaxation and a calm mind. During meditation, you focus your concentration and clear your mind of the confused thoughts that may be overwhelming your head and producing tension. This procedure may improve both physical and emotional well-being.
Breathwork
Breathwork helps to slow an acute stress response and diverts chronic stress-related health problems. Deep abdominal breathing lowers blood pressure through evoking the body's relaxation response.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Stress causes muscle tension in the body, which can cause pain or discomfort. Tense muscles, in turn, signal to the body that it is stressed. This perpetuates the cycle of stress and muscle strain. By reducing muscle tension and general mental distress, progressive muscle relaxation aids in breaking the pattern.
Energy Therapy
Energy work describes tremendous shifts in healing that occur and are recognized. We are a network of energies that shape how we feel, think, and live. Energy therapists use diverse approaches to integrate acquired knowledge and intuitive understanding of body energies.
Massage Therapy
Massage's physical manipulation has two key physical effects: Blood and lymph circulation improves. Relaxation and normalization of soft tissue (muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments), allowing nerves and deeper connective tissues to be released.
Yoga
Yoga strengthens, balances, and stretches the body.
Slow movements and deep breathing enhance blood flow and warm up muscles, while holding a pose strengthens them. Balance on one foot while holding the other foot at a right angle to your calf or above the knee (but never on the knee).
Tai Chi
Tai Chi helps with general muscle toning and strengthening. The weight-bearing features of Tai Chi have even been demonstrated to increase bone formation, which may help prevent osteoporosis.
Qigong
Qigong is widely thought to be a safe and gentle activity that helps engage the parasympathetic side of the autonomic nervous system, which can lower stress and blood pressure. Qigong also improves circulation and brings gentle movement to the muscles and joints.
0 Comments
Post a Comment
Share your views