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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by qqqsimmons on November 24, 2006, at 10:48:53
maybe meditation will work better for me than these supplements. some studies:
#
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16272874
#
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=15534199
Abstract:
Practitioners understand “meditation,” or mental training, to be a process of familiarization with one's own mental life leading to long-lasting changes in cognition and emotion. Little is known about this process and its impact on the brain. Here we find that long-term Buddhist practitioners self-induce sustained electroencephalographic high-amplitude gamma-band oscillations and phase-synchrony during meditation. These electroencephalogram patterns differ from those of controls, in particular over lateral frontoparietal electrodes. In addition, the ratio of gamma-band activity (25-42 Hz) to slow oscillatory activity (4-13 Hz) is initially higher in the resting baseline before meditation for the practitioners than the controls over medial frontoparietal electrodes. This difference increases sharply during meditation over most of the scalp electrodes and remains higher than the initial baseline in the postmeditation baseline. These data suggest that mental training involves temporal integrative mechanisms and may induce short-term and long-term neural changes.#
Posted by happykat on November 24, 2006, at 14:44:04
In reply to meditation, posted by qqqsimmons on November 24, 2006, at 10:48:53
I read the NIH study. Thanks for the link! Sounds very interesting and promising. I just started yoga and meditation to resolve physical issues and have noticed more of an effect on my emotional/psychological state. Its been interesting. What supplements do you take?
Posted by qqqsimmons on November 24, 2006, at 18:48:01
In reply to Re: meditation, posted by happykat on November 24, 2006, at 14:44:04
the only supp i take every day is fish oil. sometimes i take magnesium, b vitamins or taurine, not sure how much good they do me...
benadryl and/or melatonin for sleep. they're a brutal combo...i'll drink green tea, decaf or regular...red wine for the resveratrol...
i'd love to find a supp (other than ma huang) for allergic congestion...i read that rosemarinic acid can help with allergic overreactions, but i'm not sure how proven it is...
what are you taking?
Posted by happykat on November 25, 2006, at 10:06:56
In reply to Re: meditation / what supps are you taking?, posted by qqqsimmons on November 24, 2006, at 18:48:01
I'm taking CoQ10, fish oil, magnesium/calcium/zinc, B-Complex, milk thistle, vitex, phytoestrogen
I drink lots of decaf green tea and I am also partial to the benadryl/melatonin combo. I use to take xanax but I'm trying to start a family so I'm also looking for healthy alternatives for anxiety.
What kind of allergies do you have?
Posted by gardenergirl on November 28, 2006, at 10:45:57
In reply to Re: meditation, posted by happykat on November 24, 2006, at 14:44:04
> ... I just started yoga and meditation to resolve physical issues and have noticed more of an effect on my emotional/psychological state.
I've been doing yoga and meditation recently, too. I've noticed improvements in my mood already. I feel less "triggery" and am enjoying things more. I'm also seeing improvement physically, too. It's a great self-esteem booster to notice that each session has something that's a little bit better than before.
Good luck on your journey.
gg
Posted by happykat on November 28, 2006, at 20:09:16
In reply to Re: meditation » happykat, posted by gardenergirl on November 28, 2006, at 10:45:57
Have you tried different types of yoga? Right now I'm doing hatha and a little vinyasa. I would like to try bikram at some point.
HK :)
Posted by gardenergirl on December 2, 2006, at 17:44:21
In reply to Re: meditation » gardenergirl, posted by happykat on November 28, 2006, at 20:09:16
I've done mostly hatha yoga. I'm exploring kundalini yoga, but I need to hook up with a teacher. I've got one option that I know of in my city, and I plan to contact her next week about her class.
My husband and our marriage counselor both remarked on how I seem more centered and balanced now compared to before I started doing yoga and meditation faithfully. That felt good. Also, I didn't cry a single tear at my pdoc appt. yesterday. :) Something's working.
I still get the different types mixed up. What is vinyasa? And bikram is something like kundalini, isn't it?
How's it going for you?
gg
Posted by zenhussy on December 5, 2006, at 11:01:57
In reply to Re: meditation » happykat, posted by gardenergirl on December 2, 2006, at 17:44:21
Listing a few of the different branches of yoga:
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Bikram Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Integral Yoga
Jnana Yoga
Karma Yoga
Kriya Yoga
Kundalini Yoga
Raja Yoga
Tantra YogaTurlington's book, Living Yoga, ISBN 0-7868-6806-6 is a good resource for the Western world's introduction to yoga. She presents the info in a very understandable manner compared to some traditional yogic textx.
B.K.S. Iyengar's texts are traditional. Light On Yoga, ISBN 0-8052-1031-8, and Light On Prănăyăma, ISBN 0-8245-0686-3 both are full of information but not presented in a very accessible manner for most Westerners.
used to have link to great site with explanations of all the different branches bnt it is on our regular computer which isn't yet hooked up. for now hope this helps.
vinyasa--breath-synchronized movement
bikram-- founded by Bikram Choudhury in LA. taught in studios where temp. is over 100 degrees F and 70% humidity. The heat is supposed to help with the warming and stretching muscles, ligaments, and tendons. There are 26 poses in Bikram yoga selected with more beginner students in mind.
as with any exercise program check with one's physician before undertaking any new activities. one needs to know their own limits in yoga nad not compete with the others in the studio as that is the surest way to injury, either pyhsical or emotional or both! blow to the ego to overstretch and attain injury instead of enlightment. lot to be said for "be here now"
glad yoga is helping so many lately. amazing what can happen when one dedicated themselves to a practice and keeps with it.good luck.
Posted by qqqsimmons on December 5, 2006, at 11:27:40
In reply to Re: what supps are you taking?qqqsimmons, posted by happykat on November 25, 2006, at 10:06:56
oops, late reply...
mainly i get blocked nasal passages from airborne allergens (molds, pollens, etc). i've started "irrigating" daily. it does wonders...
i'm trying to get "natural" sleep again right now w/o antihistamines or extra melatonin. trying to get some exercise...so far so good.
i'm back to my tiny dose of fish oil. i'm off zinc for the moment as i've got a patch of acne and wonder if zinc may boost testosterone and therefore acne too. but i do plan to take zinc again.
> I'm taking CoQ10, fish oil, magnesium/calcium/zinc, B-Complex, milk thistle, vitex, phytoestrogen
>
> I drink lots of decaf green tea and I am also partial to the benadryl/melatonin combo. I use to take xanax but I'm trying to start a family so I'm also looking for healthy alternatives for anxiety.
>
> What kind of allergies do you have?
Posted by happykat on December 7, 2006, at 14:52:46
In reply to Re: meditation » happykat, posted by gardenergirl on December 2, 2006, at 17:44:21
Hey GG,
Vinyasa is breath-synchronized movement. "When used to describe a style of yoga, Vinyasa means that poses will flow from one to another in conjunction with the breath."
Bikram is where you do yoga in a room thats 115 degrees and you sweat like crazy. Its also known as hot yoga.
I'm really interested in kundalini yoga too! I haven't been able to find anyone near me who teaches it. I just read a great book called "Kundalini and the Chakras" It's really interesting.
I love yoga! It has really centered me as well. And calmed me down quite a bit.
I'd be interested in knowing how you like the kundalini yoga.
namaste,
happykat : )
Posted by gardenergirl on December 10, 2006, at 22:20:37
In reply to different branchesof yoga » gardenergirl, posted by zenhussy on December 5, 2006, at 11:01:57
Thanks for the info. I'll have to check out those books. I picked up one from my brother-in-law recently: Yoga Mind and Body from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center. It's okay but not great. And some of the kriyas described are downright scary!
>
> vinyasa--breath-synchronized movementThe other book I checked out from the library: Essential Yoga by Olivia Miller, describes a few vinyasa sets. I admit I like these better than some of the classes I've had where it was just sort of an assortment of poses without a feeling of connection to them.
>
> bikram-- founded by Bikram Choudhury in LA. taught in studios where temp. is over 100 degrees F and 70% humidity. The heat is supposed to help with the warming and stretching muscles, ligaments, and tendons. There are 26 poses in Bikram yoga selected with more beginner students in mind.I've heard of this. I would imagine I'd be dripping with sweat in a matter of minutes the way I sweat. I think I'd pass on this one. :)
>
> as with any exercise program check with one's physician before undertaking any new activities. one needs to know their own limits in yoga nad not compete with the others in the studio as that is the surest way to injury, either pyhsical or emotional or both! blow to the ego to overstretch and attain injury instead of enlightment. lot to be said for "be here now"Good reminder about doc. That's what I really love about yoga, the non-competitive nature of it and the individual experience. In my first class I was worried I'd feel very self-conscious and incompetent. But the other students just sort of melted into the background, and I didn't feel awkward or embarrassed at all. In fact, I felt proud of myself and grateful for the experience. It was rather profound.
>
>
> glad yoga is helping so many lately. amazing what can happen when one dedicated themselves to a practice and keeps with it.
>
> good luck.Thanks. I've had a physical issue which has interfered with my practice the last week, and my body is really begging me to get back into it.
Thanks again.
gg
>
Posted by gardenergirl on December 10, 2006, at 22:27:53
In reply to Re: meditation » gardenergirl, posted by happykat on December 7, 2006, at 14:52:46
Hi,
Thanks for the explanations. I think I'd have to pass on the Bikram. I sweat way way too much. :)
>
> I'm really interested in kundalini yoga too! I haven't been able to find anyone near me who teaches it. I just read a great book called "Kundalini and the Chakras" It's really interesting.Sounds cool. There's one teacher in my area, though I haven't yet gone to a class. I bought a DVD "Kundalini Yoga" and watched it the other day. Wowsa, it's really different, and it looks really challenging. It looked like yoga-aerobics. Not sure I'm ready for that physically. We'll see, though. I liked the instructor on the DVD, though.
>
> I love yoga! It has really centered me as well. And calmed me down quite a bit.That's great. Me too. I'll let you know about the kundalini class if I go. For now I'm probably going to stick with the Hatha style and focus on Kundalini meditation. I want to get my practice into a solid routine before adding anything else. And I'm still sort of whopper-jawed about when I do it during the day.
namaste
gg
Posted by gardenergirl on December 10, 2006, at 22:35:20
In reply to Re: different branchesof yoga » zenhussy, posted by gardenergirl on December 10, 2006, at 22:20:37
> Thanks for the info. I'll have to check out those books. I picked up one from my brother-in-law recently: "Yoga Mind and Body" from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center. It's okay but not great. And some of the kriyas described are downright scary!
>
> The other book I checked out from the library: "Essential Yoga" by Olivia Miller, describes a few vinyasa sets.
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