study- kirtan kriya has benefits on cellular level- LA times article
Lenore Lyons
A yoga meditation program could reduce depression symptoms and boost
mental health, a study finds, and that’s not all—it may also show
benefits at the cellular level.
The study, published recently in the International Journal of
Geriatric Psychiatry, involved 49 caregivers ranging in age from 45 to
91 who were taking care of family members with dementia. Caregivers
are at risk for high stress levels, often with no outlet or relief,
which can lead to health problems.
The participants were randomly assigned to two programs: Kundalini
yoga Kirtan Kriya meditation or passive relaxation with instrumental
music. The yoga meditation program included breathing, chanting and
repetitive finger movements, call mudras. Both were done for 12
minutes a day for eight weeks.
At the end of those eight weeks the meditation group seemed to come
out ahead. Among those men and women, 65% showed 50% improvement on a
depression rating scale, and 52% showed a 50% improvement on a mental
health scale. Among those who did passive relaxation, those numbers
were 31.2% for depression and 19% for mental health.
More evidence was found on the cellular level. The meditation group
had a 43.3% improvement in telomerase activity, while the relaxation
group saw only a 3.7% boost. Telomeres, the study explains, are
repetitions of DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome that protect
it from damage that can lead to health problems. Higher telomerase
activity can help improve the durability of immune cells.
We know that chronic stress places caregivers at a higher risk for
developing depression,” said lead author Dr. Helen Lavretsky in a news
release. Lavretsky, professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel
Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, added, “On average, the
incidence and prevalence of clinical depression in family dementia
caregivers approaches 50%. Caregivers are also twice as likely to
report high levels of emotional distress.”
