Weekly health tip

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Docs:

Here's Dr. Woliner's weekly health tip.

Lyndon McGill, D.C.

EvolvHealth Wellness Advisory Council Member

Salem, Oregon

www.SalemSpineClinic.com

www.EvolvingDaily.com

Ancient Secret Holds Key to Sharper Mind, Healthier Body

Imagine if you could “fix” your brain. Improve its connections.

And its influence on key body functions. That’s the promise of an

ancient technique that’s been updated for modern times.

It’s called Integrative Body-Mind Training – IBMT for short – and

it’s producing some remarkable results in carefully controlled

experiments.

IBMT was developed in the 1990’s by Dr. Yi-Yuan Tang, but it’s

based on traditional Chinese medicine. It’s a form of meditation

involving four simple ideas:

Relaxing your body

Adjusting your breathing

Mental imagery

Mindfulness (awareness)

At first, IBMT may sound a lot like other forms of meditation.

But it has one big difference. IBMT appears to trigger physical

changes within your brain. And these changes have big benefits.

In 2007, Dr. Tang and his associates led a group of college

students through 5 days of IBMT sessions. Each session lasted just

20 minutes.

After just 5 days, were more focused, less anxious, had improved

mood and felt less fatigued. They had significantly lower levels

of the stress hormone, cortisol. And their immune systems were

functioning at a higher level.

A second group of students – guided through 20 minutes of

relaxation techniques for the 5 days – also had positive results,

but far less than the IBMT group.1

Just 5 days of IBMT encouraged significant mental gains. Then, a

second study looked at some of the physical aspects of the new

technique.

As in the first study, two groups were compared. And the IBMT

group again showed a much stronger response than the relaxation

group. After 5 days of 20-minute sessions, the IBMT group had a

lower resting heart rate, breathed more deeply and showed

healthier autonomic nervous function.2 (The autonomic nervous

system controls your body’s “automatic” functions, such as heart

rate.)

A third study revealed that a certain part of people’s brains

became more focused and operated more efficiently after just 11

hours of IBMT.3 The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in

several important functions, including:

Communication between the left and right side of your brain

Making decisions

Rational thinking

Controlling your heart rate and other “autonomic” functions

Self-control

And what may be most interesting, IBMT does more than change how

your brain works. It appears to change the structure of the brain

itself.

In a study so new it hasn’t been published yet, Dr. Tang’s team

reports sophisticated imaging techniques reveal positive physical

changes in the brain after 4 weeks of IBMT training.4

For many years, I’ve recommended meditation as a way to reduce

your stress and improve clarity of mind. IBMT may be the fastest,

most powerful way to do this yet. The results have been nothing

short of amazing.

IBMT isn’t difficult to practice, but it can be a challenge to

learn. Dr. Tang advises seeking a certified coach to get you

started. Mastering this powerful technique could be your key to

maintaining your mental edge for years to come.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Woliner, M.D.

1 Tang, Y.-Y., et al, “Short-term meditation training improves

attention and self-regulation,” PNAS. Oct 23, 2007; 104(43):

17152–17156.

2 Tang, Y.-Y., et al, “Central and autonomic nervous system

interaction is altered by short-term meditation,” PNAS. Jun 2,

2009; 106(22): 8865-8870.

3 Tang, Y.-Y., et al, “Short-term meditation induces white

matter changes in the anterior cingulate,” PNAS. Aug 31, 2010;

107(35): 15649-15652.

4 Tang, Y.-Y., et al, “Mechanisms of white matter changes

induced by meditation,” PNAS. May 9, 2012. Published online before

print.