Physiological Correlates of Meditation and Their Clinical Effects in Headache: An Ongoing Investigation

Mind-body practices that elicit the relaxation response (RR) have been used worldwide for millennia to prevent and treat disease. The RR is characterized by decreased oxygen consumption, increased exhaled nitric oxide, and reduced psychological distress. It is believed to be the counterpart of the stress response that exhibits a distinct pattern of physiology and transcriptional profile. We hypothesized that RR elicitation results in characteristic gene expression changes that can be […]

High intelligence is touted as being predictive of positive outcomes including educational success and income level. However, little is known about the difficulties experienced among this population. Specifically, those with a high intellectual capacity (hyper brain) possess overexcitabilities in various domains that may predispose them to certain psychological disorders as well as physiological conditions involving elevated sensory, and altered immune and inflammatory responses (hype […]

Hypertension is one of the leading health problems in the United States. It is commonly accepted that as many as 60 million Americans have hypertension, with the majority (>70%) having mild elevations (diastolic pressure range, 90-104 mm Hg). The treatment of hypertension accounts for more office visits to health care providers and more treatment than any other medical diagnosis. A 1980 National Institutes of Health survey showed that about 2% of visits to health care providers wer […]