Meditation Experience is Associated with Increased Structural Integrity of the Pineal Gland and greater total Grey Matter maintenance

[JayPwP]

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articl...

Conclusions

Our current findings of greater pineal integrity, greater grey matter integrity, and lower brain age in meditators, combined with the large supporting body of literature on cortical/functional benefits of meditation, suggest that meditation could be beneficial in the context of cognitive and neurophysiological ageing by improving melatonin availability and regulation. Given melatonin’s downstream roles in sleep, free radical scavenging, anti-inflammation, immune modulation and neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation, it seems plausible that early pineal degeneration could play a causal role in age-related brain degeneration, and that structural preservation via meditation could be of benefit. More research is required, but the structural benefits to the pineal appear to be cumulative with practice, so how an acute intervention using meditation might be of benefit once cognitive and cortical degeneration have begun is not known. It seems likely that optimal benefit from mindfulness and breathing practices could be achieved from early and continuous practice across the lifetime.

[Esperanto]

Thanks Jay. It is a confirmation of what many, including myself, have already experienced. However, there is a caveat…

Given the limitations of the study, as acknowledged by the researchers, including the small sample size and cross-sectional design, it would be more appropriate to use a more cautious wording. Employing "could be associated" instead of "is associated" would make the results less definitive and better account for the possibility of other influencing factors.

It remains unclear which specific aspects of meditation influence the observed effects, and other relevant factors, such as education level and emotional health, were not sufficiently investigated. Furthermore, the relationship between gray matter degeneration and meditation may be impacted by indirect factors, such as improved sleep quality due to increased melatonin production and stress reduction. These limitations emphasize the need for future research with larger and longitudinal studies. However, finding participants who have a positive attitude towards meditation and have not made other lifestyle improvements, such as dietary changes or increased physical activity, will be challenging, as these factors can confound the results.

[JayPwP in reply to Esperanto]

I agree...

I feel the choice of words is due to the difficulty in quantifying a subjective experience, like meditation.

[Bolt_Upright]

This is why I do fake meditation using 250 hz pulsed at 40 hz. I read that a 40 hz pulsed audio can put your brain into the same state as meditation. I made this 50 minute audio file and listen to it every night before I go to bed. I use bone conduction bluetooth headphones but you can use regular headphones or even play it on a mono speaker.

I have a high school degree and no medical training!

rbd-pd-protocols.blogspot.c...

[JayPwP in reply to Bolt_Upright]

Bolt,

You have repeated your disclaimer so many times that the entire universe knows it by now 😜😜😜

Just kidding...

[YoungPD-48]

Good morning Jay, we human think too much...😀😜

Anything which connects you with nature is good for mind and body, hence I keep telling people, just try meditation for 1 month and keep drinking warm water and you will be surprised how your body heals on its own,

from my personal experience I am saying meditation has done wonders, although it has not improved my condition a lot but certainly meditation has improved my sleep quality and meditation has improved my positivity

[docjleonard55 in reply to YoungPD-48]

I have been doing Yoga Nidra mediation for over a year, but consistently only for about a month. My sleep has been fantastic over the past couple of weeks. I also find that my tremor can completely stop while I am doing the meditation. As of yet, however, the stoppage has not lasted past the end of the session.

[JayPwP in reply to docjleonard55]

It should work in incremental increases. Keep at it...