Feb 4, 2019
There are certain illnesses that are tied to emotional distress. Traditional medicine has been reluctant link the two except to say that stress weakens the immune system which ‘may’ lead to the development of some illnesses.
Those who connect with the naturopathic or homeopathic approaches to holistic health are confident that the connection between emotional/spiritual wellbeing and physical health is quite obvious. Allowing high levels of anxiety to persist or being angry for long periods absolutely makes one more susceptible to getting sick.
Many spiritual teachers have proposed a link between unresolved resentments and the possible formation of cancerous growth. This is hard to prove scientifically because there aren’t concrete ways to measure the amount of anger a person may be holding within. As such, an evidence-based approached to diagnosing disease will not give much weight to such factors.
On the other end of the spectrum are people who have meditated for long periods of time and who demonstrate unusually strong immune systems despite their age. A recent University of Wisconsin study revealed that those who had been meditating even just a short period (1 to 2 months) showed significantly higher levels of healthful antibodies. In laymen’s terms, abundant antibodies means a better internal army against the unhealthy factors that live in all our bodies.
One theory as to why meditation boosts immunoglobulin presence is very intuitive. Think of when you experience consistent stress. It is felt as a pressure on the mind, the emotions and the body. It’s harder to relax when under duress. Our thoughts can quickly become toxic if we dwell on our troubles for long periods.
Meditation provides a ‘bleed valve’ on that internal pressure, especially more active forms of meditation that encourage contemplation of one’s life and though process. Examining your situations and processing negative emotions will reduce stress rather quickly.
In returning to more relaxed states of being, the bodily systems function more fluently. Just as a very anxious or worried performer might make mistakes due to the pressure they feel, a relaxed and balanced performer tends to do better. Another common issue some people experience is that traveling to other cities tends to create temporary constipation. This is one way that stress can constrict normal body functioning. We may not be aware of much stress but the change in our routine manifests in the body.
Using meditation will teach your body, mind and emotions to process stress quicker and return to the relaxed state more easily. As a result, the immune system will operate smoothly and tend to better ward off illness exactly as it is supposed to do.