Meditation is an Effective Treatment for a Variety of Medical Conditions By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness is not a cure-all. . . . There have been thousands of studies showing that there are psychological and physical benefits to mindfulness meditation, but the intention . . . is not to cure the […]
Improve Gastrointestinal Health with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Humans were never designed to be stressed out all the time, and when we learn to calm our nervous systems, our health improves dramatically. Our nervous system and the gut are inextricably linked.” – Buffy Owens Stress affects gastrointestinal function. Short-term […]
Reduce Opioid Dosage in Chronic Pain Patients with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It’s clear that when it comes to tackling pain, it takes all of the tools in the toolkit. And when it comes to opioids, the approach needn’t be all or nothing. . . the combination of medicine plus […]
Improve the Symptoms of Central Pain Sensitization Syndromes with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Central sensitization, in short, is a hypersensitivity to stimuli from things that are not typically painful. . . Stress can heighten pain even more, so various forms of stress management may be recommended to patients. This may […]
Improvements in Migraine Headaches Require Active Meditation and not Cognitive Distraction By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness is a simple, effective method for managing migraines and reducing potential triggers.” – American Migraine Foundation Migraine headaches are a torment far beyond the suffering of a common headache. It is an intense throbbing […]
Improve Doctors’ Empathy and Communication Skills with Loving-Kindness Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Medicine and meditation, etymologically, come from the same root: to consider, advise, reflect, to take appropriate measures,” – Ronald Epstein Stress is epidemic in the western workplace with almost two thirds of workers reporting high levels of […]
Improve Pain, Sleep, and the Mental Health of Chronic Pain Patients with Internet Mindfulness Training By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “In the context of chronic pain . . . meditation can help you to stop your mind wandering back to your pain when you are trying to focus on something else, therefore […]
Improve Well-Being During Covid-19 Lockdown with Yoga and Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Practicing mindfulness and meditation may help you manage stress and high blood pressure, sleep better, feel more balanced and connected, and even lower your risk of heart disease.” American Heart Association The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the […]
Reduce Pain and Depression in Chronic Pain Patients with Mindful Dance By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Music is the mediator between the life of the senses and the life of the spirit” – Ludwig van Beethoven Headaches are the most common disorders of the nervous system. It has been estimated that 47% […]
Mindfulness Training Increases the Use of Yoga and Meditation to Cope with the Covid-19 Lockdown By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness is one tool that can help promote mental wellness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.” – Julie Dunne Mindfulness training has been shown to improve health and well-being in healthy individuals. It has also been […]