Improve Quality of Life after a Heart Attack with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Not only can meditation improve how your heart functions, but a regular practice can enhance your outlook on life and motivate you to maintain many heart-healthy behaviors.” – John Denninger Cardiovascular disease is the number one […]
Reduce Inflammation in Psychiatric Patients with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness practice was not directly linked to lower inflammation levels, but that it may have bolstered stress resilience among at-risk adults by preventing an increase in inflammatory biomarker levels.” – Grace Bullock The immune system is designed to protect […]
Reduce Intimate Partner Violence with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “teaching men mindfulness and emotional intelligence will help them develop self-awareness in moments of emotional trigger . . . and avoid violent reactivity.” – Prison Mindfulness Institute The human tendency to lash out with aggression when threatened was adaptive for […]
Improve Primary School Students’ Attention and Behavior with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “For kids who have suffered from prolonged stress or trauma, mindfulness seems to offer a way of “short-circuiting” the fight-or-flight response. It helps kids with the greatest self-regulation challenges adapt to slower, more methodical classroom settings.” – Amanda […]
Improve Cardiovascular Function with Qigong By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure and rate-pressure product were significantly decreased during Qi-training. From these results, we suggest that… Qi-training has psychological effects that indicate stabilization the of cardiovascular system.” – Michelle Fletcher Cardiovascular disease is the number one […]
Improve the Psychological Health in Breast Cancer Patients with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness is a state of mind which we can all acquire and use to support our wellbeing physically, emotionally and mentally. . . Having cancer, or specifically breast cancer, is no exception. Our cancer experiences take up […]
Improve the Aging Brain and Well-Being with Mindfulness Training By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “On average, the brains of long-term meditators were 7.5 years younger at age 50 than the brains of non-meditators, and an additional 1 month and 22 days younger for every year after 50.” – Grace Bullock The […]
Reduce Anxiety and Depression in Coronary Heart Disease Patients with Tai Chi By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Tai chi is an interesting, promising exercise option. I think based on what we found, it’s a reasonable and safe step to offer tai chi within cardiac rehab.” – Elena Salmoriago-Blotcher Cardiovascular disease is […]
Improve the Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease with Mind-Body Practices By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “The mind-body connection recognizes that emotional, mental, and behavioral factors can directly affect our health, and mind-body techniques can improve quality of life and may help reduce symptoms of disease.” – Emily Downward Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is an incurable […]
Improve Depression During the Perinatal Period with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Pregnancy is a challenging terrain for everyone to navigate. And if you are entering that space with some history of depression, it can be particularly challenging.” – Sona Dimidjian The period of pregnancy is a time of intense […]