Well Being

Doing research for Green Heart meditation circles I followed the paper trail of Deepak and meditation and discovered this excellent report about health and well-being:

In 1990, the US Public Health Service released a 700 page report called Healthy People 2000:

“The health of a people is measured by more than death rates. Good health comes from reducing unnecessary suffering, illness and disability. It comes from an improved quality of life. Health is thus measured by citizens’ sense of well-being. The health of a nation is measured by the extent to which the gains are accomplished for all the people.” To reach this goal, the report called for “mobilizing the considerable energies and creativity of the Nation in the interest of disease prevention and health promotion” as an economic imperative.

The health benefits of meditation have long been recognized. ...it has been explored as a way of reducing stress on both mind and body. Some studies have found that regular meditation reduces health care use; increases longevity and quality of life; reduces chronic pain; reduces anxiety; reduces high blood pressure; reduces serum cholesteral level; reduces substance abuse; increases intelligence-related measures; reduces post-traumatic stress syndrome in Vietnam veterans; and lowers blood cortisole levels initially brought on by stress.

Alternative Medicine, Expanding Medical Horizons
A Report to the National Institutes of Health on Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in the United States, September 1992