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Effects of Heartfulness Meditation Practices on Control of Alzheimer's Disease: A Comprehensive Review.

Kamaraj Arunachalam, Kalyana Sundaram Chandran

Iranian Journal of Public Health December 1, 2021 DOI: 10.18502/ijph.v50i12.7925 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Review article (qualitative analysis of literature) Peer reviewed
Population People with chronic insomnia, students of different age groups, Heartfulness meditation practitioners, and caregivers (from selected articles)
Intervention Heartfulness meditation
Topics Meditation
Keywords Alzheimer’s disease Heartfulness meditation Literature Qualitative research
Key findings Argues that regular Heartfulness meditation improves cognitive ability and neurophysiological functions, potentially reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

Progressive stress levels, aging and less care on mental health among adults lead to a decline in neurophysiological functioning and diminish the performance of working memory. Regular practice of meditation through Heartfulness will enhance mental health and thereby considerably reduce the risks of Alzheimer's disease. This review article was carried out from the literature available on databases such as PubMed, MED-LINE, Web of Science and Research Gate until May 2020. A qualitative analysis of the impact of Heartfulness meditation on people with chronic insomnia, students of different age groups, Heartfulness meditation practitioners and caregivers were summarized. From the survey results of selected 10 articles, it has been observed that the people who were practicing meditation through Heartfulness gain emotional wellness, joy, sound sleep pattern and reduction of stress, tension and anger. Moreover, the level of brain waves of the practitioners, especially alpha and delta activities in the brain were increased and there was a tremendous change in neuroplasticity among the practitioners. Regular practice of meditation through Heartfulness improves the cognitive ability of the practitioners, with improved neurophysiological functions and suppresses the risks of Alzheimer's diseases.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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