- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- 'Safe' Ozone Levels May Not Be for Some
- Traffic, Dust Linked to Asthma in Kids
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Garlic Yields Up Its Health Secret
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Awareness of Alternative Therapies May Be Lacking
- ANIMAL CARE
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- BONES & JOINTS
- Too Few Screened for Abdominal Aneurysm, Study Says
- Vitamin D Plus Calcium Guards Against Fractures
- Stem Cells Might Treat Tough Fractures
- CANCER
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- More Cancer Tests Mean More False-Positive Results
- CAREGIVING
- When the Caregiver Becomes the Patient
- UV Lights, Fans May Curb TB Spread in Hospitals
- 3 Steps Might Help Stop MRSA's Spread
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Review Confirms Links Between Diet, Heart Health
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- COSMETIC
- Get Sugared!.... Its a sweet choice for hair removal
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Hormones May Be to Blame for Women's Cavity Rates
- Holistic Dentistry-My View
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- DIABETES
- Diabetes Linked to Cognitive Problems
- Poor Blood Sugar Control After Heart Surgery Impacts Outcomes
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- More Whole Grains May Mean Less Fat
- Shedding Light on Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help the Heart
- Many Cancer Survivors Don't Adopt Healthy Lifestyle
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- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Gas Stove Emissions Boost Asthma in Inner-City Kids
- Greenhouse Gases Hazardous to Your Health
- Database Helps Assess Your Breast Cancer Risk
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Autistic Children Make Limited Eye Contact
- Nutrient-Rich Diet Lowers Risk of Age-Related Eye Disease
- Time Teaches Brain to Recognize Objects
- FITNESS
- Consciousness Helps the Mind and Body Work Together
- Exercise 30 Minutes a Day? Who Knew!
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Uncover Why Turmeric Helps You Heal
- Deployment Takes Toll on Army Wives
- Daylight Savings: Not a Bright Time for All
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Fatty Fish May Cut Heart Failure Risk in Men
- Vitamin B3 May Help Repair Brain After a Stroke
- Shedding Light on Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help the Heart
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- KID'S HEALTH
- Play Creatively as a Kid, Be a Healthier Adult
- Guard Kids' Eyes Against Long-Term Sun Damage
- Pool Chemicals Raise Kids Allergy, Asthma Risk
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men
- Lots of Sex May Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
- MENTAL HEALTH
- 17 Ways to Create the Perfect Workday
- Daily dose of beet juice promotes brain health in older adults
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
- PAIN
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- PREGNANCY
- Acupuncture May Relieve Acid Indigestation In Pregnancy
- Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy
- Calcium Supplements Cut Blood Lead Levels During Pregnancy
- SENIORS
- Vitamin D May Help Keep Aging at Bay
- Martial Arts Training May Save Seniors' Hips
- Video Gaming Just Might Fight Aging
Meditation May Boost Short-Term Visual Memory
By eHolistic.com Published: 05/21/2009
THURSDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- A certain type of meditation may help the brain retain images for short periods, says a new study on visual-spatial abilities.
When people view an object, they usually retain a clear picture of it in their visual short-term memory for only a few seconds before the details fade. An experiment by George Mason University researchers, though, found that people who practice Deity Yoga (DY) do much better at visual-spatial tasks shortly after they meditate.
The study's authors, writing in a recent issue of Psychological Science, said the finding may have "many implications for therapy, treatment of memory loss and mental training."
Practitioners of DY meditation zero in on an image of their deity, conjuring up a vivid, three-dimensional mental picture of it while honing in on the deity's emotions and environment.
In the experiment, led by psychologist Maria Kozhevnikov, meditation and non-meditation practitioners performed two visual-spatial tests: imagining the rotation of a 3-D object and viewing an image, then trying to identify it from among several other similar images. After a first round of tests, the participants spent the next 20 minutes either meditating or performing non-meditative tasks before being tested again.
All the subjects had similar scores on the first round of tests, suggesting that meditating in general causes no overall, long-term improvement in visual-spatial skills.
However, those who performed DY meditation between rounds did much better on both tasks in the second phase of tests than those who did non-meditative activities or practiced Open Presence (OP) meditation. OP practitioners, rather than focusing on a specific thing, try to achieve awareness by contemplating a wider array of experiences, images or thoughts that may come to them.
The study authors concluded that further investigations should be done to see if other visual meditation techniques can produce similar improvements in visual-spatial memory or if the results are specific to DY meditation.
More information
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has more about the health benefits of meditation.
-- Kevin McKeever
SOURCE: Association for Psychological Science, news release, April 27, 2009
Last Updated: May 21, 2009
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