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Creating illusions of wondrous effects of yoga and meditation on health: A skeptic exposes tricks

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567

http://blogs.plos.org/mindthebrain/...editation-on-health-a-skeptic-exposes-tricks/

This only partly looks at six specific studies as there will be a follow-up blog that looks at them in more detail.

It makes general suggestions about how sceptical people can question studies they come across of mind-body and other interventions.
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
Discussion in the media of the review speaks broadly of alternative and complementary interventions. The coverage is aimed at inspiring confidence in this broad range of treatments and to encourage people who are facing health crises investing time and money in outright quackery. Seemingly benign recommendations for yoga, tai chi, and mindfulness (after all, what’s the harm?) often become the entry point to more dubious and expensive treatments that substitute for established treatments. Once they are drawn to centers for integrative health care for classes, cancer patients are likely to spend hundreds or even thousands on other products and services that are unlikely to benefit them. One study reported:

More than 72 oral or topical, nutritional, botanical, fungal and bacterial-based medicines were prescribed to the cohort during their first year of IO care…Costs ranged from $1594/year for early-stage breast cancer to $6200/year for stage 4 breast cancer patients. Of the total amount billed for IO care for 1 year for breast cancer patients, 21% was out-of-pocket.
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
I know of at least two patients who believe they have psychic/magical powers now.

Once you let yourself be hypnotised, which often happens with such therapies, you are opening yourself up to the possibility of ending up with strange beliefs.
 

notmyself

Senior Member
Messages
364
You could be right if the phrase ignorance is bliss is accurate.
i didin 't say it will cure disease ,cancer or me/cfs etc..but yes absolutelly meditation have many benefits..if done properly..but anyway, i notice from before you have the answers to anything,who doesn't share your opinion is ignorant :)
 

skipskip30

Senior Member
Messages
237
i didin 't say it will cure disease ,cancer or me/cfs etc..but yes absolutelly meditation have many benefits..if done properly..but anyway, i notice from before you have the answers to anything,who doesn't share your opinion is ignorant :)

When you post an absolute like you did, you have to be prepared for a backlash from people with equally strong views. You believe meditation helps people, thats perfectly fine. When you start using words like undeniable you will get peoples backs up because you are not posting as your opinion, you are trying to say this is fact that cannot be disputed by anyone.
 

notmyself

Senior Member
Messages
364
Drugs are much better, drugs for everything...let's not help the body heal itself..let's just give him drugs and chemicals for every ailment we have,Also let's all pretend that mental stress doesen't cause any symptoms,that stress is just a state of mind and nothing more..meditation to learn to control your thoughts and your reaction to stresfull moments is totally useless.Actually there is some reasearch showing that meditation cause cancer,schizophernia,and AIDS without the Hiv..stay away from mediation!!!it will kill you.
 

ghosalb

Senior Member
Messages
136
Location
upstate NY
All I know is Steve Jobs (iphone creator), Ray Dalio (biggest hedge fund manager), Novak Djokovic (#1 tennis player) used to or meditate everyday....Dalai Lama, Buddha and so on...these are intelligent, curious people...
 

Invisible Woman

Senior Member
Messages
1,267
There is only one thing I know for sure:

No one thing thing in this life is right for everybody.

Speaking as someone who loved to practice yoga asanas when well enough and who enjoyed meditation (started making neuro symptoms a lot worse so I have stopped - a shame as I enjoyed it).

By all means try 'em if you're up to it BUT make sure you have a sensible teacher who doesn't make wild claims.
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
All I know is Steve Jobs (iphone creator), Ray Dalio (biggest hedge fund manager), Novak Djokovic (#1 tennis player) used to or meditate everyday....Dalai Lama, Buddha and so on...these are intelligent, curious people...
I don't consider the fact that a few (or more) famous people do something a satisfactory way to evaluate health and medical interventions.
 

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
My descent into worse health happened after having practiced yoga Tai Chi ect for years I tried doing Kundalini yoga. We were asked to do a particular kind of breathing while raising our arms repeatedly up and down at our sides. I barely made it home. I have also (after that episode) done restorative yoga a very gentle more static version with props (pillows, rolls, mats etc) that was temporary relief for me. But it certainly was not long term recovery by any means.

There are a wide variety of yoga styles depending on each individual some would definitely be contra indicated as potentially harmful.
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
the benenfits of meditation are undeniable..regardless of what skeptics say! meditation will never harm anyone ;)..

I have not experienced meditation, so I cannot have a personnal opinion on it,
but in the case of Yoga, it can be harmful for some people. I tryed it two or three years, because I found breathing exercices to be interesting and I wanted to fight my joints stiffness...I ended with an Achille tendinitis that lasted 7 months, and later a shoulder tendinitis that lasted more than 2 years....I finally understood that my body was too ill for such exercises!
 

ghosalb

Senior Member
Messages
136
Location
upstate NY
I am no expert in any of these, so take it for what it is worth....yoga is physical mostly, meditation is for resting your brain or mind and breathing is for extra oxygen in our system (7 or 9 times more oxygen compared to regular breathing)...I tried yoga and quit immediately because I realized it is too much exertion for my CFS body.... do mild version of meditation lying or reclining and it makes be feel rested immediately physically and cognitively, try to do it for 10-15 minutes before going outside home or any mental work....breathing I do off and on but can't claim any obvious benefits so far.....since some of us have breathing issues, extra oxygen thru breathing makes lot of sense to me.....I plan to do it regularly and see if it helps....are these cure for anything, I have no idea....refuse to pay anyone for any of these...these are all available free now a days....I made a small donation for meditation tutoring because he does not ask for anything, he will accept any amount of donation for two one on one sessions...it was worth it.
 

IreneF

Senior Member
Messages
1,552
Location
San Francisco
There is only one thing I know for sure:

No one thing thing in this life is right for everybody.

Speaking as someone who loved to practice yoga asanas when well enough and who enjoyed meditation (started making neuro symptoms a lot worse so I have stopped - a shame as I enjoyed it).

By all means try 'em if you're up to it BUT make sure you have a sensible teacher who doesn't make wild claims.
I enjoyed yoga when I was able to do it, but it certainly didn't cure what ailed me. And teachers make a huge difference. It's hard to evaluate your teacher when you are just starting out, tho.
 

IreneF

Senior Member
Messages
1,552
Location
San Francisco
I have not experienced meditation, so I cannot have a personnal opinion on it,
but in the case of Yoga, it can be harmful for some people. I tryed it two or three years, because I found breathing exercices to be interesting and I wanted to fight my joints stiffness...I ended with an Achille tendinitis that lasted 7 months, and later a shoulder tendinitis that lasted more than 2 years....I finally understood that my body was too ill for such exercises!
My last yoga teacher had recently had both hips replaced when I started with her. I was astonished, I thought a lifetime of yoga practice would protect against that kind of damage. Then I read that the overextension in some poses actually stresses the hip joint and causes injury. See The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by Wm. J. Broad.
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
My last yoga teacher had recently had both hips replaced when I started with her. I was astonished, I thought a lifetime of yoga practice would protect against that kind of damage. Then I read that the overextension in some poses actually stresses the hip joint and causes injury. See The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by Wm. J. Broad.
Maybe my double tendinitis protected me from a later double hip replacement!:lol: