Hits & Misses – 2009/6/17
Meditation: “[It] can ease pain, improve concentration and the immune function, lower blood pressure, curb anxiety and insomnia, and possible even help prevent depression.”
Alan Blinder on why Americans like low taxes: They’ve been brainwashed by TV.
Best predictor of your future health: your family tree: For most common diseases it’s more informative than a genetic profile.
The article says that meditation “can” ease this and that.
Does it? According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, “[s]cientific research on meditation practices does not appear to have a common theoretical perspective and is characterized by poor methodological quality. Firm conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence.”
Thanks Linda for clearing that up.
I can see how a family tree could be a better predictor of future health than genes. Nearly two-thirds of health care is related to lifestyle. Families arguably pass down many lifestyle habits and choices. Smoking is more common in the children of smokers, as is drinking. Families undoubtedly pass down dietary habits having to do with favorite meals and possibly portion size. I guess the moral of the story is that if your ancestors survived to old age through healthy living (or despite of unhealthy living) your odds are good that you too will survive to old age.