I talk a lot about all of the health benefits from training our nervous systems to have a proper sympathetic/parasympathetic balance and why spending time in our parasympathetic state is so important for our health. Mindfulness training or meditation practices have been shown to be incredibly beneficial for people’s health and wellness. And now, studies are emerging that it can actually help to modulate activation of genes that control inflammation in the body, particularly the inflammation associated with stress. Not only has meditation been associated with positive effects on inflammatory genes, but also on gene-regulation pathways as well.
Our genome is constantly responding to stimuli. Studies show that epigenetic changes can occur within hours of stressful stimuli, dietary or exercise based stimuli. This is particularly important because it means that our state of mind has a profound effect on our physiology. So our thoughts and feelings create not just a neuroendocrine change and effect, but a phenotypic expression of our genome.
More research is definitely needed, but this may give us clues into why some people can ‘think themselves well’. By regulating pro-inflammatory pathways, those individuals would lower their risk of developing a number of illnesses that stem from chronic inflammation.
This is a great website to get you started if you’re interested in beginning a mindfulness practice.