From Ayurveda to biomedicine: understanding the human body

From Ayurveda to biomedicine: understanding the human body

"What is a human body? This may seem a facetious question, but the answer will be very different according to which medical tradition you consult. Take Ayurveda, a traditional system of medical knowledge from India which has enjoyed a renaissance of popularity in the West since the 1980s – and is the subject of a new exhibition at London’s Wellcome Collection."

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How yoga got its stretch back

How yoga got its stretch back

"From the UK to Canada, China to India, around the world, yoga is big business. In 2016, Americans alone spent US$16 billion on yoga classes and products. To put that figure into perspective – this is the same amount allocated by the World Bank to help the entire continent of Africa tackle urgent climate change challenges."

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How yoga makes us happy, according to science

How yoga makes us happy, according to science

"Can we really unlock our personal power by adopting “powerful” body postures? Unfortunately, the findings that link these so-called “power poses” beloved of certain politicians with a real sense of power and control are difficult to replicate. We may not yet understand the mechanism through which body postures influence our psychological states, but our recent study suggests that we may draw insights from the rapidly expanding research on the psychological benefits of yoga."

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Mindfulness may help ease low back pain

Mindfulness may help ease low back pain

First off let me preface this by stating that patients should consult with their doctors about both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to help manage their pain. Mindfulness is not a panacea, it is an option for patients who are willing to explore non-pharmacological options for pain management. A number of recent scientific publications confirm that simple mindful actives help people manage their pain. Mindfulness meditation is a practice premised on directing nonjudgmental attention to arising sensory events, this reduces pain by distracting the mind from the pain sensations. 

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New Research on Massage and Cancer

New Research on Massage and Cancer

Last year Harvard Medical school hosted the Joint Conference: Acupuncture, Oncology & Fascia. This conference brought together experts in the fields of acupuncture, integrative oncology, cancer biology and mechanobiology. As a follow up to this conference there is now some new literature on physical-based therapies an cancer. 

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