Last October, a large study by the Imperial College London surveyed 84,000 people who had recovered from the new coronavirus (COVID-19) and found that many of the patients were left with significant cognitive deficits. Some of the most severely affected patients in the survey showed brain age deterioration of up to 10 years.
Now, more than a year into the pandemic, numerous studies have shown that COVID-19 can result in severe neurological damage.
According to Dr. Yuhong Dong, a European virologist and chief scientist at Biotech, while there is no standard drug treatment for nerve damage, meditation may help repair damage to the nerves, thus improving the state of brain degeneration.
The following is an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Dong.
Meditation can lengthen telomeres and rejuvenate the brain
Aging begins in the brain. When the coronavirus attacks brain cells, it may result in damage and degeneration, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. George Slavich, a psychoneuroimmunologist and psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Dr. David Black, a preventive medicine expert at the University of Southern California, jointly conducted a systematic review of 20 randomized, controlled studies done by internists over the last 20 years. Some of the findings showed that telomere length was longer in people who meditated when compared to those who did not meditate.
Another study, published in the journal Neuroreport, looked at people who’d meditated for an average of nine years. Researchers found that those who meditated exhibited a thicker brain cortex, and that those who had the longest history of meditation had the thickest cortices. This study demonstrates that meditation can bring positive changes to the structure of the brain.
Meditation increases blood supply to the brain
Another benefit of meditation is that it can increase blood supply to the gray matter.
Some people think that meditating with the legs crossed tightly will compress the blood vessels and impede blood circulation. In fact, the blood vessels are compressed when the legs are crossed, but this allows the blood to be distributed to other parts of the body. In addition, it causes the heart to reflexively increase its blood supply capacity and promotes blood flow to the brain.
To keep the brain functioning properly and in a healthy state, it is important for it to receive an adequate supply of blood. While it accounts for only 2 percent of total body weight, 20 percent of the body’s blood flow is directed to it. Studies show that meditation increases the amount of blood flow to the brain to an impressive level of 35 percent.
Studies demonstrate that meditation slows down cellular aging and increases the blood supply to the brain, thereby providing significant health benefits. (Health 1+1 / Epoch Times)
Meditation repairs nerve damage in the brain
Meditation requires one to quiet the mind, think of nothing, and remove all distractions. When people achieve this state, they actively remove negative emotions, stress, and anxiety from the brain, bringing the emotions into a state of calm. In this state of quiet, its ability to heal itself is enhanced, which allows for the repair of damaged nerves.
Helps fight viruses
The UCLA study also found that meditation enhances the body’s ability to fight viruses. This mainly manifests through the enhancement of the body’s immune system, namely, while in a state of meditation, helper T-cell numbers are increased, and their function is enhanced.
In other words, meditation boosts the body’s immunity and antiviral capabilities, enabling the body to destroy the coronavirus as it tries to attack the brain.
Meditation enhances the body’s energy
Meditation has yet another amazing benefit.
During meditation, it’s common to hold the tongue against the palate (roof of the mouth). From a Chinese medicine perspective, resting the tongue against the palate allows the meridians in the body to connect. Modern medicine has found that the meridians are related to the flow of energy in the body. Meditation can promote the circulation of the meridians, thereby increasing the energy in the body.
Traditional Chinese medicine has long considered meditation to be a way to maintain and promote good health. Today, modern medicine is beginning to place more and more emphasis on meditation as a way to heal and restore the body.
The new coronavirus has left many patients with neurological sequelae, causing cognitive decline, extreme fatigue, loss of smell and taste, and other issues. For these types of symptoms, the medical community has no effective form of treatment. Based on the studies at UCLA and elsewhere, patients may wish to meditate daily to nourish themselves and accelerate their physical recovery and bodily integrity.
Translated by Yi Ming and edited by Tatiana Denning SO — Simpura Weight Loss & Wellness
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest
