Science is now agreeing that meditation can be a powerful form of stress relief and can help general health. Hundreds of studies on meditation have been performed, and they indicate the following:

>> Meditation creates a unique hypo-metabolic state, in which the metabolism is in an even deeper state of rest than during sleep. During sleep, oxygen consumption drops by 8 percent, but during meditation, it drops by 10 to 20 percent.

>> Meditation is the only activity that reduces blood lactate, a marker of stress and anxiety.

>> The calming hormones melatonin and serotonin are increased by meditation, and the stress hormone cortisol is decreased.

>> Meditators secrete more of the youth-related hormone DHEA as they age than non-meditators. Meditating forty-five-year-old males have an average of 23 percent more DHEA than non-meditators, and meditating females have an average of 47 percent more. This helps decrease stress, heighten memory, preserve sexual function, and control weight.

>> Meditation has a profound effect upon three key indicators of aging: hearing ability, blood pressure, and vision of close objects.

>> Long-term meditators experience 80 percent less heart disease and 50 percent less cancer than nonmeditators.

>> 75 percent of insomniacs were able to sleep normally when they meditated.

>> 34 percent of people with chronic pain significantly reduced medication when they began meditating.