A soldier with the 160th Signal Brigade meditates before duty at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Margaret Taylor) by: Military Health System Communications Office
Army Lt. Col. Steve Zappalla was working in his cubicle at the Pentagon on the day terrorists flew a hijacked plane into the building. The force of the impact lifted him out of his seat and slammed him onto the floor. He escaped with a concussion, but 22 of his workgroup colleagues were among 125 people in the building who died.
Zappalla, a combat arms officer, returned to the Pentagon only a few days after 9/11 to work out of a makeshift office. He tried to push the tragedy out of his mind, but “I had a lot of difficult emotions and didn’t know how to deal with them,” he said. “And my relationships with loved ones suffered.”
The father of six children retired in 2003. Still struggling, he started abusing prescription drugs and alcohol. He finally found help by taking friends’ advice to learn meditation.
“I’m less stressed, less anxious,” he said. “I’ve learned it’s OK for my mind to just be still.”
Meditation is an ancient spiritual practice that’s showing promise as a modern health innovation, as researchers discover meditating leads to brain changes that can have long-term physical and mental health benefits.
“Research has really picked up over the past 15 years,” said Army Capt. Stephen Krauss, a research psychologist and assistant professor in the Military and Emergency Medicine Department for the Consortium for Human and Military Performance, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
“There are a lot of findings supporting meditation and mind-body medicine overall,” Krauss said.
Meditation has many traditions and techniques, including mindfulness, transcendental, and Zen. Basically, it’s an exercise to train the brain to be calm and present, a “here-and-now” orientation with a nonjudgmental sense of awareness.
Some meditators repeatedly intone “om,” a symbolic word of affirmation. Others mentally focus on a word or phrase, also known as a mantra, or simply on their own breaths.
Meditation can be done while sitting, lying down, or walking. When external noises, thoughts, and other distractions intrude, meditators should acknowledge them mentally, release them, and then return to the original focus.
According to Krauss, the National Institutes of Health sparked meditation research by including it in studies of alternative medicines. The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that during meditation, measurable biological changes occur in body functions that aren’t consciously controlled, such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion. These changes can help reduce stress and fatigue, lower blood pressure, and strengthen the immune system, among other findings.
“It takes the body about three minutes to switch from an active response to a more relaxed response, and that’s when you start seeing meditation’s benefits,” Krauss said, adding that people who are the most anxious about it usually have the most to gain.
“Someone who has a hard time sitting still can do a moving meditation,” he said, such as walking a labyrinth. Krauss is exploring using the indoor labyrinth at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland, as a mental health intervention for chaplains or behavioral health providers to offer service members.
Krauss said the NIH and Veterans Affairs have taken the lead on scientific inquiry, while the Military Health System is focusing on the most effective ways to incorporate meditation at military treatment facilities and in specific health and wellness programs.
Zappalla wasn’t an immediate fan of meditation. “There were 300 people sitting in silence in this big, open room,” he recalled of his first attempt, a free weekly community gathering in Washington, D.C. “I looked around and said, ‘Nah,’ and then left. But I knew there was something there for me because it felt like home, in a way. So I kept going back.”
Eventually, Zappalla stayed for the entire 30-minute session and since then, meditation has been an integral part of his life. He regularly meditates on his own and also attends occasional weekend or week-long group retreats.
“I’m a total believer in meditation,” he said, “because I know what it’s done for me.”
The Human Performance Resource Center offers tips for mindfulness meditation and a five-minute, guided meditation session.
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Army Lt. Col. Steve Zappalla was working in his cubicle at the Pentagon on the day terrorists flew a hijacked plane into the building. The force of the impact lifted him out of his seat and slammed him onto the floor. He escaped with a concussion, but 22 of his workgroup colleagues were among 125 people in the building who died.
Zappalla, a combat arms officer, returned to the Pentagon only a few days after 9/11 to work out of a makeshift office. He tried to push the tragedy out of his mind, but “I had a lot of difficult emotions and didn’t know how to deal with them,” he said. “And my relationships with loved ones suffered.”
The father of six children retired in 2003. Still struggling, he started abusing prescription drugs and alcohol. He finally found help by taking friends’ advice to learn meditation.
“I’m less stressed, less anxious,” he said. “I’ve learned it’s OK for my mind to just be still.”
Meditation is an ancient spiritual practice that’s showing promise as a modern health innovation, as researchers discover meditating leads to brain changes that can have long-term physical and mental health benefits.
“Research has really picked up over the past 15 years,” said Army Capt. Stephen Krauss, a research psychologist and assistant professor in the Military and Emergency Medicine Department for the Consortium for Human and Military Performance, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
“There are a lot of findings supporting meditation and mind-body medicine overall,” Krauss said.
Meditation has many traditions and techniques, including mindfulness, transcendental, and Zen. Basically, it’s an exercise to train the brain to be calm and present, a “here-and-now” orientation with a nonjudgmental sense of awareness.
Some meditators repeatedly intone “om,” a symbolic word of affirmation. Others mentally focus on a word or phrase, also known as a mantra, or simply on their own breaths.
Meditation can be done while sitting, lying down, or walking. When external noises, thoughts, and other distractions intrude, meditators should acknowledge them mentally, release them, and then return to the original focus.
According to Krauss, the National Institutes of Health sparked meditation research by including it in studies of alternative medicines. The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that during meditation, measurable biological changes occur in body functions that aren’t consciously controlled, such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion. These changes can help reduce stress and fatigue, lower blood pressure, and strengthen the immune system, among other findings.
“It takes the body about three minutes to switch from an active response to a more relaxed response, and that’s when you start seeing meditation’s benefits,” Krauss said, adding that people who are the most anxious about it usually have the most to gain.
“Someone who has a hard time sitting still can do a moving meditation,” he said, such as walking a labyrinth. Krauss is exploring using the indoor labyrinth at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland, as a mental health intervention for chaplains or behavioral health providers to offer service members.
Krauss said the NIH and Veterans Affairs have taken the lead on scientific inquiry, while the Military Health System is focusing on the most effective ways to incorporate meditation at military treatment facilities and in specific health and wellness programs.
Zappalla wasn’t an immediate fan of meditation. “There were 300 people sitting in silence in this big, open room,” he recalled of his first attempt, a free weekly community gathering in Washington, D.C. “I looked around and said, ‘Nah,’ and then left. But I knew there was something there for me because it felt like home, in a way. So I kept going back.”
Eventually, Zappalla stayed for the entire 30-minute session and since then, meditation has been an integral part of his life. He regularly meditates on his own and also attends occasional weekend or week-long group retreats.
“I’m a total believer in meditation,” he said, “because I know what it’s done for me.”
The Human Performance Resource Center offers tips for mindfulness meditation and a five-minute, guided meditation session.
Read More ...
Resource helps tobacco users get ready for quit dayNavy Lt. Misha Lockey (right) a dentist at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, educates a patient during a routine exam about the harmful effects of tobacco and resources available to help users quit. (U.S. Navy photo by Lisa Lill) by: Military Health System Communications Office
If you plan on making kicking the tobacco habit a New Year’s resolution, get a jump-start with the Great American Smokeout Nov. 16. The annual event encourages tobacco users to abstain for 24 hours, with the idea that one day will lead to another and then another, putting people on the path of quitting altogether.
To support those who aim to quit, the Department of Defense has relaunched Quit Tobacco – UCanQuit2’s live chat feature. Quit-Tobacco – UCanQuit2 is an educational campaign on tobacco cessation for U.S. service members that began about 10 years ago. Users, including Military Health System beneficiaries and veterans, can click on the live chat bar on the web page to access personalized and private support from coaches as well as information on topics such as dealing with cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
educational campaign also offers a text message support program for those trying to kick the habit. Sign up by texting MIL to 47848 from your mobile phone, and then answering some questions.
“Many young, healthy service members are using tobacco, and that has a huge impact on readiness,” said U.S. Public Health Service Capt. Kimberly Elenberg, director of Joint Force Fitness, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
The potential health risks of tobacco use are well-documented. They include cancer, heart and lung diseases, and diabetes. Tobacco use also increases the risk of some eye diseases and immune system problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it can cause erectile dysfunction. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers, the CDC says.
DoD spends about $1.6 billion annually on tobacco-related medical care, and tobacco use remains higher in the military than in the civilian population. MHS defines tobacco-free living as avoiding all types of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco and snuff), pipes, and hookahs, and also striving to live free from secondhand smoke exposure.
While the health risks are known, addiction for many people proves to be too powerful to break. One study found that 59 percent of smokeless tobacco users at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, tried and failed at quitting. About 77 percent of the users believed smokeless tobacco is at least as harmful as cigarettes but continued using anyway. And while half of the smokeless tobacco users came into the military with the habit, the other half picked it up during basic training or shortly afterward.
“UCanQuit2 is an outlet for tobacco users to get the support and resources to quit and live healthier lives,” Elenberg said.
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Questions for MHS?
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To support those who aim to quit, the Department of Defense has relaunched Quit Tobacco – UCanQuit2’s live chat feature. Quit-Tobacco – UCanQuit2 is an educational campaign on tobacco cessation for U.S. service members that began about 10 years ago. Users, including Military Health System beneficiaries and veterans, can click on the live chat bar on the web page to access personalized and private support from coaches as well as information on topics such as dealing with cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
educational campaign also offers a text message support program for those trying to kick the habit. Sign up by texting MIL to 47848 from your mobile phone, and then answering some questions.
“Many young, healthy service members are using tobacco, and that has a huge impact on readiness,” said U.S. Public Health Service Capt. Kimberly Elenberg, director of Joint Force Fitness, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
The potential health risks of tobacco use are well-documented. They include cancer, heart and lung diseases, and diabetes. Tobacco use also increases the risk of some eye diseases and immune system problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it can cause erectile dysfunction. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers, the CDC says.
DoD spends about $1.6 billion annually on tobacco-related medical care, and tobacco use remains higher in the military than in the civilian population. MHS defines tobacco-free living as avoiding all types of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco and snuff), pipes, and hookahs, and also striving to live free from secondhand smoke exposure.
While the health risks are known, addiction for many people proves to be too powerful to break. One study found that 59 percent of smokeless tobacco users at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, tried and failed at quitting. About 77 percent of the users believed smokeless tobacco is at least as harmful as cigarettes but continued using anyway. And while half of the smokeless tobacco users came into the military with the habit, the other half picked it up during basic training or shortly afterward.
“UCanQuit2 is an outlet for tobacco users to get the support and resources to quit and live healthier lives,” Elenberg said.
Read More ...
Questions for MHS?
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