Science 'Discovers' Yoga Inhibits Ageing
by sadh Tuesday, Sep 17 2013, 12:10am
international / prose / post

Prior to re-posting this article from the BBC on yoga and its ability to retard the ageing process -- a reality known for thousands of years in the East but ignored by science -- I would first emphasise that the Rishis, ancient sages of India, that developed this way of life did so with intuitive knowledge, i.e., a RADICAL, unfettered consciousness, one neither constrained by or limited to the empirical five senses of science -- would you ask a mole to describe a mountain-top landscape?

With the above reality firmly established and in consideration of the ultra-conservative tone and approach which the article betrays, I would allow humankind, armed with its ability to open into infinity, to assess the stodgy ‘view ‘ of limited science.

Someone should inform these empirical ‘moles’ that the universe is infinite and human consciousness is able to connect to that infinite reality.

‘Conservatives’ are exactly that -- they live in ‘boxes’ and are afraid to open up to anything that threatens their limited world view, five fuckin’ empirical senses, you must be kidding! Ask them which senses are active during dream or in other alternative REALITIES.

But bear in mind that conservatives are afraid and therefore VIOLENT, they may take to you with shock treatment and/or Serotonin inhibitors to force/torture you back into living in one of their prescribed ‘boxes!’ An example of which is politically evident today in Australia.

An arch-conservative, Jesuit trained, Tony Abbott, was recently voted into high office and already his leadership is being described as a leap back into the 50's!

Conservatives currently hold political power in the USA, Western Europe, Australia, Canada, NZ and most Muslim nations; so do not complain, simply become radical like the universe you are a living component of -- God/Truth does not play hide and seek, 'he/she/it' is in your face!

There is nothing to fear, open ended existence is supremely beautiful, beyond description in fact. However, be generous and allow the ‘moles’ to live in their limited, fearful ‘underground’ world if they so choose, but never allow them to dictate policy or have influence over anyone -- lest the world regresses and becomes a theatre of conflict and perpetual war!


Article from the BBC follows:

Health kick 'reverses cell ageing'
by Michelle Roberts

Going on a health kick reverses ageing at the cellular level, researchers say.

The University of California team says it has found the first evidence a strict regime of exercise, diet and meditation can have such an effect.

But experts say although the study in Lancet Oncology is intriguing, it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.

The study looked at just 35 men with prostate cancer. Those who changed their lifestyle had demonstrably younger cells in genetic terms.
Safety caps

The researchers saw visible cellular changes in the group of 10 men who switched to a vegetarian diet and stuck to a recommended timetable of exercise and stress-busting meditation and yoga.

The changes related to protective caps at the end of our chromosomes, called telomeres.

Their role is to safeguard the end of the chromosome and to prevent the loss of genetic information during cell division.

As we age and our cells divide, our telomeres get shorter - their structural integrity weakens, which can tell cells to stop dividing and die.

Researchers have been questioning whether this process might be inevitable or something that could be halted or even reversed.

The latest work by Prof Dean Ornish and colleagues suggests telomeres can be lengthened, given the right encouragement.

They measured telomere length at the beginning of their study and again after five years.

Among the 10 men with low-risk prostate cancer who made comprehensive lifestyle changes, telomere length increased significantly by an average of 10%.

In comparison, telomere length decreased by an average of 3% in the remaining 25 men who were not asked to make any lifestyle changes.
Jury's out

Shorter telomeres have been linked with a broad range of age-related diseases, including heart disease, and a variety of cancers.

The study did not set out to check if lifestyle changes and telomere lengthening would improve cancer outcomes, but the researchers say this is something that should be investigated.

Prof Ornish said: "The implications of this relatively small pilot study may go beyond men with prostate cancer. If validated by large-scale randomised controlled trials, these comprehensive lifestyle changes may significantly reduce the risk of a wide variety of diseases and premature mortality.

"Our genes, and our telomeres, are a predisposition, but they are not necessarily our fate."

Dr Lyn Cox, a biochemistry expert at Oxford University in the UK, said it was not possible to draw any conclusions from the research, but added: "Overall, though, the findings of this paper that changes in lifestyle can have a positive effect on markers of ageing support the calls for adoption of and adherence to healthier lifestyles."

Dr Tom Vulliamy, senior lecturer in Molecular Biology at Queen Mary University of London, said: "It is really important to highlight that this is a small pilot study.

"Also, the significance of the effect of these lifestyle changes on telomere length is actually quite borderline, with only two or three men showing any improvement.

"Given this, I'm definitely going to wait to see whether this can be replicated on a larger scale and with more sizeable effects before I get excited."

Experts agree that telomere shortening is unlikely to be the sole explanation for human ageing.

"For example, humans have much shorter telomeres than primates and mice, yet live for far longer.

"But past work has shown that people who lead a sedentary lifestyle can experience accelerated cellular ageing in the form of more rapid shortening of their telomeres.

© 2013 BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24111357