title: Meditation, Health and Scientific Investigations: Review of the Literature.
abstract: A growing number of people are seeking health recovery treatments with a holistic approach to the human being. Meditation is a mental training capable of producing connection between the mind, body and spirit. Its practice helps people to achieve balance, relaxation and self-control, in addition to the development of consciousness. At present, meditation is classified as a complementary and integrative technique in the area of health. The purpose of this review of the literature was to describe what meditation is, its practices and effects on health, demonstrated by consistent scientific investigations. Recently, the advances in researches with meditation, the discovery of its potential as an instrument of self-regulation of the human body and its benefits to health have shown that it is a consistent alternative therapy when associated with conventional medical treatments.
authors.affiliation: Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Bahia Foundation for the Development of Sciences, FBDC, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. cysampaio@gmail.com.|Centro Médico Iguatemi, Av. Tancredo Neves, 805-A, Sala 301, Caminho das Árvores, 41820-021, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. cysampaio@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cynthia Vieira Sanches
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7956-7963
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Bahia Foundation for the Development of Sciences, FBDC, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Manuela Garcia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Bahia Foundation for the Development of Sciences, FBDC, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Marice
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ladeia
mesh_terms: D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D012106:Research
keywords: Health; Integrative treatment; Meditation; Spirituality; Well-being