A recent Harvard Study has found that programs which train individuals to elicit the relaxation response can also dramatically reduce health care utilization.
We at FLOAT STL couldn’t agree more. If we are engaging in a regular practice which supports introspection, relaxation and interoceptive awareness then it is likely we will be able to support the body functioning in a way which serves to heal itself.
The article states, “By doing a comparative analysis of information available on Research Patient Data Registry (RPDR) of Partners HealthCare and data on individuals participating in the BHI Relaxation Response Resiliency Program (3RP) from 2006 to 2014, researchers came to the conclusion that practitioners of yoga/ meditation/ prayer spent significantly lower than non-practitioners, on medical services.
The study also found that practitioners primarily benefitted from neurologic, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal ailments.”
This falls in line with an idea of focusing on maintaining overall health through proactive prevention rather than operating from a reactive standpoint.