How has Kirtan Kriya helped those with Alzheimer’s?
“The reason an integrated medical program works is simple: the brain is flesh and blood, just like the rest of the body. Like your heart or any other part of your body, your brain requires the proper nutrition, blood flow, and energy to perform well. Simply put, “What works for the heart, works for the head”-Dr. Khalsa
The Study: Following studies, which found the Kirtan Kriya meditation program to increase cognitive function and cerebral blood flow, a study was conducted to test the integrative meditational medicine on those with Alzheimer’s and memory loss. The study on Kirtan Kriya measured the results of the meditative practice over an 8-week study testing variations in the stress, sleep, mood, and anxiety of 15 subjects with memory loss in the median age range of 62±7 years old and their caregivers.
The Method: In order to test the results of Kirtan Kriya the research team in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation in Tucson, AZ prepared preliminary and post-study testing including neuropsychological tests, photon emission scans, and measures for mood, anxiety, and spirituality. “Major outcomes included measures of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), sleep (General Sleep Disturbance Scale), mood (Profile of Mood States), memory functioning (Memory Functioning Questionnaire), and blood pressure.”
The Results: The 8-week study produced positive results! Subjects spending 12 minutes a day meditating with Kirtan Kriya were found to have “positive changes in mood, anxiety, and other neuropsychological parameters, and these changes correlated with changes in cerebral blood flow.” See the study.
The study also observed, “an improvement across measures of mental health and cognitive functioning, psychological distress, and telomerase activity in caregivers performing daily Kirtan Kriya compared with the relaxation group.”
Is Integrative Medicine a Good Approach to Alzheimer’s?
According to Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, Integrative Medicine techniques like Kirtan Kriya and other meditation techniques help to cure memory loss that could be related to stress, cognitive decline, or due to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is a specific type of memory loss that is, in fact, a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.” Dr. Khalsa creates a vivid picture of integrative medicine by asking us “to imagine two rivers: a river on the left as conventional medicine, including drugs and surgery, and a river on the right as alternative, or complementary, medicine, consisting primarily of treatments people can apply themselves.”
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