Meditation as a preventative measure to reduce morbidity and stress: Meditation promotes immune function and reduces self-reported stress in practitioners In Eastern cultures, meditation is has been practiced for over two thousand years. Through this training a culture has developed in which an individual is empowered to engage in preventative behaviors, which reduce stress and morbidity, resulting in an overall state of well-being, with stability and peace of mind in the face of daily challenges (Richardson and Lutz, 2008 ). Over the last half century, the Western scientific community has begun to evaluate the effectiveness of Eastern meditation methods. In the modern Western world there is an excessive abundance of stress, pressure and overstimulation. These conditions often result in stress-related morbidities, high levels of anxiety, and mental illness. This cause and effect relationship is well established and the emphasis is typically placed on symptom control and less on preventative behavior modification. There are clinically documented meditation practices (see Table 1) that can be taught to an individual in a short period of time and that have been shown to have positive results. Meditation can be used preventatively to support immune function and during illness as a method to promote healing and well-being at nominal costs. This article will carry out a literature review of a number of studies examining the role of meditation training as it relates to promoting immune function in athletes, recovery of cancer patients, as well as reducing stress and promoting well-being in professionals, cancer patients and the elderly. meditation practitioners. Meditation and immune response examined Solberg et al. examined the ef...... middle of paper ......163. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.4321/ S02136163 20110 00200003. The Tucson Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction MBSR Program. (n.d.). Tucson RSS2 MBSR Program. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://mbsrprogram.org/Solber, E.E., Halvorsen, R., Sundgot-Borgen, J., Ingjer, F., Holen, A. (1995). Meditation: a modulator of the immune response to physical stress? A brief summary. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 29(4), 255-257. Retrieved from http://bjsm.bmj.comVerma, G., Araya, R. (2010). The effect of meditation and physiological distress among Buddhist monks and nuns. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 40(4), 461-468. doi:10.2190/PM.40.4.hWelcome to www.mbct.com. Your guide to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. (n.d.). MBCT House. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://www.mbct.com/