The Role of Meditation,Pranayam and yogasana in psycho-somatic ailments.

The role of pranayam yogasana and meditation in psychosomatic diseasesMany diseases which are psycho-somatic in nature respond better to meditation pranayam and yogasana.As the range of psychosomatic ailments is vast yogasana,pranayam and meditaton can be used as an effective suppliment with the regular medication.Pranayam and meditation remains the same whereas yogasana changes with the nature and the severity of the ailment.The diseases full of anxiety and stress are more amenable to savasana(savasana is a yogic posture of lying relaxed like a corpse.).Pranayam or the control of breating is an act of inhaling the air with the right nostrill,retaining the air by pressing both the nostrils and then releasing the air through the left nostril.Pranayam facilitates better oxygen intake and improves health.Meditation helps overcoming anxiety and stress.In addition to pranayam meditation and yogasana morning walk of about 50 minutes is helpful in keeping the patient physically fit.Unless the walking is contra-indicated or the patient is disabled / bed-ridden walking should not be avoided.Avidance of stressful situations is advocated in almost all ailments becase generally stress has been found to aggravate ailments.The patients/relatives of patients desirous to know more about pranayam should read Patanjali’s yogsutra in translation.

Settlement reached in WV asbestos suit

According to AP writer Allison Barker, WVU will pay former and current employees as part of an asbestos class action settlement:

West Virginia University has reached a settlement in a class-action lawsuit affecting up to 5,600 former and current employees who may have been exposed to asbestos, the school announced Tuesday.

As part of the proposed settlement, WVU will institute and pay for a medical surveillance program to be conducted for 20 years. WVU also agreed to pay $1 million to cover potential claims and attorney fees.

A judge must approve the agreement before it becomes final. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 22.

University employees sued in 2000 and sought medical monitoring for potential asbestos-related health problems as a result of working in university buildings containing asbestos insulation.

The workers, including professors, custodians, secretaries and other staff, alleged that asbestos in campus buildings put them at an increased risk of cancer.

The university said in a statement that the agreement had been reached in the “spirit of compromise.”

“WVU maintains that all standard, recognized practices for asbestos removal have been followed over the years, and that the general population of employees, through routine monitoring of buildings and air samplings, remain safe from any harmful effects of asbestos-containing materials,” the university said.

Until the 1970s, asbestos was universally prized for its resistance to fire and heat. Since then, the medical community has warned that asbestos fibers, when inhaled, can cause such illnesses as mesothelioma, a rare and inoperable form of lung cancer. It also causes asbestosis, an irreversible scarring of the lungs, and other lung ailments.

Asbestos Bill Dies in Senate

The Senate bill that would have established a $140 billion fund to compensate victims of asbestos was defeated last night because of budgetary questions. The vote to override the budget objection failed on a 58 to 41 vote.

Majority leader Bill Frist had said he would not try to bring the bill back later in the year, but one Senator who missed the vote because hiw wife was sick said he would have voted yes, opening the door for possible passage later.

What this means for those who have been poisioned by asbestos is that the courts are still the only way to get restitution. It’s estimated that 10,000 people a year die from asbestos related illnesses, but about 60 percent of the money in asbestos court settlements goes to lawyers instead of victims.

Still, many liberal Democrats said the bill did not go far enough to compensate victims and would serve only as a way to bail out companies that should be held liable for the damage. Some Republicans hesitated to create what they thought would become another entitlement program.

(Source: New York Times