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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Physiological Response to Spirituality

woman meditating

MICROGEN IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY from sciencephoto/CanvaPro

A 2023 study in Integrative Medicine Reports involving 68 undergraduate college students evaluated the physiological effects of an eight-week wellness intervention called Awakened Awareness for Adolescents and Emerging Adults (AA-A) designed to help participants develop a personal relationship with their higher self and a higher power, while broadening their awareness toward outward accomplishments.

 

At the beginning of the study, the researchers collected self-reported information about clinical, psychological and spiritual well-being from the participants and measured their heart rate variability (HRV)—the slight variation in time between heartbeats. HRV is an indirect measure of stress because it indicates the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system. A person in a fight-or-flight mode will have lower HRV, whereas a relaxed person may have higher HRV.

 

Participants attended weekly, 90-minute groups sessions. After the last session, the same HRV and well-being data were collected. Significant improvements were noted in the participants’ HRV, suggesting improvements in the ability to recover from stress and spiritual decline. Further research is required to fully understand the role of spirituality in resilience and recovery from stress.


Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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