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Research roundup
NEW FRONTIERS NEW FRONTIERS:
RESEARCH ROUND UP
OUR PICK OF THE LATEST HEALTH AND WELLBEING RESEARCH OF INTEREST TO HOLISTIC THERAPISTS AND THEIR CLIENTS… SOCIAL ISOLATION: HIKIKOMORI EMERGES AS A GLOBAL ISSUE
a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The study, conducted
EXERCISE: YOGA ENHANCES BRAIN STRUCTURES
in China, analysed data from over 100,000 participants over seven years, with the most marked benefits found in those who drank green tea or were long-term habitual tea drinkers. Habitual tea drinkers had a 39% lower risk of heart disease and stroke, 56% lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 29% decreased risk of all-cause death compared to
Previous research has shown that social isolation
consistent never or non-habitual tea drinkers. It’s
has a profound impact on physical health,
thought that the benefits were due to polyphenol
mental wellbeing and longevity. Now, experts in
compounds in the tea, which do not persist
Hikikomori, a Japanese word which describes
long in the body, so frequent tea consumption
the condition of extreme social isolation, say the
bestowed more marked cardiac protection. Ref:
phenomenon is much more widespread than
10.1177/2047487319894685
An evidence review of previous studies has confirmed that yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise. The study was published in the journal Brain Plasticity. The research team noted that yoga practice increases the size of the hippocampus, which is involved in memory processing and shrinks with age. The hippocampus is one of the first brain structures to be impacted by dementia. The amygdala, a brain structure that contributes to emotional regulation, tends to be larger in yoga practitioners than in their peers who do not practice yoga. The prefrontal cortex,
previously thought, encompassing young adults, the elderly and stay at home parents. A newly proposed definition of hikikomori clarifies the frequency of time spent outside the home, while still meeting the definition of marked social isolation, while noting the possibility of other mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression, distress and feelings of loneliness, but not necessarily including the avoidance of others in social situations, which may be down to individual comfort levels, rather than hikikomori. The research team notes that, “With advances in digital and communications technologies that provide alternatives to in-person social interaction, hikikomori may become an increasingly relevant concern. Spending time online can be damaging when it substitutes for interacting with people face to face. A person’s day-to-day social life is really what brings them meaning and value.” The article was published in World Psychiatry Ref: 10.1002/wps.20705.
NUTRITION: TEA DRINKERS LIVE LONGER Drinking tea at least three times a week is linked with a longer and healthier life, according to
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holistic therapist 2020
holistictherapistmagazine.com
