Mind over matter? Core body temperature controlled by the brain

Apr. 8, 2013 ? A team of researchers led by Associate Professor Maria Kozhevnikov from the Department of Psychology at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences showed, for the first time, that it is possible for core body temperature to be controlled by the brain. The scientists found that core body temperature increases can be achieved using certain meditation techniques (g-tummo) which could help in boosting immunity to fight infectious diseases or immunodeficiency.

Published in science journal PLOS ONE in March 2013, the study documented reliable core body temperature increases for the first time in Tibetan nuns practising g-tummo meditation. Previous studies on g-tummo meditators showed only increases in peripheral body temperature in the fingers and toes. The g-tummo meditative practice controls "inner energy" and is considered by Tibetan practitioners as one of the most sacred spiritual practices in the region. Monasteries maintaining g-tummo traditions are very rare and are mostly located in the remote areas of eastern Tibet.

The researchers collected data during the unique ceremony in Tibet, where nuns were able to raise their core body temperature and dry up wet sheets wrapped around their bodies in the cold Himalayan weather (-25 degree Celsius) while meditating. Using electroencephalography (EEG) recordings and temperature measures, the team observed increases in core body temperature up to 38.3 degree Celsius. A second study was conducted with Western participants who used a breathing technique of the g-tummo meditative practice and they were also able to increase their core body temperature, within limits.

Applications of the research findings

The findings from the study showed that specific aspects of the meditation techniques can be used by non-meditators to regulate their body temperature through breathing and mental imagery. The techniques could potentially allow practitioners to adapt to and function in cold environments, improve resistance to infections, boost cognitive performance by speeding up response time and reduce performance problems associated with decreased body temperature.

The two aspects of g-tummo meditation that lead to temperature increases are "vase breath" and concentrative visualisation. "Vase breath" is a specific breathing technique which causes thermogenesis, which is a process of heat production. The other technique, concentrative visualisation, involves focusing on a mental imagery of flames along the spinal cord in order to prevent heat losses. Both techniques work in conjunction leading to elevated temperatures up to the moderate fever zone.

Assoc Prof Kozhevnikov explained, "Practicing vase breathing alone is a safe technique to regulate core body temperature in a normal range. The participants whom I taught this technique to were able to elevate their body temperature, within limits, and reported feeling more energised and focused. With further research, non-Tibetan meditators could use vase breathing to improve their health and regulate cognitive performance."

Further research into controlling body temperature

Assoc Prof Kozhevnikov will continue to explore the effects of guided imagery on neurocognitive and physiological aspects. She is currently training a group of people to regulate their body temperature using vase breathing, which has potential applications in the field of medicine. Furthermore, the use of guided mental imagery in conjunction with vase breathing may lead to higher body temperature increases and better health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National University of Singapore, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Maria Kozhevnikov, James Elliott, Jennifer Shephard, Klaus Gramann. Neurocognitive and Somatic Components of Temperature Increases during g-Tummo Meditation: Legend and Reality. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e58244 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058244

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/pNj-O4u3lnA/130408084858.htm

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Egyptian police fire tear gas to disperse Cairo protest

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police fired tear gas to prevent opponents of President Mohamed Mursi storming a court and the prosecutor-general's office in central Cairo on Saturday, witnesses said.

Eight people were injured in Cairo during another protest in al-Fayoum south of the capital, the state news agency MENA said.

Some 500 people marched for much of the day through central Cairo, chanting "The people want to topple the regime" on the fifth anniversary of the founding of the opposition April 6 youth movement.

When some protesters hurled fireworks and rockets at the court, which also houses the prosecutor's office, and tried to break down the main gate, police fired tear gas from upstairs windows, witnesses said.

Egypt has been in political turmoil since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, with Mursi and his Islamist allies pitted against various secular opposition groups.

The prosecutor-general angered activists a week ago by questioning a popular TV satirist who is accused of having insulted Mursi. The government denies opposition claims that the case is evidence of a crackdown on dissent.

"We are Muslims but we want a civilian state," said Saffeya Mustapha, a female protester on the Cairo march.

Seven protesters were taken to hospital, MENA said, citing the Health Ministry.

Separately, opponents and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mursi's Islamist allies, attacked each other with stones and fireworks in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, MENA said. It did not report any injuries.

(Reporting by Maggie Fick, Ahmed Tolba and Reuters Television; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-police-fire-tear-gas-disperse-cairo-protest-203740028.html

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California courts familiar with gay parent issues

SAN FRANCISCO ? When the California Supreme Court struck down a same-sex marriage ban in 2008,? the majority ruling reflected a series of decisions the court had already reached in disputes involving gay parents.

Gay rights lawyers said this week that those cases were critical to the court?s historic marriage ruling ? later partly overturned by Proposition 8 ? and lamented the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has little experience in dealing with gay family litigation.

?The U.S. Supreme Court has never decided a lesbian or gay parenting case,? said Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal. ?And it?s really important for them to be understanding that same-sex couples have children ?.. and to be thinking about actual children, as opposed to hypothetical children.?

In one case, California?s? high court considered the parental rights of a woman who donated her eggs to her partner,? who was artificially inseminated and gave birth to twins. The gestational mother was infertile, and the genetic mother had a diseased uterus.

That case brought to the court?s attention the myriad ways gay couples were having children.

One same-sex male couple each donated sperm to a surrogate, who bore twins.? Later tests show that each man had fathered one of the twins.

Another male couple mixed their sperm and never tried to find out who was the actual genetic father.

The California Supreme Court also resolved a child support dispute between two women who had three children together. One woman bore one of the children, the other the other two. Both women nursed all three, and the children took the hyphenated last names of both partners.

?A number of state courts, including the California Supreme Court, have been dealing with LGBT family issues for over a decade,?? said Kate Kendell, executive director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. ?They feel much more comfortable with the issues and are farther along in their understanding of the interrelationship of the law to these families than the Supreme Court.?

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Three justices? concern over gay parenting surprises experts

Twitter:@mauradolan

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Source: http://queerplanet.net/2013/04/06/california-courts-familiar-with-gay-parent-issues/

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PhoneDoctors iPad mini Giveaway

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Source: http://5newsonline.com/2013/04/05/phonedoctors-ipad-mini-giveaway/

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FBI visits Petraeus' home, sources tell NBC News

Getty Images file

Meet the people who have been pulled into the scandal that caused Gen. David Petraeus to resign.

By Pete Williams and M. Alex Johnson, NBC News

FBI agents visited the home of former CIA director David Petraeus on Friday, two sources with knowledge of their visit told NBC News.

USA Today reported Friday that the agents went there to "interview" Petraeus, but it's unclear whether he was at his home in suburban Washington. Officials said the visit didn't indicate any new development in the FBI's months-long investigation into allegations that writer Paula Broadwell improperly received or stored classified documents while she was working on Petraeus' biography.

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Petraeus, who was commander of U.S. and U.N. forces in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, resigned as head of the CIA in November after it was revealed that he had an affair with Broadwell. Petraeus apologized for the affair in a rare public appearance last month.

Officials said one reason the investigation has dragged on for so long is that each document at issue must be thoroughly checked to determine whether it was properly classified and, if so, whether it was still classified at the time it was allegedly in Broadwell's possession.

Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a645423/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A50C176223820Efbi0Evisits0Epetraeus0Ehome0Esources0Etell0Enbc0Enews0Dlite/story01.htm

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Remember Roger Ebert In Dailies

The outpouring in the wake of Roger Ebert's passing has brought back many memories of the beloved film critic, so we decided to share some of our favorites below. Also, check out some brand new posters in today's Dailies! » Pretty cool IMAX-exclusive poster for "Oblivion" [ComingSoon] » Trailer for Golden Lion winner "Pieta" [Twitch] [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/04/04/roger-ebert-remembering/

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"Hannibal" review: The lambs have a lot on their minds

By Tim Molloy

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - A lot of thought has gone into NBC's "Hannibal." Maybe too much thought.

Hannibal Lecter's world has always teemed with life, death, and the animalistic passions in between: death's head moths, man-eating pigs, and of course, the man-eating doctor himself. "Hannibal" builds out that world with deer that double as accessories to murder, fungi that want desperately to connect, and still more macabre insects.

The new series from "Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller, which debuts tonight, is a sort of prequel to "Red Dragon," the 1981 Thomas Harris novel that introduced us to Lecter and FBI profiler Will Graham. The story spawned the movie adaptation "Manhunter," a 1980s time capsule that is nonetheless engrossing; the unnecessary 2002 remake "Red Dragon"; and the flat-out flawless "Silence of the Lambs." It also led to the not-bad 2001 film "Hannibal" and 2007's dull "Hannibal Rising."

The TV series "Hannibal" fits into a time period somehow unexplored in any of those films or the novels that inspired them. By the time we met Lecter in "Red Dragon," he was a middle-aged prisoner, long ago locked up for murdering young women and eating them.

The delicious idea behind "Hannibal" is that we're meeting him when he's still young, free, and full of life - mostly other people's lives.

"Hannibal" is a prequel, like A&E's new "Bates Motel," that takes place in the present day despite occurring before a story we first heard decades ago.

The time-shift turns out to be a great idea. It signals to us that what we're about to see isn't necessarily part of the established Lecter canon, and may reduce some of the burden of trying to live up to "Silence of the Lambs."

"Hannibal" could have leaned on the Lecter legacy by just letting its titular character, played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, make culinary puns and eat people from time to time. With his Hitler haircut, fastidious suits and slightly difficult-to-follow accent, Mikkelsen's Hannibal would demand your attention even if you didn't know about his unusual hobbies.

But the show puts Lecter in the background at the beginning - which turns out to be another good idea. It opens with the focus on Graham, played by an outstanding Hugh Dancy.

Graham is an FBI profiler - he's too unstable to be an agent - with a gift for imagining murders through the eyes of those who commit them. Would you believe he has a lot of bad dreams?

In "Silence," Lecter famously taunted Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling about her girlhood failure to save lambs from a slaughter. It's dogs, not lambs, who have Graham's sympathy on "Hannibal." We're told that he has both signs of Asperger's and "pure empathy," which may explain why he has trouble relating to people but lots of mercy for strays. He also begins to dream of deer, because of a new serial killer's particularly horrible ritual with his victims.

The focus on Graham, counterintuitive as it may seem given the show's title, is the best idea on "Hannibal."

Graham, not Lecter, seems unbalanced. The celebrated psychologist is summoned by FBI mastermind Jack Crawford (a not-so-good Laurence Fishburne) to take care of the brittle Graham.

That setup alone would be fodder for a richly entertaining show. In one scene, we watch Lecter serve Graham a protein scramble that probably contains human lungs as the two discuss their situation.

"I don't find you that interesting," says Graham.

"You will," Lecter gently replies.

It's a moment full of all the dark understatement that makes Hannibal so amusing at his best. ("I'm having an old friend for dinner," he once told Clarice, while preparing to kill and eat his former jailer.)

Mikkelsen gets a few such moments to shine, but he's at an early disadvantage, since he's playing a man trying to seem unsuspicious. Dancy has the meatier role: he's barely hanging on. Dancy's take on the character recalls William Peterson's in "Manhunter," but Dancy is more vulnerable.

He makes us admire Graham's gifts even as we pity him. And not just because we know he's walking blindly into Lecter's mental maw.

Dancy's talents are most clear in a moment with Fishburne in an FBI men's room. It's that rarest of scenes where one actor is very good and the other pretty bad. Dancy's every breath and tic feel authentic, but Fishburne tries to blow the doors off. He sets his over-the-top tone by screaming, "Use the ladies room!" at someone who walks in on their talk.

"Hannibal" has several moments that feel similarly off, in part because it's trying to do so much. Its fresh ideas include artisanal killings aplenty, involving antlers, fungus, and sometimes plain-old guns. One of the show's many intelligent touches is how jarring it is every time one of those guns is fired. For all the nightmarish violence - and there's a lot of it - it doesn't treat death lightly.

Sometimes the killings are too hard to keep straight, especially when Lecter gets in on them. This isn't a procedural, thank God, where Graham and Lecter work together to solve a crime each week. Instead, the crimes bleed across episodes and help build characters. It's a challenging approach, but one that deserves time to play out.

The problem with "Hannibal" - too many ideas - is infinitely preferable to the one that plagues similar dramas. Fox's "The Following," which also takes lots of inspiration from Harris' stories, borrows the blood and guts from "Silence," but forgets the brain and heart.

The first two Lecter books are all about empathy. Lecter understands everything, but feels little. Graham and Starling understand little, but feel too much. Starling cracks the Buffalo Bill case not with her analytical prowess, but by knowing where to look for secrets in a young girl's room.

"Hannibal" also rewards those who look closely. At one point, for example, someone points out that Graham is an expert at using insects to detect time of death.

Petersen's CSI character, Gil Grissom, did just that on "CSI." (And Fishburne replaced Petersen on "CSI." Maybe Lecter could tell us what it all represents.)

Director David Slade makes sure to provide lots of alternately gorgeous and ghastly visuals, and the show is already one of the best cast on television: Every actor has a unique and interesting look, giving the show a more realistic tone. Even some of the small roles are filled with great performers, notably "Kids in the Hall" comic genius Scott Thompson as - what else? - a CSI.

This time out, he doesn't crack any jokes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hannibal-review-lambs-lot-minds-213342245.html

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