Cynthia H. Craft, Sacramento Bee: As the nation embarks on a top-down overhaul of health care, a simple movement with the potential to improve wellness is quietly growing from the ground up.

It’s called “mindfulness meditation,” an outgrowth of the West’s fascination in recent decades with eastern Buddhist philosophy.

Slowly but surely, experts say, the medical establishment is opening its doors to meditation as research continues to reveal its potential health benefits.

Many of the nation’s hospital systems have come around to offer classes in mindfulness meditation as well as mindfulness-based stress-reduction programs.

Scientific research indicates…

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umass medNow: The UMass Medical School Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society is hosting its 11th annual international scientific conference in April. The conference, Investigating and Integrating Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society, is jointly sponsored by the UMMS Office of Continuing Education. It will be held at the Sheraton Four Points in Norwood from April 17 through 21. The conference attracts participants from around the world.

The four-day event provides an opportunity for clinicians, researchers, educators and students to interact with one another in investigating new approaches and significant findings in the broad integration of mindfulness and medication into medicine…

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