Background
Research has indicated that removing stress helps to increase a person's health. Meditation was among the first relaxation techniques shown to have a measurable effect on stress reduction. Meditating for ten minutes per day can significantly reduce stress and anxiety. In the 1970s, self-help books teaching relaxation techniques began to appear on bestsellers lists. In 1975, The Relaxation Response by Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson, MD and Miriam Z. Klipper was published. Their book has been credited with popularizing meditation in the United States.
Research released in the 1980s indicated stronger ties between stress and health and showed benefits from a wider range of relaxation techniques than had been previously known. This research received national media attention, including a New York Times article in 1986 Conventional medical philosophy adopted the concept and its early 21st century practitioners recommend using relaxation techniques to improve patient outcomes in many situations. Relaxation techniques are also a mainstay of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
Read more about this topic: Relaxation Technique
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