I recently have been very interested in Herb Benson's findings that meditation affects the body's gene expression. Maybe we have some Western medical peeps who can help 'splice' (pun) this data with the ancient Chinese qigong concept of 'original essence - jing'.
I have only a basic understanding of DNA. Here is Herb Benson's study:
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/0 ... ated.genes
http://www.mbmi.org/research/default.asp
It states that meditation (and qigong and tai chi) to the point of instigating the 'relaxation effect' alters which genes are expressed, both in the short term and long term. In other words, if you practice being relaxed, focused, and energized, you're more likely to be that way more frequently. Surprise!
We have known for years that when you are slightly stressed, your hormones change and the body goes into fight or flight syndrome, the parasympathetic nervous system, which essentially shuts off your healing and cell replacement, and dampens your immune response. Many of us are in that state constantly, and it is the cause of unnecessary aging and illness. This is how stress-related nervous system illnesses operate. We also know that meditation, qigong, tai chi, etc has the opposite effect, and after a session people show elevated immune response, higher NK (natural killer) cell counts, and healthier blood chemistry. All stemming from your mind.
Remember, you CHOOSE how you respond to stress, and whether you internalize it or not. Example being: road rage. You can blow your top while tailgating someone, or you can sit back and practice humming Christmas carols. Choice. We all face some kind of stress every day, but different people respond differently. Your mental attitude (shen) determines whether you are sick or well, based on your response.
This new research is different. Specifically, Herb Benson demonstrated that meditation effects our gene expression. A gene is a sequence of DNA that contains genetic information which influences your characteristics/traits: outward appearance, development, biochemical or physical properties, and behavior. Gene expression is the process where the DNA sequence is made into functional gene products: proteins or RNA. The genes you express are the genes that you are made of. And they are the genes you pass on to offspring, aka "original essence". Mr. Benson's important work demands respect from the internal arts community. Studies like this give us one more way to validate our qigong practice to the mainstream from a Western medical perspective, and I can tell you that it inspires students to take their own practice more seriously in classes!
(don't get me started on mind, morphology, and morphic resonance! Right Tony?)
Enjoy your practice!