ATROCIOUS APOPTOSIS!! : Doing the Telomere Tango😁

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Health and Wellness for Physicians

Issue #4 | 3/17/2021

As a physician you want to make decisions based on facts and evidence…especially if it might have an impact on your wellbeing… Right?

Physician Well Being Alert

Telomeres can reflect an important component in understanding physician wellbeing, health, and anti-burnout efforts.

As you know telomeres are little dabs of DNA that sit on the ends of your chromosomes. They provide a protective “cap” that prevents your DNA from “unraveling” as it naturally reproduces over time. In essence, they are tiny little “biomarkers,” and can provide a degree of objectivity in terms of monitoring ones overall health status.

A study of young physicians showed that during their stressful internship year, telomere attrition was “six times greater” than is typical for physicians in general. The research went on to state that telomere attrition is “linked to many age-related diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease,” as well as to the subjective experience of stress.

Research on telomeres also reflects a “growing body of literature showing that longer telomeres are related to the practice of meditation,” published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity in 2018.

So here is the good news. Apoptosis, or premature aging, as well as many other conditions leading up to it, can be positively impacted in as short as 5-10 minutes a day of meditative self-regulation practice.

This comes from one of the world’s leading authorities, Dr. Herbert Benson, author of many publications on mindful self-regulation training, and Professor Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute of Mind Body Medicine affiliated with Harvard University.

ACTION STEPS: Benson’s research findings have shown that all that’s really needed are four elements to be put into practice for just 5-10 minutes daily. In addition, accumulating research has shown that results can be obtained in as short as three weeks in some cases! The relevant components are:

Placing yourself briefly in a quiet environment (e.g., Even the doctor’s lounge can work!)
Assuming a relaxed posture
Briefly adopting a passive state of mind, temporarily “letting go” of worries
And lastly, focusing your attention on a “mental device.” This can be anything from breath counting for approximately 30-60 respirations, or listening to a relaxation app for approximately 5-10 minutes

This practice is about as simple as it gets, but don’t think it’s simplistic. No, no, no! The research is clear. Many positive benefits will accrue to any physician who introduces some form of autonomic self-regulation into their lives on a sustained basis. And remember, the most important aspect of this, according to Dr. Benson, is regular rather than intermittent practice!

Watch our discussion of this topic here

Avoid the Atrocious Apoptosis!