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Meditation is the path to inner revolution. It’s the road to Bliss and complete independence from all vices. Meditation is the single solution of all problems of life and it gives us incomparable peace and relaxation. It makes us absolutely clear in life and removes all haze in our mind. Meditation gives us an understanding of the real purpose and meaning of our life.

There are many techniques of practising Meditation. Each one is unique in its approach and makes use of different objects as the focus point of channelling the awareness of the Meditator. The Goal is common in all meditation techniques – to increase the level of Awareness. Each session of Meditation goes a long way in this direction.

Often many meditators come across a problem, they feel that the method that they are practising has come to a point where it is becoming a monotonous affair and is not leading to increased Awareness. One easy way of overcoming this issue, is to change the meditation technique. One should then choose such a technique which can help in opening the floodgates of his stuck awareness.

One such wonderful Meditation technique is the Sacred Spaces Meditation. It is devised by the Living Enlightened Mystic – Anandmurti Gurumaa. The meditation is based on the Ancient Tibet practise of listening awarefully to certain sounds and the gaps arising between those musical sounds. The object of meditation is the sacred sounds of ancient musical instruments of the Tibet Tradition. The Buddhist Monks and meditators have used these instruments and their musical sounds very successfully through the ages as a means of meditation

The fact is that even to create the sound out of these sacred instruments also requires the person playing it to be in a certain higher state of Awareness and heightened Consciousness. The meditator focuses his Alertness towards these sounds and this leads to a great improvement in his Awareness levels over time. The mind comes to the present moment and tremendous amount of energy is released.

The usual habit of the mind is to wander around in thoughts and oscillate in pleasure and pain, thus it loses a lot of its energy this way. By the practise of Sacred Spaces Meditation, that energy is prevented from wasting away in useless thoughts and thus we enter a deep state of relaxation and become like a reservoir of energy. We are relaxed completely and experience higher altitudes of Consciousness.

Each session of meditation gives us great lightness and a feeling of Bliss. The routine activities of the day start to reveal new insights that we had never seen before and even the most mundane task becomes divine. We start to see the beauty in every smallest object in our life. Great Satisfaction arises and we achieve the highest potential in our life, which we are totally unaware of right now.

The Sacred Spaces Meditation is a great meditation technique to accompany other techniques or can be practised by itself also. It’s a meditation of the Buddhist line of tradition. The advantage in this Hi-Tech Age is that one does not need to go the deepest caves in the Himalayas to learn such awesome techniques from the Gurus, but its available in the form of musical pre-recorded CD. One can easily make it a part of his daily routine and practice it on his own convenience.

The door to inner harmony and immense bliss is thus within the reach of every individual. Meditation opens the door to ecstatic experiences in this very life and Sacred Spaces Meditation is an easy step towards that point. The official website outlines the various meditation techniques devised by the Meditation Maestro Gurumaa along with their extraordinary benefits.

A new research has been done by the Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which may lead to some very interesting observations regarding the effects of meditation on human brain. The research suggests that meditation can indeed lead to larger brain sizes. That would mean, that people who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don’t. When it comes to gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced in older than in younger people. That’s very interesting as the thickening or as regards the sections of the human cortex get thinner as we age.

Meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and well-being and the findings are consistent with some other studies. The medical society and those actively following on meditation regularly are very excited with the findings. If you are still surprised, be aware that previous findings have led to similar conclusions when it was noticed that visual areas in brains of jugglers get thickened due to repeated practice and more usage of that particular area of brain during performance. The same holds true in case of musicians whose music areas of brains reported thickening. In the meditation related research, brain scans of 20 experienced meditators were compared with those of 15 non meditators. People with varying backgrounds were taken as control groups, those who worked in careers such as law, health care, and journalism. During scanning, the meditators were told to practice meditation as usual while the others just relaxed and thought about whatever they wanted.

Those who meditated practiced Buddhist “insight meditation,” which focuses on whatever is there, like noise or body sensations. No chants or mantras were used during the meditation process There were an average of about 40 minutes meditation sessions per day. As reported, there were mediators of varying experience, some had been doing it for only a year, others for decades. Very profoundly, it was noticed that those most deeply involved in the meditation showed the greatest changes in brain structure. This made the researchers conclude that the differences in brain structure were caused by the meditation.

One great benefit of meditation is that it can be helped to control random thoughts Experts believe that random thoughts and the like actions continually deprive brain of the energies that can be instead used for constructive purposes.

Insight meditation can be practiced anytime by all those people. We all face worries all the time but worrying too much for trivial matters also becomes a habit. Often that leads to self sabotage when we can’t perform to our fullest extent. People tend to worry about what will happen if they miss it, or if the end product will be good enough to suit the boss, at workplace. Most people drive themselves crazy with unproductive “what if” worry. While to increase performance and for greater achievements, “If, instead, you focus on the present moment, on what needs to be done and what is happening right now, then much of the feeling of stress goes away”. The increased thicknesses in the grey matter are very proportional to the time devoted to meditation and the depth of meditation.

Another great benefit that meditation doers find is the way it reduces aging. There are several small benefits as well but you can bet those differences are going to lead to lots more positive changes in your life.

There are still several questions that scientists need to answer regarding the study like whether meditation produces more connections between brain cells, or more blood vessels? Can brain thickness influence daily behavior? And other questions that might lead to even more positive conclusions regarding meditation. Larger studies are planned at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard-affiliated.

Such studies are very encouraging for those actively believing in meditation and alternative therapies. As further research is done on a larger number of people and testing them multiple times, more examination of peoples’ brains both before and after learning to meditate is done, we may find even better results. Scientists are very keen to find the effect of slowing aging on the regular meditators.

Since meditation counteracts the natural thinning of the thinking surface of the brain,there is a high probability that it plays a role in slowing – even reversing – aging? Well, that is what only time and further studies can prove but definitely meditation techniques is something you must have a look into if you are planning to live healthier and longer!

One of the major concerns you have when traveling away from home is your health. When you are away from home, you never know if you might get sick or injured. If this happens, you will be faced with a bigger problem. The expense incurred from a medical emergency while away from your home country may not be entirely covered by your personal medical insurance plan. If this is the case, then you would incur the medical cost yourself and these medical expenses can be enormous. Worse, without medical insurance, you might not receive privileged care when you seek needed medical attention. For these reasons, it is important that you have proper travel insurance coverage that pays medical insurance expenses.

Travel insurance companies in Canada may not only provide medical insurance plans to travelers away from Canada. There are also medical insurance plans that cover emergency medical expenses for visitors in Canada. There are many Canadian travel insurance companies that offer emergency medical insurance for Canadians traveling outside Canada as well as Visitors traveling to Canada. Travel Insurance Quotes provides instant quotation and comparisons from the best Canadian travel insurance companies to ensure you have the most appropriate coverage for your travels. The result is that you can feel assured that you have adequate medical insurance whether you are a visitor to Canada or a traveling Canadian.

Emergency medical travel insurance can be purchased alone or in a comprehensive travel insurance packaged policy. These comprehensive travel insurance plans combine emergency medical, trip cancellation, trip interruption, accidental death, and baggage in one single policy. Comprehensive travel insurance policies provide many benefits;

1. Excellent Value – in most cases it is cheaper to purchase the comprehensive travel insurance package than purchasing each plan separately. You can save up to 60% of the cost of individual plans.

2. No Medical Questionnaires – Most companies do not require Seniors to answer medical questionnaires when purchasing a comprehensive travel insurance package. Normal pre-existing condition exclusions apply so please read the policy carefully before purchasing.

3. Simplicity – When purchasing a comprehensive travel insurance package your credit card will only be charged once, you will only need to deal with once insurance company if you need to file a claim, and you will only have one policy number to carry while you are travelling.

Most Canadian travel insurance companies offer comprehensive travel insurance packages to Canadian travelers. Only a few offer these comprehensive travel insurance packages to visitors to Canada. Travel Insurance Quotes will assist you in getting the best comprehensive plan for your travels.

Emergency Canada medical insurance can be purchased for a single trip only, or annual policy can be purchased. Single trip emergency medical plans are only good for the trip duration that you indicate when you purchase the policy. If you stay longer you can extend the coverage as long as you haven’t had a claim and the original policy has not expired. Annual plans cover you for an unlimited number of trips within 365 days. You need to indicate the number of days your trip lengths will be when you purchase the annual emergency medical travel insurance plan. If you need additional days than your annual plan will cover than additional ‘top-up’ days can be purchased to cover you entire trip. Annual emergency medical travel insurance plans are available for both Canadian travelers and visitors to Canada.

They are used for medical care that needs emergency medical attention. Medical check-ups is not necessarily included in the plan. Cases such as accidents or sudden illness can be good as emergency in nature. Emergency medical insurance can be purchased upon single booking of the flight elsewhere. But if you are frequently traveling outside Canada, it may be wiser to buy annual medical insurance plan. You just have to evaluate how frequently you travel in a year and compare it with how much you spend for single trip emergency medical insurance. You might find out that buying annual emergency medical insurance is cheaper. Contacting the personnel and staff of Travel Insurance Quotes should not be difficult.

 

 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide benefits based on disability: the Social Security disability insurance program (title II of the Social Security Act (the Act) and the supplemental security income (SSI) program (title XVI of the Act).

Title II provides for payment of disability benefits to individuals who are “insured” under the Act by virtue of their contributions to the Social Security trust fund through the Social Security tax on their earnings, as well as to certain disabled dependents of insured individuals. Title XVI provides for SSI payments to individuals (including children under age 18) who are disabled and have limited income and resources.

The Act and SSA’s implementing regulations prescribe rules for deciding if an individual is “disabled.” SSA’s criteria for deciding if someone is disabled are not necessarily the same as the criteria applied in other Government and private disability programs.

Definition of Disability

For all individuals applying for disability benefits under title II, and for adults applying under title XVI, the definition of disability is the same. The law defines disability as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s) which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

Disability in Children

Under title XVI, a child under age 18 will be considered disabled if he or she has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or combination of impairments that causes marked and severe functional limitations, and that can be expected to cause death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

What is a “Medically Determinable Impairment”A medically determinable physical or mental impairment is an impairment that results from anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormalities, which can be shown by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques. A physical or mental impairment must be established by medical evidence consisting of signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings — not only by the individual’s statement of symptoms.

 

The Disability Determination Process

Social Security Field Offices

Most disability claims are initially processed through a network of local Social Security field offices and State agencies (usually called disability determination services or DDSs). Subsequent appeals of unfavorable determinations may be decided in the DDSs or by administrative law judges in SSA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA).

SSA representatives in the field offices usually obtain applications for disability benefits, either in person, by telephone, or by mail. The application and related forms ask for a description of the claimant’s impairment(s), names, addresses, and telephone numbers of treatment sources, and other information that relates to the alleged disability. (The “claimant” is the person who is requesting disability benefits.)

The field office is responsible for verifying non-medical eligibility requirements, which may include age, employment, marital status, or Social Security coverage information. The field office sends the case to a DDS for evaluation of disability.

Disability Determination Services

The DDSs, which are fully funded by the Federal Government, are State agencies responsible for developing medical evidence and rendering the initial determination on whether the claimant is or is not disabled or blind under the law.

Usually, the DDS tries to obtain evidence from the claimant’s own medical sources first. If that evidence is unavailable or insufficient to make a determination, the DDS will arrange for a CE in order to obtain the additional information needed. The claimant’s treating source is the preferred source for the CE; however, the DDS may also obtain the CE from an independent source. (See Part III for more information about CEs.)

After completing its initial development, the DDS makes the disability determination. The determination is made by a two-person adjudicative team consisting of a medical or psychological consultant (who is a physician or psychologist) and a disability examiner. If the adjudicative team finds that additional evidence is still needed, the consultant or examiner may recontact a medical source (s) and ask for supplemental information.

The DDS also makes a determination whether the claimant is a candidate for vocational rehabilitation (VR). If so, the DDS makes a referral to the State VR agency.

After the DDS makes the disability determination, it returns the case to the field office for appropriate action depending on whether the claim is allowed or denied. If the DDS finds the claimant disabled, SSA will complete any outstanding non-disability development, compute the benefit amount, and begin paying benefits. If the claimant is found not disabled, the file is retained in the field office in case the claimant decides to appeal the determination.

If the claimant files an appeal of an initial unfavorable determination, the appeal is usually handled much the same as the initial claim, except that the disability determination is made by a different adjudicative team in the DDS than the one that handled the original case.

Office of Hearings and Appeals

Claimants dissatisfied with the first appeal of a determination may file subsequent appeals. A hearing office within the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) processes the second appeal. An administrative law judge makes the second appeal decision, usually after conducting a hearing and receiving any additional evidence from the claimant’s medical sources or other sources.

Medical development by OHA is frequently conducted through the DDS. However, hearing offices may also contact medical sources directly. In rare circumstances, an administrative law judge may issue a subpoena requiring production of evidence or testimony at a hearing.

The Role of the Health Professional



Health professionals play a vital role in the disability determination process and participate in the process in a variety of ways:

As treating sources or other medical sources who provide medical evidence on behalf of their patients;



 



As CE sources to perform, for a fee, examinations and/or tests that are needed;



 



As full-time or part-time medical or psychological consultants reviewing claims in a DDS, in one of SSA’s regional offices, or in SSA central office; or



 



As medical experts who testify at administrative law judge hearings.



 

Treating Sources

A treating source is a claimant’s own physician, psychologist, or other acceptable medical source that has provided the claimant with medical treatment or evaluation and has or has had an ongoing treatment relationship with the claimant. The treating source is usually the best source of medical evidence about the nature and severity of an individual’s impairment (s).

If an additional examination or testing is needed, SSA usually considers a treating source to be the preferred source for performing the examination or test for his or her own patient.

The treating source is neither asked nor expected to make a decision whether the claimant is disabled. However, a treating source will usually be asked to provide a statement about the claimant’s ability, despite his or her impairments, to do work-related physical or mental activities.

Program Medical Professionals

Physicians of virtually all specialties and psychologists at the State, regional or national levels review claims for disability benefits. The review work is performed in the State DDSs or SSA’s regional office or headquarters. It is strictly a paper review in which the program physician or psychologist usually has no contact with the claimant.

Medical Experts

Because there is no direct involvement of medical professionals in the disability decisions made by administrative law judges in the Office of Hearings and Appeals, administrative law judges sometimes request expert testimony on complex medical issues. Each hearing office maintains a roster of medical experts who are called to testify as expert witnesses at hearings. The experts are paid a fee for their services.

Confidentiality of Records

Two separate laws, the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act, have special significance for Federal agencies. Under the Freedom of Information Act, Federal agencies are required to provide the public with access to their files and records. This means the public has the right, with certain exceptions, to examine records pertaining to the functions, procedures, final opinions, and policy of these Federal agencies.

The Privacy Act permits an individual or his or her authorized representative to examine records pertaining to him or her in a Federal agency. For disability applicants, this means that an individual may request to see the medical or other evidence used to evaluate his or her application for disability benefits under the Social Security or the SSI programs. (This evidence, however, is not available to the general public.)

SSA screens all requests to see medical evidence in a claim file to determine if release of the evidence directly to the individual might have an adverse effect on that individual. If so, the report will be released only to an authorized representative designated by the individual.