BackgroundMeditation has been a key component of eastern spiritual practices. Heartfulness meditation is a unique heart based system with key practices like cleaning and meditation aided by yogic transmission.ObjectiveTo study the effects of Heartfulness cleaning and meditation (guided by Heartfulness trainer) on heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR).MethodsA total of 30 participants (21 males, 9 females; age range 19–70 years, M = 45.1 years and SD = 12.7 years) participated in the study. HRV, BP and HR were studied before, during and after the three stages of rest, cleaning and meditation.ResultsThere was significant effect of cleaning and meditation on normalized unit of power in low-frequency band (LFnu) for the three conditions [F (2, 87) = 9.98, p < 0.01] with mean values for baseline being 70.82 ± 14.55, cleaning being 55.62 ± 15.06 and meditation being 55.17 ± 16.63. There was also a significant effect of cleaning and meditation on normalized unit of power in high-frequency band (HFnu) [F (2, 87) = 7.31, p < 0.01] with mean values for baseline being 30.86 ± 16.51, cleaning being 44.37 ± 15.06 and meditation being 44.83 ± 16.63. Significant effect of cleaning and meditation was also seen for LF/HF [F (2, 87) = 4.98, p < 0.01] with mean values for baseline being 3.45 ± 3.40, cleaning being 1.63 ± 1.30 and meditation being 1.82 ± 2.19.ConclusionHeartfulness cleaning and meditation had a positive effect on sympathovagal balance.

Eosinophil levels in induced sputum correlate well with clinical asthma parameters and asthma severity in children. It is a simple, noninvasive and cheap method which can be used for the monitoring of asthma in a resource-limited setting.

TPE should always be considered in patients from filaria endemic areas presenting with cough, dyspnea or wheezing. High eosinophil count (>3 × 10 cells) with raised IgE level (>1000 IU/mL) in such cases should alert the physician to look for TPE. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent disease progression and complications.

Globalisation not only shook the socio-eco-cultural landscape of the globe but also ushered in simultaneous unprecedented changes in the fabric and conscience of our nation. The North-East region of India has gradually but steadily emerged as an active participant in the processes and is undergoing many paradigmatic transformations. One of them that we have seen in the recent two decades is substantial spurt in migration from the North-East to several metropolises of the nation. The socio-economic profile of the migrants signifies the vast probabilities for using them to be potent forces of nation-building process in the region, the issue unexplored so far. The goal of nation-building becomes challenging in wake of divergent religious, cultural, linguistic and regional distinctions along with strong desire and constitutional vision of a democratic, secular and socially just society demonstrating the highest levels of inclusiveness and socio-political integrity. This article is an attempt to analyse this purported hypothesis that migrant intellectual class of the region can facilitate this process, if exposed to right political socialisation and attitudinal reinforcement. Backdrop of the North-East Migration to MetropolisesThe North-East region (NER) is a major challenge for efficacious governance and democratisation in India, as the region has been a hot spot of insurgency, conflicts, violence and peripheral libertine tendencies. The term, 'North-East' is a colonial legacy to denote the seven states of the region spread over an area of 255,037 km, surrounded by international

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Impact of five days spiritual practice in Himalayan Ashram of Sahaj Marg on well-being related parameters and selected physiological indicators has been studied on 55 participants (25 male, 30 female; age range 18-65 years; mean age = 49 years & SD = 12.5 years). It was found that mental health and its dimensions like emotional well- being and social well-being; positive experience and negative experience; Sat-Chit-Ananda; depression anxiety and stress had significant change towards improved well-being. However, psychological well-being, flourishing Scale and mindfulness did not show significant improvement after the sessions. Observations during the Semi-structured interview corroborated with the above results.

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