Pundits, Professors and their Predictions

The world’s leading opinion-shapers from the media and academia debate scenarios for 2012 and beyond as what was change in ten years is happening in just ten months.

• Thomas L. Friedman, Columnist, Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, USA
• Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Global Agenda Council on China
• Gideon Rachman, Associate Editor, Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, Financial Times, United Kingdom; Global Agenda Council on Geopolitical Risk
• Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics and International Business, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, USA; Global Agenda Council on Fiscal Crises
• Robert J. Shiller, Arthur M. Okun Professor of Economics, Yale University, USA

Moderated by
• Nik Gowing, Main Presenter, BBC World News, United Kingdom

Yoga may have positive effect on anxiety, depression, and arrhythmia [Atrial fibrillation (AF or A-fib) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat]. Source: Cardiology Today

“Emotional stress is very well correlated with AF. A lot of patients with AF complain of significant anxiety and depression, Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, MD, director of the Center for Excellence in AF and EP Researcher at the University of Kansas, told Cardiology Today. “However, it is unclear whether anxiety and depression bring on the AF or if AF brings on the anxiety and depression.”

During a session here, Lakkireddy presented unpublished data from a study that measured quality of life, anxiety and depression in patients with AF. The study included 49 patients who participated in two 60-minute yoga sessions a week for 3 months. Researchers measured quality of life, anxiety and depression scores at baseline and again at the end of 3 months. Additionally, yoga reduced symptomatic AF episodes from 3.8 at baseline to 2.9 at 3 months. The number of asymptomatic AF episodes was also reduced after yoga practice, Lakkireddy said. Yoga was also associated with improved quality of life, anxiety and depression scores at the end of the study period. Correlation analysis showed that change in anxiety and depression correlated with the change in the number of AF episodes.

“There was a 35% to 40% reduction in the number of AF episodes in this study,” Lakkireddy said in an interview. “Yoga doesn’t completely cure AF, but in gross terms, the number of AF episodes was significantly lowered to reach statistical significance.”

Yoga in the West
Gurudev Yogi Amrit Desai is recognized as one of the pioneers of the authentic teachings of yoga in the West. He has been repeatedly honored for following in the footsteps of many of the great spiritual Masters such as Paramahansa Yogananada and Swami Vivekenand in spreading the profound depth of the ancient teachings of India to the world. In 1893, when Swami Vivekanand addressed a gathering of 7,000 people at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, his presence marked the beginning of Western interest in the ancient spiritual teachings of India.

Future Predictions: The Future of Cardiology – Meet a Super Cardiologist Specializing in Interventional Electrophysiology

“Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June — before Iran enters what Israelis described as a “zone of immunity” to commence building a nuclear bomb.”

“U.S. officials see two possible ways to dissuade the Israelis from such an attack: Tehran could finally open serious negotiations for a formula to verifiably guarantee that its nuclear program will remain a civilian one; or the United States could step up its covert actions to degrade the program so much that Israelis would decide that military action wasn’t necessary.”

[Source: By David Ignatius, Published: February 2, Washington Post]

[Panetta Israel Flag Photo Credit]

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