In October 1991, the United States Congress passed a law that appropriated $2 million to fund an office of the National Institute of Health dedicated to the study of the practices non-traditional medicine. Seven years later, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) became an official branch of the National Institutes of Health. Although alternative medicine has only recently gained official recognition in the United States, the mind/body practices that pervade NCCAM research have ancient roots. For example, some forms of meditation, a technique originating in Eastern religions, date back thousands of years. The American Yoga Association reports that yoga dates back more than 5,000 years! In 2008, 38 percent of Americans age 18 and older and 12 percent of children used some form of alternative medicine. The rate of individuals in the United States using alternative techniques and general interest in these treatment methods are continually growing (Frass et al., 2012). While there are many types of alternative techniques, some specific examples include meditation, hypnosis, guided imagery, yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. As these modalities gain more attention, it becomes natural to wonder about the effectiveness of these methods, their mechanisms of action, and the specific ways in which they interact with the brain, immune system, and genes. Meditation, which is a general term, is a practice in which attention is focused on something. Meditation itself can refer to a number of techniques, including mindfulness meditation, which comes from a Buddhist tradition, and transcendental meditation, which has roots in Hinduism (NCCAM meditation site). In mindfulness meditation, the goal is to focus on… middle of paper… ngren, KS, Grubisich, S.A., Reed, M.R., & Hsiao-Wecksler, E.T. (2007). Effect of combined Taiji and Qigong training on balance mechanisms: a randomized controlled trial in older adults. Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 13(8), CR339–48. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17660722Young, D. R., Appel, L. J., Jee, S., & Miller, E. R. (1999). The effects of aerobic exercise and T'ai Chi on blood pressure in older adults: results of a randomized trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 47(3), 277–84. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10078888Zhuang, S., An, S., and Zhao, Y. (2013). Effects of yoga on mood and quality of life in Chinese women undergoing heroin detoxification: a randomized controlled trial. Nursing Research, 62(4), 260–8. doi:10.1097/NNR.0b013e318292379b