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Mind over matter: How meditation can lower your blood pressure

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

Meditation and its numerous health benefits have been known for millennia, but a new set of studies explains how meditation can help people lower their blood pressure using only their mind.Nearly half of all American adults suffer from hypertension or high blood pressure — a condition that doubles a person’s chance of having a stroke. Pharmaceutical and physical solutions can reduce blood pressure, but so can 10 to 20 minutes of sustained meditation, according to Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.According to Benson, meditation, the quieting of the mind, can produce a “relaxation response” that triggers a lowering in blood pressure, just as stress can result in a “fight-or-flight response” that triggers an increase in blood pressure.Studies have shown that self-induced quieting of brain activity can cause increased levels of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood...

Spencer Torkelson and Andy Ibañez homer as Detroit Tigers beat San Diego Padres 3-1

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Spencer Torkelson and Andy Ibañez homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Sunday to avoid a weekend sweep.Alex Faedo (2-4), who entered with a 6.98 ERA, pitched six shutout innings for Detroit. The right-hander allowed one hit and walked four.“That lineup has guys one through nine who can not only put the ball out of the park but put it in the gap and do everything with the stick,” Faedo said. “You have to stay out of the middle of the plate, so that was kind of my approach.”Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was impressed by his young starter’s poise against one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups.“We asked a lot from him today and he delivered,” he said. “He’s seen the damage the last couple of days and he knows the names in that lineup. He stayed locked in, even after a couple of misfires, and got some big outs.”Beau Brieske and Jason Foley each worked an inning before Alex Lange pitched a rainy ninth for his 17th save. With runners on ...

Rahm, Day and others fail to put pressure on Harman in damp finale at British Open

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Jon Rahm was so eager to begin chasing down Brian Harman in the final round of the British Open that he was putting his tee in the ground on No. 1 when the starter said: “On the tee, Viktor Hovland.”Rahm stepped aside and waited his turn, but he was on a mission at Royal Liverpool on Sunday. And after five holes — amid cries of “Do it for Seve!” and “Vamos, Rahmbo!” from spectators — the Spaniard’s deficit to the leader had been trimmed from six shots overnight to three.It was the closest he, or anyone else, would get all day.No player in a long and varied list of potential threats to Harman — ranging from major champions (Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day) to a local favorite (Tommy Fleetwood) to up-and-coming talents (Tom Kim) — could mount any sort of sustained challenge to the American left-hander on a wet and miserable afternoon on the Hoylake links.Harman started his round on 12-under par and finished it on 13 under. None of the chasers made it to 9 under.“...

El Parlamento de Israel inicia una gigantesca sesión de reforma judicial con Netanyahu en el hospital

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

(CNN) — Tras seis meses de protestas en las calles, maniobras parlamentarias, conversaciones de compromiso y peticiones cada vez más urgentes de Estados Unidos, los legisladores israelíes empezaron a debatir este domingo por la mañana el primer proyecto de reforma judicial que se somete a votación final.El primer ministro de Israel, Benjamín Netanyahu, se encuentra hospitalizado después de que se le implantara un marcapasos.Netanyahu ha seguido adelante con sus planes para el sistema judicial tras haberlos interrumpido a principios de año ante las protestas generalizadas y la presión internacional.Él y sus aliados califican las medidas de “reformas” y afirman que son necesarias para reequilibrar las competencias entre los tribunales, los legisladores y el Gobierno.Quienes se oponen al plan lo califican de golpe de Estado y afirman que amenaza con convertir a Israel en una dictadura al eliminar el control más importante sobre las acciones del gobierno.Muchos legisla...

Shohei Ohtani’s next mound start for Angels moved back a day to key Toronto series

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s next scheduled mound start for the Los Angeles Angels has been pushed back one day to Friday in Toronto.Angels manager Phil Nevin announced the decision Sunday on Ohtani, who had been tentatively scheduled to take his semiregular turn in the rotation on Thursday in Detroit.Ohtani instead will take the mound Friday night when the Angels open a weekend series against the Blue Jays, a fellow contender for the AL’s wild-card playoff spots.The mound start in Toronto will be the last for Ohtani before the trade deadline. The Angels must decide whether to trade Ohtani or to risk losing him for almost nothing as an unrestricted free agent in the winter.Nevin said the Angels pushed back Ohtani to give him six days of rest between mound starts, but also to shift the rotation so Ohtani doesn’t have to make his ensuing start on a Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta. Nevin is worried that the heat and humidity in that day game against the Brave...

Cloud has 23 and 9 assists, Sykes also scores 23; Mystics beat Mercury 84-69

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Natasha Cloud scored 23 points and had nine assists, Brittney Sykes also scored 23 points and the short-handed Washington Mystics beat Phoenix 84-69 Sunday, extending the Mercury’s road losing streak to seven games. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 13 points for Washington (12-10). Phoenix (6-16), which is 1-10 away from home this season, has the longest active road losing streak in the WNBA. The Mercury had won back-to-back games (for the first time this season) and three of their last four. Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne (left ankle sprain), Shakira Austin (left hip strain), Ariel Atkins (left ankle sprain) — all regular starters who combine to account for approximately 40% of Washington’s scoring this season — and Kristi Tolliver (plantar fasciitis) did not play for the Mystics. Sykes made a driving basket with 4:52 left in the first quarter that gave the Mystics the lead for good and sparked an 8-0 run, capped when Tianna Hawkins scored to make it 17-1...

AL West-leading Rangers will skip All-Star Eovaldi in Houston as part of a rest plan

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers will skip All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi for one turn through the rotation as part of a plan to give all their starters some rest.The decision revealed Sunday by manager Bruce Bochy means Eovaldi won’t pitch when the AL West-leading Rangers visit in-state rival and defending World Series champion Houston starting Monday.Jon Gray will pitch Monday’s series opener, and left-hander Andrew Heaney will get the finale Wednesday. Texas hasn’t decided who will take Eovaldi’s turn Tuesday.While acknowledging that Eovaldi’s velocity was down while throwing six scoreless innings in his most recent start against Tampa Bay, Bochy said that wasn’t the only factor in the timing.Eovaldi didn’t get the full All-Star break after making the team for the second time. He pitched a scoreless inning in the AL’s 3-2 loss to the NL.“This was talked about before the season,” Bochy said. “At some point, we’d like t...

Chiefs open camp without star defensive lineman Chris Jones

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs held their first full-squad workout of training camp Sunday under a bright sunny sky and without All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.Coach Andy Reid says he’s not worried yet about the absence of his star lineman, who has yet to report for camp.“We’ll just see how things go here down the road,” Reid said following Sunday’s practice. “There had been communication, we’ll see where it goes from here and we’ll take it. If you’re not here, we just keep moving, and that’s how we roll. We don’t worry a lot about that. We let it take care of itself and we got great people working on that.”Jones has yet to report to camp as he seeks a new contract. The 29-year-old is due to make $19.5 million in base salary this season and carries a salary cap hit of almost $28.3 million.The Chiefs are also motivated to renegotiate his contract. The NFL Players Association public salary cap report Sunday showed the club with just mo...

McIlroy tries to stay positive after British Open despite extending winless streak in majors

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Once again, Rory McIlroy was roaming near the top of the leaderboard of a major on Sunday. Once again, he was nowhere to be seen during the trophy presentation.McIlroy failed to win a major for the 34th straight time on Sunday at the British Open. Still, he again finished well and picked up his seventh top-10 finish in the last eight majors he played, giving him reason to stay positive going forward. “Over the last two years would I have loved to have picked one of those off that I finished up there? Absolutely,” McIlroy said. “But every time I tee it up, or most times I tee it up, I’m right there. I can’t sit here and be too frustrated. You think about my performances in the majors between like 2016 and 2019, it’s a lot better than that.”McIlroy finished in a tie for sixth at Royal Liverpool after a final-round 3-under 68. He ended 6 under for the tournament, seven shots behind winner Brian Harman.“Overall solid performance, not spectacular, but a lot of opt...

4 juveniles in custody after crash following armed robbery, chase

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:01:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Four juveniles were in custody after an armed robbery in Northglenn ended with a short chase and crash in Thornton, according to police.The crash was at Riverdale Road and Colorado Boulevard after the suspect vehicle failed to make a turn and crashed.Two of the four were handed over to the Northglenn Police Department. The remaining two were transported to a local hospital for injuries, according to Thornton PD.One of the two taken to the hospital sustained their injuries in the crash.Additional information about the armed robbery that led to the chase and crash was not yet available.