A report published Aug. 17, 2026, by NaturalHealth365 described a study in which 20 healthy adults underwent functional MRI scans and blood draws before and after a seven-day meditation retreat at the University of California, San Diego. According to the report, the retreat combined intensive meditation, reconceptualization exercises, and open-label healing rituals, and the measurements were taken the same way researchers might test a medication.
Key Findings
The report said the participants were randomly selected from 561 retreat attendees. After the retreat, brain scans showed decreased integration in the default mode network, a region the article said “ties to internal mental chatter and self-referential thought.” Researchers interpreted the shift as a sign of more efficient brain function, with less activity spent on internal noise, according to the report.
Read Full Article: https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-08-22-seven-day-meditation-linked-brain-blood-changes.html
