MEDITATION BENEFITS YOUR HEART

MEDITATION REDUCE YOUR RISK OF
HAVING A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE

www.medpagetoday.com - A stress reduction program using Transcendental Meditation (TM) significantly reduced the composite endpoint of mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke in African-American patients with coronary heart disease, researchers reported. 
Compared with a group of patients randomized to a health education program, those practicing TM had a 48% reduction in these outcomes (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.92, P=0.025), according to Robert H. Schneider, MD, of Maharishi University of Management in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa, and colleagues. The TM group also had a change of -4.9 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (95% CI -8.3 to -1.5 , P=0.01). “Reduction in systolic BP may be a physiological mechanism for reduced clinical events in this trial since this magnitude of reduction has been associated with 15% reduction in cardiovascular clinical events,” Schneider and colleagues wrote. 

African Americans are disproportionately afflicted with cardiovascular disease, at least in part possibly because of environmental and psychosocial stresses. The TM program involves daily periods during which individuals sit quietly allowing the mind to drift into a “wakeful hypometabolic state,” which is characterized by physiologic changes typical of decreased stress. Previous studies of stress reduction using TM have shown benefits for risk factors and various clinical endpoints in the general population. 
Schneider and colleagues enrolled 201 black patients who had at least one coronary artery with 50% blockage. The study took place between 1998 and 2007, in two phases separated by a period of loss of funding in 2003 and 2004. “In conclusion, this randomized controlled trial found that a selected mind-body intervention, the TM program, significantly reduced risk for mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke in African-American men and women with coronary heart disease. These changes were associated with reductions in BP and psychosocial distress,” Schneider and colleagues wrote.

Transcendental Meditation has been around in the West since the 1950s, a simple practice that involves focusing on a sound or the recitation of a mantra to reduce stress and improve focus. TM can help people manage pain, stress, and overeating and even led to the growth of brain regions associated with improved memory and emotional regulation. Now, a new clinical trial has found that TM can lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and early deaths in African-American heart disease patients who practiced the technique for 20 minutes a day. These benefits appear to be the results of meditation's ability to lower blood pressure, stress and anger, all of which have been linked to increased cardiovascular risk, researchers say.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Maharishi Aurbindo (1872–1950) abandoned politics to enter the spiritual field, and he established a well-known meditation center at Pondicherry, South India. His deep knowledge of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga attracted many seekers to come to him for guidance from all over the world. ... Swami Yogananda Paramhans (1893–1952) his teachings, which were based mainly on the special meditation techniques of Kriya yoga, attracted a large following. He adopted many Western practices in places of worship and brought about a good synthesis of teachings of the East and West. ... Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1917–2008) become world famous for introducing his own version of meditation called Transcendental Meditation, or TM. After doing austerities in the Himalayas for many years, he settled in the United States and started a full-fledged university in Iowa that is dedicated to the study of Hindu scriptures, Ayurveda, Yoga, and Meditation.

Dr. Hiro Badlani :
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 42 - “Hinduism in Modern Era”
“Spiritual Masters of the Recent Period”
http://hinduismpath.com/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/