Meditation Beats Drugs for Heart Disease
| Tue Nov. 17, 2009 5:45 PM PST
A new clinical trial found that meditation cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death by nearly 50 percent in patients with existing coronary heart disease—making relaxation and mental focusing as effective as powerful new drugs in treating heart disease, reports AAAS News.
The study tested transcendental meditation on 201 African American patients with narrowed coronary arteries who were at high risk factor for heart attack and stroke. All the patients were given standard prescription drugs, as well as an educational course in cardiovascular health. Half the patients also practiced transcendental meditation for 15 to 20 minutes a day.
The results? Patients who mediated on top of standard treatment experienced 47 percent fewer heart attacks, strokes, and deaths compared to the control group. The benefits lasted more than 5 years and up to 9 years in some patients.
In comparison, statin drugs taken to reduce cholesterol levels only lessen the risks of heart disease by 30 to 40 percent relative to existing treatments. Common blood pressure drugs reduce these outcomes by only 25 to 30 percent. Meditation proves as powerful as any new class of heart disease medications entering the market.
Oh, and once you've learned the technique, it's free.
Om.
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Comments
Thank you
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Nov. 18, 2009 9:03 PM PST.
Great article. Thanks. I think we should start acknowledging that there are significant and scientifically verifiable differences in various alternative/complementary approaches to our health. Just as you would consider it irresponsible for a doctor to say "take a pill take any pill you want" for a particular ailment, with the science that is now available it is irresponsible for a health professional to say do "any kind of meditation." Transcendental Meditation (TM.org) is ahead of the pack. Meta-analysis of various mental techniques have shown the difference between various techniques and outcomes, such as reduction in anxiety, etc. Please keep covering this important topic.
Thanks for this great
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat Nov. 21, 2009 12:59 PM PST.
Thanks for this great article on great effect of TM on heart disease. This adds another study to the hundreds of other studies showing the positive effects on TM on health. And it is so enjoyable and easy to do and simple to practice. I highly recommend it.
It's not the Transcendental
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat Nov. 21, 2009 5:27 PM PST.
It's not the Transcendental Meditation Technique. It's about the none attachment for 15 to 20 minutes from our mind constructs that releases anxiety, stress, etc.
TM and Heart Disese
Submitted by Cyndi in NC (not verified) on Tue Dec. 29, 2009 11:40 AM PST.
My meditation is in a 86 degrees of salt water pool, 1hr. of slow and steady swimming, chanting Abraham grant me health, wealth, and wisdom. ...
Huh? Your post says that the
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Jan. 11, 2010 1:34 PM PST.
Huh? Your post says that the TM was in addition to prescription drug therapy, but you move from that to bad mouthing various drugs. What do you hope to accomplish with those paragraphs other than encouraging people not to use their drugs on a regular basis?
Worse, there is a definite whiff of blame the victim here. Oh, you have heart disease? It's because you're not a cool and hoopy frood like me with my no stress TM and my chai tea and my meditation studio and my all organic lifestyle.
Shame on you.
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