I don’t know about you, but besides being diagnosed with cancer, the thought of one day my heart suddenly locking up and shutting down not only seems painful, but downright scary. And while most people know that not smoking, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet can all help to prevent the onset of heart disease, new research reports that practicing meditation daily in conjunction with living a healthy lifestyle can lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with cardiovascular disease.
Checkout this recent Deccan Chronicle post from Anisha Francis on the findings of a 9-year meditation study authored by the Maharishi University of Management (Fairfield, Iowa). Research showed that 20 minutes of meditation practiced twice daily reduced a participant’s chances of dying or having a heart attack or stroke by 47 percent. The study compared the meditation group to those who received only traditional care.
The study, authored by College of Maharishi Consciousness Based Health Care dean Robert Schneider, investigated for nine years subjects diagnosed with early stage cardiovascular disease.
Half the group was taught ‘transcendal meditation’ that involves repeating a word or phrase over and over again (usually ‘Om’), while performing soothing breathing exercises.
At the end of the study period, those who regularly meditated had reduced their chances of dying or having a heart attack or stroke by 47 per cent compared with those who received traditional care.
The study, funded by the National Institute of Health, is expected to be printed soon in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Read more about this groundbreaking study on using meditation to prevent heart disease here.
