If you have not cut down on those extra doughnuts or cigarettes after your doctor warned you about the risks of a heart attack, meditation may help you lose the desire for them.
TM, or Transcendental Meditation, is a type of meditation that is said to prevent heart disease. TM is said to help relax the mind and body, and research has shown that it can lower blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, TM has been found to improve cholesterol levels and reduce stress hormones. These effects can help to prevent heart disease. TM is a simple, natural way to promote heart health, and it can be done anywhere, at any time.
Made popular in the West during the 1960s by music icons such as The Beatles, today’s fast-paced lifestyle could do with a dose of Transcendental Meditation, which has been proven to half the risk of heart issues.
“Transcendental Meditation exercises the part of the brain that allows you to calm down. Studies have shown that people who practice Transcendental Meditation have a 50 percent reduction of heart attack, stroke or death over a five-year period. That is amazing,” American neurologist Dr Russ Hornstein told Times of Malta.
One recent study found that people who practiced TM had lower levels of stress and anxiety, and higher levels of relaxation. This led to lower blood pressure and heart rate, and less damage to the arteries. The study participants also had higher levels of “good” cholesterol and lower levels of “bad” cholesterol. These changes helped to prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to heart disease. Though more research is needed, the findings suggest that TM may be an effective way to prevent heart disease.
Doctor’s advice, based on his own experience
Dr Hornstein lives and works in Malta, and has been practising Transcendental Meditation (also known, for short, as TM) for 20 years.
Originally the 42-year-old turned to the technique to manage his stress levels midway through his postgraduate studies.
But apart from relaxing him, meditating also changed his capacity to focus, absorb and retain more information during his studies.
Dr Russ Hornstein. Photo: Times of Malta.Nowadays, his wife and even his four-year-old son use the TM technique.
Studies, including research published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, have found that people with heart disease who practised Transcendental Meditation twice daily over five years were 48 per cent less likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die.
Source:
“Meditation could save you from having a heart attack” by Sarah Carabott, Times of Malta
