A recent study conducted on patients with heart disease found that those who practiced transcendental meditation (TM) were half as likely to suffer heart attacks as those who did not practice meditation. These results are being presented at an American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, Florida this month. The study subjects were African-Americans, while other research on meditation has shown similar benefits across ethnicities and genders. In addition to a reduction in heart attacks, strokes, and deaths, researchers also found that the meditation protocol significantly reduced blood pressure and stress levels.
Transcendental meditation is a practice designed to quiet the mind and create inner peace. It has been taught in the West since the 1960s, when it was popularized by members of The Beatles, who spent time with Indian spiritual teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Multiple scientific studies have shown benefits from TM and other meditation practices, and this current study suggests that meditation is more helpful than medications in preventing heart attacks. Meditation produces side benefits rather than negative side effects, and would be a good basic recommendation for people seeking to overcome heart disease and related health challenges. The study being shared at the AHA meeting found that meditation offered much more benefit than education about diet and lifestyle. This highlights the importance of putting health-supporting measures into practice, since many people may know their lifestyle is unhealthy but don't take action to change things.
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