A study that was funded by the National Institutes of Health suggest that transcendental meditation is good for the heart. The results showed that African-Americans who regularly practiced transcendental meditation reduced the risk of stroke, heart attack and death by 48%. And that, even though they already had a heart disease.
Robert Schneider, MD, the researcher behind this study said these results can be extrapolated to the rest of the population. Schneider went on saying that this supports the idea that heart diseases have nothing to do with a person’s age, race or culture. The state of restful alertness that transcendental meditation brings onto the table has the ability to restore the body. The meditation allows the body to rely on its own healing forces.
Transcendental meditation is a form of meditation that is trademarked. To be able to teach it, one has to be trained and certified by a recognized school. It requires some experience for one to be able to get into that level of consciousness referred to as “transcendental consciousness”. This form of meditation is one of the 2 pillars in the educational system of Maharishi University of Management.
The health benefits from practicing transcendental meditation
In this study 201 African-Americans were recruited. Both men and women were included in the group and the average age for that group was 59. It is to be noted that most individuals found in that group were considered to be obese. Many of the participants were diagnosed with heart diseases and a good number of them were still smoking. Schneider made mention of the fact that 35% of African-Americans are at higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to the rest of the population.
Each individual in the group received standard care and medication for heart disease. But the scientists divided the group further into 2. Even though all the group members received the same standard treatment, one subgroup that was under study was required to have transcendental medication 2 times daily for at least 20 minutes. The other subgroup was required to spend at least 20 minutes a day on hearth-healthy activities. For 9 years the researchers kept track of the members of the 2 subgroups.
The results show that transcendental meditation lower the risk of death, stroke and heart attacks by half. Systolic blood pressure was also significantly reduced. Those who benefited the most of the meditation were those with high stress and high blood pressure. Schneider stated that based on this results one can see that the effect of the mind on the body could be compared to what is seen with conventional medication like satin.
On average, the group supposed to rely on transcendental meditation were found to meditate 8.5 times a week even though they were requested to meditate 14 times a week. Schneider noted that those who did stick to the 14 times a week requirement had much greater benefits with 66% risk reduction.
Transcendental meditation will cost you less
According to Schneider, transcendental meditation is a natural, simple and effortless way to quiet down the mind. The training to master this form of meditation cost around $1500. To Schneider, this means that transcendental meditation is a cost effective means of preventing cardiovascular disease. If you care about your health, you might want to try it.
