Transcendental meditation can reduce heart problems
Transcendental meditation – TM – has been used effectively in an effort to reduce the severity of congestive heart failure in research carried out by the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Geriatric Medicine.
Dr.Ravishankar Jayadevappa said that the results of the study “indicate that TM can be effective in improving the functional capacity and quality of life of congestive heart failure patients. These results also suggest long-term improvements in survival in these individuals”.
According to the study published in the journal Ethnicity & Disease’ the researchers evaluated 23 African-American men and women with an average age of 64 who had been hospitalised with congestive heart failure. The participants were divided into two groups to have either the TM technique or general health education in addition to standard medical treatment.
At three and six month intervals researchers measured changes in heart function with a six minute walk test and measures for quality of life, depression, and re-hospitalisations.
The TM group significantly improved on the walk test after both three and six months compared to the second control group. They also showed improvement in quality of life measurements, depression, and had fewer re-hospitalisations.
The findings were described as consistent with previous research which demonstrated that TM reduced factors which contributed to the progression of heart failure such as high blood pressure, stress, enlargement of the heart, and hardening of the arteries. The study researchers stated that TM’s single biggest benefit was reducing nervous system activation associated with stress that was known to contribute to a failing heart.
