Can meditation really prevent or manage heart disease? Well, it is said that transcendental meditation (TM) offers an accessible and effective way to manage risk factors and prevent heart disease. This practice works well alone but also provides additional health support to those who choose to focus on dietary choices, exercise, and other complementary treatments as a way to prevent or manage heart disease.
However, the practice of transcendental meditation must be learned from a certified instructor. It requires the practitioner to meditate twice a day for twenty minutes during each sitting. Once mastered, the technique may be practiced in almost any setting.
Transcendental Meditation and Atherosclerosis
The presence of insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and tobacco use strongly influence the risk level for developing atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries associated with heart disease.
When practicing TM, the thickness of the carotid artery lessened in regular meditators. This is significant because the thickness of the carotid artery walls is used as an indicator for heart disease risk.
This type of meditation has also been shown to lower blood pressure by reducing both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures to normal levels.
Can Transcendental Meditation Really Work On Its Own?
While genetics and behaviors, dietary choices, weight management and level of physical activity, significantly impact the probability of developing heart disease, transcendental meditation has proven effective as a sole form of treatment.
The risk factors for heart disease develop within the body’s metabolic systems. According to James Krag, M.D., a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, our state of mind and the physical markers, which accompany various psychic and emotional states, impact metabolism. For example, the way a meal is consumed when agitated is metabolized by the body is vastly different from the way we metabolize food when happy or calm.
TM produces a state of calm that can always be with us, which allows for healthier metabolism of food and everything else we encounter in the world.
Transcendental Meditation As A Complementary Treatment
Current studies show the effectiveness of TM as a complementary treatment for heart disease and its prevention.
Other recommended methods, healthy diet, exercise, and supplementation, to manage risk factors for heart disease as well as the condition, work well in concert with the practice of TM, but they are not required to benefit from the practice itself.
By sitting for twenty minutes twice a day and applying transcendental meditation practices and techniques, a person may significantly decrease their risk factors, hypertension, stress, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol, while improving their overall health and well-being.