Transcendental Meditation
Meditation has been known to lower blood pressure, and a new study shows it also soothes the bodys damaging stress responses. A build up of those responses over time leads to development of heart disease and diabetes. Heart disease patients, average age 68, were taught how to practice transcendental meditation (TM), which originated in India and has been popular in the states since the seventies. These patients experienced decreased heart rate variability and insulin sensitivity over the 16-week trial. Chronic stress can wreak havoc on the nervous system, which controls the beat of the heart.
Cortisol and other hormones are released during stress response, along with neurotransmitters. These hormones can damage the cardiovascular system if experienced often enough, for long enough. According to the studys conclusion, transcendental meditation practice actually adjusts the bodys response to stress instead of changing the stress itself-- results similar to the physical effects of exercise conditioning. This is an important capability for those who cannot escape stress in their lives entirely.
Cortisol and other hormones are released during stress response, along with neurotransmitters. These hormones can damage the cardiovascular system if experienced often enough, for long enough. According to the studys conclusion, transcendental meditation practice actually adjusts the bodys response to stress instead of changing the stress itself-- results similar to the physical effects of exercise conditioning. This is an important capability for those who cannot escape stress in their lives entirely.
Transcendental Meditation
I have a friend who learned TM 6 months ago and his doctor can't believe how much is cholestorol went down. I also read an article about TM and high blood pressure. They did a study at a university in Georgia somewhere and got really good results. We need things like this; more natural approaches to diseases that are so rampant in our culture.
ReplyDeleteI have been meditating for many years, and have always enjoyed low blood pressure. In addition, I have friends who are meditators who were tested by doctors to determine their biological age, which turned out to be twenty years younger than their actual age! To me, TM is a great way to maintain one’s good health. For one thing it reduces stress, one of the leading causes of many diseases. There was a very interesting study conducted in Japan which showed how TM helped reduce insomnia, decrease anxiety, etc...(http://www.truthabouttm.org/truth/IndividualEffects/ResearchonMentalHealth/index.cfm#Jap)
ReplyDeleteBefore I retired I was working for a huge Fortune 500 company. I felt like one of those cubical people in the Dilbert cartoons. My secret weapon to combat stress was TM. As an executive I had to find creative solutions to business problems. What I discovered was that after my meditation solutions would just come. Huge problems suddenly became manageable. Having workable solutions to problems that plagued our management team made me feel so much calmer. TM is really a blessing.
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