Newsbite: Meditation Reduces Heart Disease

January 20, 2011 by

A recent study found that the practice of meditation reduced cardiac disease risk by nearly 50%.  During the nine year study, 201 African American men and women, average age 59 years and identified with narrowing cardiovascular arteries, were randomly assigned to either practice a form of meditation or participate in a control group which received health education classes including topics of diet and exercise.  The meditation group practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM) twenty minutes twice a day.  Results included 47% reduction in death, heart attacks, and strokes in the participants who practiced meditation, as well as clinically significant reduction in blood pressure and psychological stress.

Meditation has long been practiced and known for helping with stress relief, focusing, being in the present (mindfulness), as well as other physical, spiritual, and emotional benefits including reduced pain and depression.  The field of psychotherapy is also paying more attention to mindfulness practices, including meditation as a tool to reduce anxiety and elevate mood.  We have the tendency to dwell on the past or worry about the future and meditation can help us focus on the present, thereby reducing stress and risk of related health issues.  Rather than getting rid of thoughts, meditation is more about learning to become an observer of our thoughts and feelings without becoming overly attached so that we can be more fully focused on what’s going on right now and feel happier.

Transcendental Meditation is one form that involves sitting comfortably with eyes closed approximately 20 minutes, “[allowing] the mind to simply, naturally and effortlessly transcend thinking and to experience a deep state of restfully alert consciousness.” (www.tm.org).  There are as many ways to meditate as there are people on the earth, and resources are abundant.  Further information can be found on-line, such as www.how-to-meditate.org or beginner meditation books at your local library.

This particular study was conducted by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa under leadership of Robert Schneider, MD with a grant from the National Institutes of Health-National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.  Results were presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando last November.

Barbor, Cary. May 1, 2001, last reviewed September 3, 2010.  The Science of Meditation.  Retrieved January 19, 2010 from Psychologytoday.com: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200105/the-science-meditation.

J.S. Epperson. November 18, 2009.  Study: Meditation Lowers Cardiac Disease Risks by Half.  Retrieved January 19, 2011 from Higher Music at http://higher-music.com/blog/study-meditation-lowers-cardiac-disease-risks-by-half/.

Meditation Cuts Heart Attack Risk in Half.  May 13, 2010.  Retrieved January 19, 2011 from http://www.medifasthealth.org/blog/2010/05/13/meditation-cuts-heart-attack-risk-in-half/.

Premji, Frederic. May 8, 2008. 100 Benefits of Meditation. Retrieved January 19, 2011 from http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/05/100-benefits-of-meditation/

The Transcendental Meditation Program. www.tm.org.

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Filed Under: Integrative Wellness, Mindfulness, Physical Health, Physical Illness, Stress/Anxiety
About Kimberly Rodgers, LCSW, RPT-S

Kimberly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Florida and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor through the Association for Play Therapy. She also supervises clinical social work interns pursuing licensure. She has worked as a psychotherapist for twelve years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia and Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Central Florida.

Her experience includes foster care, adoption, youth shelter, youth related research, school-based counseling, and sexual assault crisis center settings prior to private practice. She specializes in counseling children, families, and adults struggling with stress, anxiety, trauma, and adjustment to life transitions. Kimberly is a current Board member of the Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida and former Vice-President of the Southwest Florida chapter of the Association for Play Therapy. She is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers and EMDR International Association.

Kimberly is founder of Monarch Wellness (originally Monarch Therapy), an integrative center focused on empowering individuals and families through emotional and behavioral metamorphosis. In addition to counseling and play therapy, the center offers other supportive modalities to further enhance emotional healing and stress management including support groups, yoga, laughter yoga, breathwork, integrative relaxation, and sound therapy. Monarch Wellness' sister site eFitFamily.com offers health related information and inspiration for everyday families to live healthier every day. The center is also involved with House of Gaia community center and other community and service focused organizations. More information about Kimberly and her practice can be found online: www.MonarchWellness.net.

More about Kimberly

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    April 21, 2011 at 11:18 am

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