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Heart attacks and strokes are caused by blocked blood flow in the heart and up to the brain.<\/p>\nHeart attacks and strokes are caused by blocked blood flow in the heart and up to the brain.<\/p>\n
To prevent this and improve cardiovascular health, doctors recommend changes in diet, exercise and then, of course, drugs (lots of drugs).<\/p>\n
However, there is a different, more natural method of treating heart disease\u2014one so easy and effortless, it\u2019s almost like doing nothing.<\/p>\n
A new study from Columbia University\u2019s Irving Medical Center, published in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology<\/em> has proven that this easy method is TWICE as effective as drugs.<\/p>\n Relaxation has been found to be an effective way of improving blood flow, so researchers decided to test whether transcendental meditation could be a useful addition to coronary heart disease treatment.<\/p>\n They recruited 56 people with coronary heart disease, including those who had recently had a heart attack, had coronary artery bypass surgery, or had suffered from chest pain.<\/p>\n They divided them into four groups:<\/p>\n \u2013 The first group received treatment with exercise and healthy eating,<\/p>\n \u2013 the second group received transcendental meditation training,<\/p>\n \u2013 the third group received meditation training with exercise and diet,<\/p>\n \u2013 and the fourth group received conventional drug treatment.<\/p>\n The blood flow to and from the hearts of the people in the transcendental meditation\/cardiac rehabilitation group improved by 20.7 percent, and that of people in the transcendental meditation group improved by 12.8 percent.<\/p>\n Exercise and diet treatment increased blood flow to and from the heart by 5.8 percent, and drugs increased it by 10.3 percent.<\/p>\n Why is this relaxation technique so effective?<\/p>\n Psychosocial stress worsens coronary disease. Reducing stress reduces the levels of a hormone that cause blood vessel inflammation. This is why transcendental meditation helps in the fight against cholesterol.<\/p>\n For years, we\u2019ve been using specific mindfulness and relaxation exercises\u2014somewhat similar to TM\u2014to treat blood pressure. You can learn these simple blood pressure exercises here\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n