超脱的冥想可减少动脉阻塞(英文)
Relaxing and reducing stress through transcendental meditation may reduce artery blockage and the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to the results of a study released in the current issue of the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.
The study compared two groups of 30 African-American men and women, who were at risk for cardiovascular disease — one who performed transcendental meditation and another who did not.
Those who meditated did so twice a day for 20 minutes each time. The comparison group, received diet and exercise education, but did not meditate. Both groups were similar in age, blood pressure levels and medication dosages.
, http://www.100md.com
Transcendental meditation is a form of relaxation that puts a patient’s body and mind at rest, although the person remains awake. The individual repeats a mantra, or a sequence of sounds, in his mind to help him relax.
Meditation Kept Arteries Open
The study found, through the use of an ultrasound, that the meditation group had a significant reduction in the thickness of the arterial wall compared to group who only underwent education.
, 百拇医药
Arterial wall thickness helps to determine coronary atherosclerosis, or a hardening of the arteries, and is a predictor of heart attack and stroke. The thicker the wall, the narrower the opening in the artery to allow the blood to flow.
Researchers enrolled African Americans in the study, which was published in a peer-reviewed journal, because they are at the greatest risk for cardiovascular disease.
“Based on our positive findings in this high-risk group, we can assume that a group at less risk can also benefit from it,” says Dr. Amparo Castillo-Richmond, lead author of the study and assistant professor of Medicine at Maharishi University of Medicine College of Vedic Medicine in Fairfield, Iowa.
, http://www.100md.com
Adjunct, Not a Drug Replacement
The reductions found in the meditation group were comparable to those achieved by cholesterol- lowering medications and intensive lifestyle modification programs, the researchers say.
“We expect to use this treatment as an adjunct to current pharmacological therapies,” says Dr. Castillo-Richmond. “We don’t want the patient to think they can replace current medical therapies with this type of meditation.”
, 百拇医药
“I think as long as people continue to take their medications, Transcendental Meditation can only help,” says Patrick Lyden, M.D., Chief of Neurology, Director of the Stroke Center, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Diego.
While most doctors agree that this type of alternative therapy provides another tool against cardiovascular disease, some warn that it might not be ideal for everyone.
“I think the only problem is compliance. It is hard for patients to stick with this type of time consuming program,” says Jay Kaplan, professor of pathology and anthropology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.
, http://www.100md.com
But the results of this study may be encouraging to patients who might want additional help with their condition. The federal National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding larger scale studies based on the Maharishi University findings.
“The distinct state of ‘restful alertness’ gained during the transcendental meditation technique may be triggering self-repair homeostatic mechanisms in the body, which lead to the regression of atherosclerosis,” says Robert Schneider, M.D., second author of the study and director of the Maharishi Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention.
, http://www.100md.com
“The TM program could have vast implications for the current management of cardiovascular disease.”
What is Transcendental Meditation?
The practice of transcendental meditation is a simple technique for reducing stress, which is practiced for 15 to 20 minutes, twice a day.
Participants sit with their eyes closed, while repeating a “mantra” over and over in their mind. A mantra is a sequence of sounds, which, when repeated have a soothing effect, practitioners say.
, 百拇医药
This relaxation technique was first introduced in India 40 years ago. Currently, approximately 5 million people practice the meditation technique worldwide.
Compared to other types of meditation, transcendental meditation does not involve controlling one’s mind, either through concentration or contemplation.
Although anyone can learn transcendental meditation, it cannot be learned from a book or a tape. Transcendental meditation should be taught by an instructor, who coaches the individual and verifies that the technique is being done correctly., http://www.100md.com
The study compared two groups of 30 African-American men and women, who were at risk for cardiovascular disease — one who performed transcendental meditation and another who did not.
Those who meditated did so twice a day for 20 minutes each time. The comparison group, received diet and exercise education, but did not meditate. Both groups were similar in age, blood pressure levels and medication dosages.
, http://www.100md.com
Transcendental meditation is a form of relaxation that puts a patient’s body and mind at rest, although the person remains awake. The individual repeats a mantra, or a sequence of sounds, in his mind to help him relax.
Meditation Kept Arteries Open
The study found, through the use of an ultrasound, that the meditation group had a significant reduction in the thickness of the arterial wall compared to group who only underwent education.
, 百拇医药
Arterial wall thickness helps to determine coronary atherosclerosis, or a hardening of the arteries, and is a predictor of heart attack and stroke. The thicker the wall, the narrower the opening in the artery to allow the blood to flow.
Researchers enrolled African Americans in the study, which was published in a peer-reviewed journal, because they are at the greatest risk for cardiovascular disease.
“Based on our positive findings in this high-risk group, we can assume that a group at less risk can also benefit from it,” says Dr. Amparo Castillo-Richmond, lead author of the study and assistant professor of Medicine at Maharishi University of Medicine College of Vedic Medicine in Fairfield, Iowa.
, http://www.100md.com
Adjunct, Not a Drug Replacement
The reductions found in the meditation group were comparable to those achieved by cholesterol- lowering medications and intensive lifestyle modification programs, the researchers say.
“We expect to use this treatment as an adjunct to current pharmacological therapies,” says Dr. Castillo-Richmond. “We don’t want the patient to think they can replace current medical therapies with this type of meditation.”
, 百拇医药
“I think as long as people continue to take their medications, Transcendental Meditation can only help,” says Patrick Lyden, M.D., Chief of Neurology, Director of the Stroke Center, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Diego.
While most doctors agree that this type of alternative therapy provides another tool against cardiovascular disease, some warn that it might not be ideal for everyone.
“I think the only problem is compliance. It is hard for patients to stick with this type of time consuming program,” says Jay Kaplan, professor of pathology and anthropology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.
, http://www.100md.com
But the results of this study may be encouraging to patients who might want additional help with their condition. The federal National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding larger scale studies based on the Maharishi University findings.
“The distinct state of ‘restful alertness’ gained during the transcendental meditation technique may be triggering self-repair homeostatic mechanisms in the body, which lead to the regression of atherosclerosis,” says Robert Schneider, M.D., second author of the study and director of the Maharishi Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention.
, http://www.100md.com
“The TM program could have vast implications for the current management of cardiovascular disease.”
What is Transcendental Meditation?
The practice of transcendental meditation is a simple technique for reducing stress, which is practiced for 15 to 20 minutes, twice a day.
Participants sit with their eyes closed, while repeating a “mantra” over and over in their mind. A mantra is a sequence of sounds, which, when repeated have a soothing effect, practitioners say.
, 百拇医药
This relaxation technique was first introduced in India 40 years ago. Currently, approximately 5 million people practice the meditation technique worldwide.
Compared to other types of meditation, transcendental meditation does not involve controlling one’s mind, either through concentration or contemplation.
Although anyone can learn transcendental meditation, it cannot be learned from a book or a tape. Transcendental meditation should be taught by an instructor, who coaches the individual and verifies that the technique is being done correctly., http://www.100md.com