Meditation is helpful in reducing heart failure problems

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Patients with heart failure who practised transcendental meditation saw benefit, probably through reducing stress.
Transcendental meditation (TM) is known to reduce stress, and measures like blood pressure. So the question is, can it help with heart disease? A team at the University of Pennsylvania has been testing TM in a small group of heart patients. Here is what they found.

Twenty three African-American men and women with congestive heart failure either practised TM or had health education. Changes in heart function were measured through a six minute walk test, measures for quality of life, depression and re-hospitalization. The TM group improved significantly on the six minute walk test both at three and six months after the start of the trial. They also had improved quality of life, less depression, and fewer hospitalizations than the group receiving health education. This is in line with previous work showing that TM can reduce blood pressure, stress and metabolic syndrome. It is probably through these mechanisms that TM helps with heart failure.

Source
Ethnicity & Disease Winter 2007

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