Heart Health
Mindfulness can improve heart health
Research suggests a regular meditation practice could protect against heart disease.
In this study at Harvard Health Publishing, Dr. John Denninger, director of research at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital is quoted: "Not only can meditation improve how your heart functions, but a regular practice can enhance your outlook on life and motivate you to maintain many heart-healthy behaviors, like following a proper diet, getting adequate sleep, and keeping up regular exercise."
The information in the scientific statement published in the Sept. 28, 2017, Journal of the American Heart Association supports the premise that meditation can improve a host of factors linked with heart disease such as lower heart rate, improved blood flow and reduced stress levels. It seems that what's good for the mind also tends to be good for the heart.
Experts reviewed dozens of studies published over the past two decades and found enough evidence for improvements resulting from meditation that made it, “worth including in an overall program for ongoing heart care.” This synopsis is derived from dozens of studies published over the past 20 years.
A study of contemplative meditation and breathing technique on hypertension
“Stress-induced hypertension is a common disorder in the industrialized world. Medication alone is often inadequate to effectively control high blood pressure. Non-pharmacological anti-hypertensive interventions in arterial hypertension are weakly characterized.”
In 2005 the American Journal of Hypertension posted results of a test that was the first randomized study showing contemplative meditation and breathing technique (CMBT) effectively reduced stress-induced high blood pressure in subjects with mild to moderate essential hypertension.
In this study the effect of meditation combined with CMBT breathing techniques on stress and exercise-induced high blood pressure, was examined. 52 female patients with mild to moderate primary hypertension were randomized into two groups. Group I practiced intensive CMBT (30 minutes, 2x day) for 8 weeks whereas group II served as control. In group I, resting systolic rates fell from 151 to 136 mmHg after CMBT. There was an 11% decrease in systolic BP in group I compared to 0% in the control group. Mean systolic BP during mental stress decreased from 170 to 143 mmHg in group I, but remained constant in controls, 163 vs.157 mmHg . Maximal systolic BP during exercise fell from 218 mmHg to 199 mmHg after CMBT in group I, but remained constant in group 2, 211 vs. 209 mmHg. Mean systolic and diastolic BP during ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) fell from 137 to 133 mmHg and 85 to 80 mmHg for comparison between groups.
Conclusion: This 2005 test was the first randomized study showing that CMBT effectively reduces stress-induced high blood pressure in subjects with mild to moderate hypertension.
Source: American Journal of Hypertension