High blood pressure (hypertension) causes serious health problems.
Here’s a scary list of conditions to which it contributes:
* heart attack,
* stroke,
* aneurysm,
* artery damage,
* dementia,
* kidney failure.
If these don’t look like appealing prospects, then keeping your blood pressure under control should be right up there on your list of priorities!
BLOOD PRESSURE CHART: High, low and normal blood pressure. Source: Vertex 42How to avoid high blood pressure?
When it comes to maintaining healthy blood pressure, the usual to-do list includes:
- eating healthily,
- exercising,
- keeping away from alcohol and tobacco,
- lowering stress levels.
While it’s hard enough to follow points 1-3, the trickiest question is how to combat stress in a way that would also have the desired effect of lowering your blood pressure.
Luckily, there is a method which is scientifically proven to both reduce stress and normalize blood pressure – the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM).
WHAT IS THE TM TECHNIQUE? Transcendental Meditation or TM is a simple, natural and effortless mental technique practiced twice a day for 20 minutes. It is easy to learn from a qualified teacher (it only takes 1-2 hours on 4 consequtive days) and enjoyable to practice independently hence forth. READ MOREWhom can Transcendental Meditation help?
Controlled trials show that TM leads to lower blood pressure in:
- people with hypertension [1] [2]
- people with heart disease [3] [4] [5]
- old and young [6] [7]
- under stress or at rest. [8]
Scientists think that TM is effective at lowering blood pressure precisely because it is documented to lower our sensitivity to stress.
In brief, TM makes our nervous system more resilient.
We can therefore avoid the damaging spikes in blood pressure that result from a typical fight or flight reaction to an antsy situation. Instead, we can keep our cool and simply smile!
Reduced blood pressure = longer life
Researchers have also been able to observe how the reduction in blood pressure resulting from practice of TM meditation translates into longer life.
In a controlled study of people over 55 years old and suffering from hypertension, those practicing Transcendental Meditation lived more years in general. Specifically, their rate of mortality due to high blood pressure was decreased by 30%.[6]
In another study, TM was compared to other methods of stress reduction with regard to its effectiveness in lowering blood pressure.
The study found that stress management training, biofeedback, and relaxation-assisted biofeedback did not lead to any significant reductions in blood pressure. Transcendental Meditation, on the other hand, yielded statistically significant results. [2]
So, to keep your blood pressure in the healthy range, learn TM, and enjoy a long and healthy life!
FROM WORLD MEDIA:
“A new study shows that transcendental meditation, a relaxation technique developed by the Indian guru and made famous when the fab four dabbled with it in the late 60s, can reduce death rates by nearly a quarter.” — “Meditation ‘leads to longer life,’” The Guardian
“Transcendental meditation improves blood pressure and insulin resistance in heart patients, according to a placebo-controlled study carried out at an academic medical center in California.” — “Regimens: High Blood Pressure? Meditation May Help,” The New York Times
“For millions of people with hypertension an effective alternative therapy may bring blood pressure into the normal range or prevent the need for hypertension medication, with its attendant side effects and costs.” —“American Heart Association: TM May Lower Your Blood Pressure,” The Huffington Post
“Transcendental meditation may have as much of an impact for people with hypertension as taking a second medicine, a University of Kentucky research review shows.” — “Tricks to Lower Blood Pressure,” Health.com
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WATCH VIDEO: NBC news report on how doing Transcendental Meditation will help to normalize the blood pressure:
