Transcendental Meditation in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and pathophysiological mechanisms: An evidence-based review.
Advances in integrative medicine December 1, 2014 Robert H Schneider, Timothy Carr
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in Australia and globally. This review synthesizes evidence from meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and controlled clinical studies on the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique's effects on CVD and its risk factors. The authors report that clinical trials indicate TM positively impacts pathophysiological mechanisms of CVD, risk factors such as hypertension, psychosocial stress, and smoking, surrogate markers, and clinical events. Citing a recent American Heart Association scientific statement, they note TM may be considered in clinical practice to lower blood pressure and may reduce heart attack, stroke, and death in CVD patients. The authors propose TM may be considered for both prevention and treatment of CVD.