Some people may assume that the best way of maintaining a healthy-heart is by eating healthily, taking regular exercise and eliminating bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. Whilst, this can have huge health and wellbeing benefits, this is not the only approach that can be of benefit. A healthy-heart can also be maintained by alternative therapies such as meditation and yoga.
Recently, research conducted in the US, led to a unique treatment-plan, for a sample of people suffering from atherosclerosis – the medical term used to describe the hardening of the arteries. The study – undertaken by researchers at St Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago tested each patient in the sample for signs of heart-disease by measuring the bulk of the carotid-artery in the neck. The researchers then assigned each respondent to one of three treatments in an arbitrary manner. The first group experienced an intensive form of meditation, the second group were asked to take large quantities of multi-vitamins and the third received conventional medical-care.
After 12 months, the researchers measured the carotid-arteries again, and discovered that the group that had engaged in meditation had experienced a 10% reduction in artery thickness, whereas the other two groups experienced a 5% reduction. According to one of the senior researchers, Robert Schneider, “the opening of these arteries translates to a 33% reduction in heart disease and stroke over the long-term”.
In addition to meditation, the regular use of yoga has also emerged as an effective means of preventing heart-disease and has become a very popular activity for many people due to its accessibility and multiple mental and physical health benefits. As well as yoga, researchers also believe that the regular use of powerful antioxidant herbs and diet-regimes can have a highly positive impact on heart-health.
Finally, principles that connect with meditation philosophies encourage diets that are light on animal-products, but heavy on natural foodstuffs, such as vegetables and fruit; and are often considered to be one simple means of improving your health and wellbeing by both conventional and alternative health-experts.
Comments are closed.