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Combatting cardiovascular stress - Maharishi's Vedic Approach to Health
by Global Good News staff writer

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13 October 2007

The Lancet, one of the world's leading medical journals, recently published (22 September 2007) an article entitled, 'The Cardiovascular Toll of Stress', which discusses the relationship between mental health and physical health, with specific reference to cardiovascular health. Speaking on the Maharishi Channel, Dr Robert Schneider MD, FACC, Director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management, USA, delved into the concepts presented in this article, and offered Maharishi's Vedic Approach to Health as a solution to deal with cardiovascular disease.

Dr Schneider said that the article began by discussing the connection between the heart and emotional stress. Explaining that Vedic Science has long been aware of this connection, Dr Schneider quoted the Charak Samhita, an ancient textbook of Ayur-Veda, which says that in order to protect the heart, one should avoid afflictions of the mind, and regularly take measures to cleanse the channels of the body, and undertake action conducive to serenity and knowledge.

Dr Schneider discussed various examples from modern science to show how the pathways which connect the heart to the mind are clearly defined on many levels of the physiology, even down to the molecular level. He also mentioned studies on health patterns of large groups, showing that individuals exposed to collective stress, such as natural disasters, social upheavals, or war, take on that stress in their individual physiology, and that this can be seen in the cardiovascular system. Dr Schneider's conclusion from the examples he provided, was that the individual is not separate from his environment, but an integral part of a greater whole—a fact long recognised by Maharishi's Vedic Approach to Health.

He spoke of how the rhythm of the heart is regulated by the brain, explaining how various emotional stressors could cause abnormal cardiac rhythms which could ultimately endanger the function of the heart. 'Modern medicine', Dr Schneider said, 'has identified the pathways whereby a thought or feeling, although not visible, actually manifests into biochemicals, molecules, neurotransmitters, neuro-hormones, and nerve firing patterns. In turn, these electrical impulses and tiny molecules are further manifested, further materialized, in their effects on the heart rhythm and blood circulation'.

Referring back to The Lancet article, Dr Schneider said that it was recognized that individuals are not equally susceptible to stress-mediated cardiovascular events; different people have different effects from stress, affecting many aspects of the physiology. He said that The Lancet article pointed out a need for an effective stress-reduction modality.

Dr Schneider then cited various studies showing how Transcendental Meditation, which is a fundamental technology of Maharishi's Vedic Approach to Health, reduces depression, anxiety, and anger—all negative emotions which impact on physical health. He said that in Maharishi's Vedic Approach to Health, we have age-old, time-tested, scientifically-validated strategies for dealing with stress, on both individual and collective levels, before it can adversely affect cardiovascular health.

Copyright © 2007 Global Good News (sm) Service

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