Visiting cardiologist to give public lecture on meditation

Visiting cardiologist to give public lecture at UC on meditation

October 2, 2013

A visiting cardiologist will give a public lecture at the University of Canterbury (UC) next week explaining that people who regularly practice transcendental meditation have 48 percent fewer deaths, heart attacks and strokes.

American academic researcher Dr Robert Schneider is touring New Zealand this month to explain the health benefits of meditation.

``I want to tell New Zealand doctors why the American Heart Association is now recommending transcendental meditation,’’ he says.

UC health sciences lecturer Dr Arindam Basu says cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of deaths in New Zealand. Many of the deaths are premature and preventable.

``High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and sedentary lifestyles are believed to be major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, in particular coronary artery diseases. Because of this, lifestyle modifications and pharmaceutical interventions are used to prevent and treat heart diseases.

``Transcendental meditation is the most widely researched aspect of mind-body medicine with over 600 peer-reviewed published journal articles to testify its effectiveness.

``Transcendental meditation refers to a simple, psychophysiological procedure practiced for 20 minutes twice a day. The meditation techniques are taught by specially trained instructors and can be practiced in conjunction with most conventional medical treatments.

``This technique not only reduces death and disability from heart diseases, but it reduces significant risk factors of heart disease including cigarette smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

``It is believed that practising transcendental meditation to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease is probably most directly related to its ability to lower psychosocial stress and to correct deleterious effects of stress.

``It’s great for the people of Christchurch that Professor Schneider is speaking at UC on October 9 as he is one of the foremost scholars in the fields of use of mind-body medicine,’’ Dr Basu says.

ENDS

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