Despite significant evidence suggesting the link between chronic stress and coronary heart disease over the two decades, “Conventional medical wisdom” including the British Heart foundation has been reluctant to link stress and heart disease . However, researchers at University College, London, have demonstrated that those who become stressed are more likely to suffer from hardened arteries than those who remain calm under pressure.
Uk’s biggest killer is Coronary heart disease, with 25% of men, (one in every four men) and almost 20% of women, one in every six women dying from the disease. In Britain around 300,000 people suffer from a heart attack each year. Coronary heart disease like Angina affects around 2% of the population or one in 50 people, and in the UK some 1.2 million people suffer with this condition, generally affecting men more than women, and ones chances of getting it increase as we get older.
Researchers have now been able to demonstrate stress linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, breast cancer, skin disease, panic attacks, sleep disturbance and general impact on the immune system. Despite the overwhelming evidence of stress being a key component to many illnesses, conventional medical science has been reluctant to admit the linkage between stress and disease.
On the other hand meditation has now been meticulously studied in relation to its impact on blood pressure, cancer, pain management, depression, heart disease, panic attacks, skin rashes, anxiety disorders and even in weight management, and it has consistently shown to reduce risk factors and effectively deal with the causes and symptoms of these diseases.
Could it be that since meditation can be learned by anyone, freely used, non-toxic and not under the control of multinational companies and therefore not able to profit from the suffering of others, that the likes of the British Heart Foundation and others of “conventional medical wisdom” are reluctant to admit to both stress as one of the primary causes of preventable diseases and meditation as its cure!
EXERCISES:
Mindfulness (by Dav Panesar)
Symran (by Dav Panesar)
