Have you ever meditated with your doctor in the exam room? The answer is probably a resounding “no.”
For many of my own heart patients, however, it’s now part of the routine.
You may wonder why a cardiologist is teaching his patients to meditate. While many of us tend to think of our emotions, or meditation for that matter, as only affecting our mind, research shows that these “mental” states do come with very real, physical outcomes.
Try to remember the last time you or a loved one felt stuck in a mood or unpleasant state of mind, like anxiety, sadness, depression, loneliness, or hopelessness. From a medical perspective, the problem is that these states of mind don’t just feel bad. They also make us sick. The toxic effects of emotional stress (i.e. distress) are well known, and affect just about every human organ system.
What if we could begin to heal our hearts and those of our patients without rushing to a drug or procedure? What if part of the root cause of at least 75% of all visits to healthcare providers in the US (stress) could be managed with safe and effective techniques? And for free?
It certainly sounds too good to be true, but the evidence connecting stress to cardiovascular disease, and the evidence demonstrating the heart-protective effects of mind-body practices (mindfulness, meditation, active relaxation techniques, mindful movement practices, and of course proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise) has been steadily building over the last 40 years.
To read more of Cardiologist Jonathan Fisher's article, please click here.
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