Meditation for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a cardiovascular disease that occurs when the inner walls of the heart’s arteries become lined with a fatty-like substance. This process shrinks the channel through which blood must travel. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the US, and can eventually result in heart attacks and strokes.

A leading contributor to coronary artery disease is stress. Fortunately, stress can be relieved through the practice of meditation. Studies indicate that using meditation to reach an inner state of calm can possibly reduce the damage done to the arteries by coronary artery disease.

Why Use Meditation to Treat Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)?

A daily meditation practice has been shown to reduce the thickening of coronary arteries in adults with coronary artery disease (CAD). The benefits of daily Transcendental Meditation practice are similar to results achieved by others who take conventional pharmaceuticals and make extensive lifestyle changes. Along with improving the health of arteries, meditation may decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension, as well as reduce insulin resistance.

Perhaps the most significant effect, however, is meditation’s ability to help people cope more effectively with life’s stresses, sort of the way exercise helps a person deal with physical strain. Stress is an established cause of coronary artery disease (CAD) because patients often show exaggerated responses to stress, which include increases in heart rate, blood pressure and the rate of contraction in the lower chambers of the heart. Stress stimulates the release of the hormone cortisol and other substances that slowly damage the cardiovascular system. Mental stress can further constrict coronary arteries that already are lined with plaque. In addition, when coronary artery disease (CAD) patients experience stress, they are more likely to overeat, eat less nutritious food, start smoking or smoke more than they otherwise would.

Meditation taps into the best way to eliminate stress—deep rest. The deeper the relaxation, the more effectively stress is reduced. Meditation leads to greater levels of rest than sleep or other forms of relaxation. With deeper relaxation comes more energy, clearer thinking, improved well being, and more restful sleep, all of which make stressful situations easier to handle.

Once people learn to meditate, they also tend to make healthier lifestyle choices, such as giving up cigarettes, reducing alcohol intake and improving personal relationships. All of this enhances the healing benefits of meditation for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Combining meditation with a low-fat, low-salt diet and physical exercise should provide dramatic improvement in cardiovascular health.

How Does Meditation Help Reduce Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)?

Meditation usually involves a practice that calms and stills the mind’s thoughts. As the mind slows down, so do the muscles, including the muscular walls of blood vessels. This allows more blood to move through the arteries more freely, which decreases blood pressure. When meditating, patients also experience decreases in heart rate, respiratory rate, cortisol levels, and free-radical damage, as well as increased levels of available serotonin, a hormone that affects mood. These effects help bring the body and mind into greater balance so they function better. This opens up the potential for the natural intelligence within the body to create a healing effect, stimulating the body to repair itself and further protect itself against disease. The benefits of meditation tend to accumulate with regular, daily practice.

What Forms of Meditation are Useful for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)?

Meditation involves some form of concentration to help overcome the mind’s habitual mental activity. Meditation is best done for 20 minutes twice a day, but even as little as five minutes each day can have a beneficial impact on the ability to cope with stress. Meditation can be done lying down, sitting, standing or walking, and requires only some time and mental concentration.

Three types of meditation that might be useful for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) include:

Transcendental Meditation®: Practitioners are given the mental device of a personal word or sound to silently and continually repeat while sitting in a comfortable position. When other thoughts arise in the mind, the student simply notices them and returns to the sound or word. This form of meditation has provided the most fertile ground for research into the link between stress reduction and reduced symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Mindfulness or Insight Meditation: The student is taught to become a detached observer of the stream of changing thoughts, feelings, drives and visions, until their nature and origin are recognized. Practitioners initially focus on the breath and then practice a relaxed attention on feelings or perceptions as they arise through moment-to-moment awareness.

Relaxation Response: Focus on the repetition of the breath, or of a word, sound, or prayer. When other thoughts intrude, passively return to the object of focus.

Signs and Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Coronary artery disease (CAD) involves the progressive narrowing of the arteries that supply essential blood to the heart. Plaque, a waxy deposit, is laid down on the inner walls of the coronary arteries, constricting blood flow and reducing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the heart. This can leave the body susceptible to stroke. When an artery becomes totally blocked, a heart attack can occur. Frequently, no symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD) appear until about 40 percent of an artery becomes clogged. Symptoms vary, depending upon which arteries are affected. Fortunately, the process can be slowed or even stopped by making lifestyle changes for better health, including a practice of daily meditation.

Symptoms of blocked arteries are usually noticed during physical exercise, sexual activity, exposure to cold weather, bouts of anger, or while under stress.

The most common symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) include:

Shoulder, arm, abdominal, neck, back, or jaw pain
Chest pain (generally a heavy, squeezing, or crushing sensation with possible burning or stabbing pains)
Weakness
Perspiration
Shortness of breath

Arteriosclerosis is a condition similar to coronary artery disease (CAD) characterized by a thickening of arteries and accumulation of calcium. This leads to a loss of elasticity and decreased blood flow. Atherosclerosis is a common form of arteriosclerosis, and the terms are often used interchangeably.