Heart DiseaseMeditationYoga

Benefits of yoga in patients with heart disease

Stress is one of the most commonly reported risk factors for cardiovascular disease among the general public and among patients who have had a heart attack.

Now, a study of 33 adults concludes that 1.5 hours of yoga and meditation three times weekly for 6 weeks, with additional sessions at home, has benefits for people with heart disease.

  • Significant reductions in blood pressure, heart rate, and body mass index (BMI) with yoga
  • No changes in laboratory values
  • In the group with coronary artery disease (narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart), vasodilatation improved 69% with yoga training

Sounds good … for people already committed to yoga.

For the rest of us, how many are willing to adjust their schedules so they can spend 4.5 hours practicing yoga, plus the meditation time?

10/3/06 21:16 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.