title: Meditation and coronary heart disease: a review of the current clinical evidence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chest pain from coronary heart disease (CHD) accounts for more than 8 million emergency department visits every year in the United States, emphasizing the need for cardiovascular (CV) interventions to help reduce this high number. Meditation--a state of contemplation, concentration, and reflection--has the potential to help decrease CV disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article reviews the available data regarding the effects of meditation on various aspects of CV health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the past few decades, multiple studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of meditation on various CV risk factors. In addition to decreasing CV mortality, meditation has also been shown to improve conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and high cortisol levels. Still unclear is how current medical therapies impact overall CHD in comparison to meditation techniques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prospective trials are needed to study the effects of meditation on CV risk factors, to provide guidelines for daily meditation practice, and to determine the efficacy of meditation compared to current pharmacologic therapies.
authors.affiliation: Tulane Heart and Vascular Institute, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Indranill Basu
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Arthur R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Pavan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malur
authors.affiliation: Tulane Heart and Vascular Institute, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Aimee E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hiltbold
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA ; Department of Preventive Medicine, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, LA ; The University of Queensland School of Medicine, Ochsner Clinical School, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Carl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lavie
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; coronary disease; meditation; mind-body therapies