Meditation Leads to 23% Lower Death Rate

Practicing Transcendental Meditation — a technique involving intense breathing exercises and the repetition of words, or "mantras" — may have benefits beyond stress reduction. It might actually help you live longer.

Researchers at five universities and medical centers including the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine tracked 202 patients with high blood pressure for up to 18 years.

They found that participants who used Transcendental Meditation twice a day for 20 minutes had a 23 percent lower death rate from all causes and nearly a third lower death rate from heart disease than those who did not practice the form of meditation.

That seems like a pretty serious study if it lasted for up to 18 years. I wonder how a 23% lower death rate compares with other ways to improve your health like: 20 minutes of exercise a day, eating healthy or using blood pressure and cholestrol lowereing drugs.

via Seattle Times