By: Dr. Satish Gupta
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.
Dated: October 5, 2024
Until the 1960s, heart disease was observed only in affluent people aged 60 years or more. But by the 1990s, doctors had begun seeing heart patients who were in their forties, and even thirties, and they came from different sections of society. Several studies around that time found that the prevalence of heart disease in individuals with Type A personality – constantly stressed because of their work or the pressure of time, perfectionists, cynics who found fault with others, sensitive and aggressive types – was three to four times higher than the general population. People with anger, depression, and those unable to vent their feelings, also had higher incidence of heart problems.
Today, heart disease is reported more in young and middle-aged people than in the elderly. I have seen numerous cases of patients who underwent angioplasty to open blocked arteries, or had bypass surgery following a heart attack, and some months later they were back with complaints of chest pain or blocked blood vessels. This happened repeatedly. It was clear that conventional methods of treatment were merely palliative and did not address the root cause of the disease. But when we change the patients’ lifestyle, it not only reverses their heart disease, but also every other disease of the mind and body.
Studies have shown that regular practice of meditation and a healthy diet and lifestyle can change gene expression – the process by which a gene’s information is turned into a function, such as making proteins. This can happen within three months. Genes associated with coronary artery disease, cancer, obesity, hypertension, and insulin resistance can be turned ‘off’, and ‘happy genes’ that promote good health can be turned ‘on’.
This finding underlines the need for a three-dimensional approach to healthcare, which addresses our spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. There is a strong link between the mind and body. The mind has four aspects, together called TEAM – thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and memories. Each negative thought, emotion, or attitude triggers the release of a chemical in the brain. The chemicals reach every cell in the body through the bloodstream. When this happens over a period of time, the stress hormones come into play, we feel stressed, switch to the fight or flight mode, and begin to feel uneasy and unwell. These biochemical changes cause maximum damage to the part of the body that is already weak because of genetic or other factors, and it becomes diseased. Therefore, having a healthy mind is vital for physical health, and for that it is important to be able to express our feelings.
The single most effective practice for management of heart disease is writing a letter to God before going to bed each night. Write an emotional letter, not a logical one, and convey your feelings about your health, family, work and all that is happening in your life. When patients start unburdening their heart in this manner, their arterial blockages begin to regress within weeks, and they disappear altogether. It is important to note that the arterial blocks do not trigger a heart attack. It is when the plaque sticking to the walls of arteries ruptures and forms blood clots, that a heart attack occurs. The rupture is triggered by stress, which can be caused by any of a variety of factors, including anger, anxiety, and fear. This can happen even in sleep, when a troubled mind generates stressful dreams. So, the key to preventing heart attacks is managing stress through meditation and healthy ventilation.
Recognizing that we are all souls, maintaining this spiritual awareness, and relating to others on that basis brings to the fore the soul’s innate qualities of purity, peace, truth, and love. When we function based on these virtues, there is no stress, and consequently, no hormonal imbalance that would precipitate a disease. All the factors that bring about illness, including bad habits, poor diet, addictions, and an unsound lifestyle, stem from spiritual weaknesses such as anger, lust, greed, attachment, and laziness. Meditation addresses the root cause of illness by empowering the soul, removing its defects, and shaping the mental and physical conditions that keep us peaceful, happy, and healthy.
Dr. Satish Kumar Gupta
is Director, Medicine & Cardiology,
at the RMM Global Hospital Trauma Centre
in Abu Road, Rajasthan.
