A New Noteworthy Partnership
In December, TM for Women was honored to begin a formal partnership with Million Hearts®, an organization that brings together existing efforts and new programs to improve health across communities and help Americans live longer, healthier, more productive lives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are the co-leaders of Million Hearts within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Million Hearts is a national initiative that has an ambitious goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. Partners of Million Hearts includes federal agencies; doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health care professionals; health advocacy groups; and community organizations. According to published research funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, the TM technique can reduce heart attacks and strokes by 48 percent and so we feel this partnership is a perfect fit. In the US, 25% of women pass away from heart disease. Narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart itself, is the most common cause. This coronary artery disease builds over time and is a significant cause of heart attacks.
As we age, we are more likely to get heart disease. But women of all ages should be concerned about heart disease and all women can take effective steps to reduce the likelihood of this disease. The TM technique reduces most of the risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, and helps prevent recurrence in those who have had a heart episode.“
“TM is a cost-effective and cost-saving health intervention with positive economic impact for the individual, for society and for healthcare systems.” — Dr. Lourdes Garcia Mollinedo, Cardiologist
“Transcendental meditation is associated with statistically significant decreased hypertension and atherosclerosis, clinical improvements in patients with established heart disease, decreased hospitalization rates, and improvements in other risk factors including reduced stress and even decreased smoking and cholesterol.” — Abraham Bornstein, Cardiologist, and Fellow of The New York Academy of Medicine in the Division of Evidence-Based Medicine
For more information on heart disease and the efforts of Million Hearts, please visit the Million Hearts website: http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/aboutmh/overview.html
Through our heart health initiative and with mutual goals and support, (www.TMforWomensHeartHealth.org) Transcendental Meditation for Women also partners with SRS Heart, Harboring Hearts, Sister to Sister, the Women’s Heart Foundation and Wired4Life.
About the Author
Vanessa Vidal is the national director of TM for Women in the USA
