Advice You Can Rely On: How to Leverage Your Body’s Innate Healing Ability
More than ever before, there are unending and changing opinions and advice on what is best for us medically: what to do, what not to do, when to do something, how much to do it, who should do it. From family, the government, the medical profession, friends and strangers, from endless sources—both scientific and non-scientific—opinions are coming at us; it can be confusing, frustrating, and exhausting.
Fortunately, there is one thing we know from our own experience that is undeniable, useful, and reassuring. And that is the fact that our bodies are already hardwired to correct and repair as much imbalance and damage as possible.
Our bodies have inherent healing mechanisms. There are so many examples of this that are common to everyone. Some examples? It is the natural intelligence inherent in our bodies that grows us from an infant to a five-year-old and to a 20 year-old and so on. It is inherent intelligence in our body that makes us cough—we certainly don’t instruct ourselves to cough. Same for sneezing, and yawning. When something gets in our eye, we don’t tell our eye to start washing it out—the tear glands take care of it automatically. When we get an infection, the body’s natural immunity is activated and tries to fight it off. There are so many examples from minute to minute, day to day, and all lifelong.
This natural ability of the human body is, unfortunately, hindered by stress. When stress and fatigue overload our physiology, the effectiveness of our innate self-healing mechanisms declines. This is where the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program—recommended by TM for Women and beneficial for people of all ages and backgrounds—plays a vital role. TM significantly reduces stress and fatigue, allowing the body’s inherent intelligence to function freely and support a wide range of health benefits.
One of the most comprehensive studies on the health benefits of the TM technique was out of Canada. A landmark study, comparing 2,000 Blue Cross and Blue Shield members who practiced TM with 600,000 non-meditating members over a five-year period, found that the TM group had consistently lower medical utilization rates. Significant research results included:
- Reduced hospital admissions
- Children and young adults: Inpatient hospital days were 50% fewer than the norm.
- Adults aged 40+: Inpatient hospital days were 69% fewer than the norm.
- Fewer outpatient visits
- Children and young adults: Outpatient visits were 47–55% fewer than the norm.
- Adults aged 40+: 74% fewer than the norm.
- Lower rates in 17 disease categories Admissions per 1,000 people were lower for the TM practitioners in all 17 major medical treatment categories studied, including significant reductions for:
- Heart disease (87% fewer)
- Benign and malignant tumors (55% fewer)
- Mental disorders (30% fewer)
- Nervous system disorders (87% fewer)
Of particular importance to women—since heart disease accounts for the deaths of one in three of us—is research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health showing that the practice of Transcendental Meditation can reduce heart disease and stroke by 48%.
Treatment of high blood pressure through the Transcendental Meditation technique is now included in the U.S. National Guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Other risk factors for heart disease, such as depression, smoking, and atherosclerosis, are also reduced when the TM technique is part of one’s daily routine.
By reducing stress, Transcendental Meditation can improve conditions like metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, and can also alleviate some menopausal symptoms. Research shows that regular TM practice can normalize body weight among women, as well as decrease burnout, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion, particularly in high-stress professions
The Transcendental Meditation program is unique in its profound results and universality—anyone who can think a thought and follow simple instructions will be able to do it. Adults practice for 20 minutes twice daily while sitting comfortably with eyes closed. Easy to learn and simple and natural to do, the technique doesn’t require any concentration or effort, belief, special diet, change in lifestyle or religion.
Once you’ve learned the TM technique, you have a renewed and strengthened force-of-nature operating as your own personal advocate for healing—your own body.
Learn to meditate with a certified TM teacher.
About the Author
Janet Hoffman is the executive director of TM for Women Professionals, a division of TM for Women in the USA
