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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It has been recognized that stress, diabetes, and hypertension are important in etiology and progression of CAD. This study is to evaluate the role of meditation in improving biochemical parameters such as blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and serum insulin levels in known CAD patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty CAD patients are divided into two groups of which one group did meditation and other did not. Blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and fasting serum insulin levels were measured before and at the end of 6 months of study in both the groups. RESULTS: At the end of the study, significant decrease was seen in patients who practiced meditation as compared to other group. CONCLUSION: Meditation may modulate the physiological response to stress through neurohumoral activation, which may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of CAD.
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BACKGROUND: Exercise response of asymptomatic subclinical hypothyroid patients may aid in early diagnosis of cardiovascular morbidity. AIM: To study and compare the heart rate and blood pressure changes during exercise and recovery in subclinical hypothyroid patients and euthyroid controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the study, 30 each cases (mean age of 40 ± 7 years) of subclinical hypothyroidism and healthy controls underwent exercise as per Bruce protocol. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) changes were compared every minute (min) till 3 min of stage II exercise, continued till maximum heart rate and thereafter on recovery, for 5 min after stoppage of exercise. RESULTS: Both groups had normal HR and BP at rest, heart rate and BP increased with exercise and remained high even after 5 min of recovery from exercise. The increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) with exercise was less in patients at the stage of exercise where maximum HR was achieved and up to 1 min of recovery. SBP at 5 min of recovery was higher in patients (P = 0.018). Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) increased with exercise and changes were similar in both groups during exercise and recovery. HR was higher in patients at 1 min of exercise. Changes in HR from 1 min of recovery to 2-5 min of recovery were significant in both groups. CONCLUSION: The present pilot study highlights that many parameters of HR and SBP during exercise and recovery in asymptomatic subclinical hypothyroid patients may differ from euthyroid, controls.
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OBJECTIVES: Breathing exercises practiced in various forms of meditations such as yoga may influence autonomic functions. This may be the basis of therapeutic benefit to hypertensive patients. DESIGN: The study design was a randomized, prospective, controlled clinical study using three groups. SUBJECTS: The subjects comprised 60 male and female patients aged 20-60 years with stage 1 essential hypertension. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly and equally divided into the control and other two intervention groups, who were advised to do 3 months of slow-breathing and fast-breathing exercises, respectively. Baseline and postintervention recording of blood pressure (BP), autonomic function tests such as standing-to-lying ratio (S/L ratio), immediate heart rate response to standing (30:15 ratio), Valsalva ratio, heart rate variation with respiration (E/I ratio), hand-grip test, and cold pressor response were done in all subjects. RESULTS: Slow breathing had a stronger effect than fast breathing. BP decreased longitudinally over a 3-month period with both interventions. S/L ratio, 30:15 ratio, E/I ratio, and BP response in the hand grip and cold pressor test showed significant change only in patients practicing the slow-breathing exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Both types of breathing exercises benefit patients with hypertension. However, improvement in both the sympathetic and parasympathetic reactivity may be the mechanism that is associated in those practicing the slow-breathing exercise.
