Positive News Update 11-3-05

Hi Everyone,

This Blog is still evolving and
I urge you to check it regularly.

My goal is to post Positive News
here at least 2-3 times a week.

--Mr. Positive!

PS Did you see the fantastic Special Edition
of US NEWS & World report that came out
last week? "America's Best Leaders" you
can review online at www.usnews.com
Amazing people doing amazing things
all over the World.

POSITIVE PEOPLE

Mrs. Rosa Parks - A Life Well Lived

Last week America lost a brave and principled
individual whose simple act ignited the Civil
Rights movement and altered the course of
American history.

Her life was a powerful illustration of the capacity
of one person to change the world.

HEALTH NEWS

"Forty million people in this country (US)
suffer from diagnosed cardiovascular disease,
and an even larger number don't yet know
that they have a heart problem..."
--Dr. Dean Ornish

New Recipe for Heart Health
Eat Well, Exercise and Meditate?

Health Plus the Vanderbilt University staff and
faculty wellness program newsletter cited two
recent studies on the Transcendental Meditation
Program (TM) and noted that the technique is a
simple, practical way to combat anxiety and
relieve stress.

The first study was published in Stroke, a journal
of the American Heart Association (AHA). It showed
that the accumulation of fatty plaques on artery
walls actually diminished in people who practised
TM for 20 minutes twice a day.

In the study, one hundred thirty-eight African
American adults with borderline or high blood
pressure were randomly assigned to either a
Transcendental Meditation (TM) program
or an education program about heart
disease risk factors.

The results showed that those in the meditation
group reduced their risk of a heart attack by
11 per cent and their risk of a stroke from
between 7.7 per cent to 15 per cent.

The heart disease education group had actually
increased their risk factors.

The second study was published in Psychosomatic
Medicine. The research indicated that Transcendental
Meditation results in greater decreases in systolic blood
pressure than relaxation alone.

The study looked at 32 healthy adults, 16 men and
16 women, between the ages of 39 and 55. The
participants were tested before and during 20 minutes
of open-eyed relaxation, 20 minutes of TM (TM group),
and 20 minutes of eyes-closed relaxation (control group).

The TM group experienced significant decreases in systolic
blood pressure and total peripheral resistance (constriction
of the blood vessels) during both phases of the study.

It noted that preliminary research has indicated strong
belief systems can positively affect wound closure, pain
levels, medication usage, and the length of hospital stay
for patients treated for heart disease.

EDITORS NOTE: Dr. Dean Ornish led the way in 1990
with his NY Times Bestseller. Dr. Dean Ornish's Program
for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System
Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease
Without Drugs or Surgery

There's more and more evidence of what once was
considered "new age" "far out" "alternative" medicine
actually works. I'm sure we will see more studies with
simular results in the future.