Two new studies provide compelling reasons to consider taking up transcendental meditation (TM). One, presented last week at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting, showed that people with heart disease who practiced TM over a five- to nine-year period slashed their risk of dying, or of having a heart attack or stroke, by 47%. Their blood pressure decreased significantly, and people in a high-stress subgroup also reduced their stress levels.

The nine-year study followed 201 African-American men and women. Their average age was 59, and they all had narrowing of their heart arteries. They were randomly assigned to learn and practice TM, or to take classes about heart risk factors, including diet and exercise advice.

Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, conducted the study in collaboration with the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management, in Fairfield, Iowa.

According to study author Robert Schneider, MD, the director of the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, the effect of TM was like adding a class of new drugs for preventing heart disease. “In this case, the new medications come from the body’s own internal pharmacy, stimulated by the transcendental meditation practice,” he says.

TM lowers blood pressure and eases anxiety and depression
The second study, to be published in the December issue of the American Journal of Hypertension, showed that TM reduces anxiety, depression, and anger among at-risk college students.

In a three-month study, 298 students from American University and other Washington, D.C.–area colleges were randomly assigned to learn and practice TM, or to a group who didn’t learn TM. The study was conducted by American University and the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention. A subgroup of 159 students at risk for hypertension was analyzed separately.

At the end of the study, students in the TM groups lowered their systolic blood pressure by 6.3 mmHg and their diastolic pressure by 4 mmHg—reductions that are linked to a 52% lower risk of developing hypertension later on. At the end of the study, students who’d meditated were less anxious, angry, and depressed than students who hadn’t meditated.

What is TM?
Transcendental meditation is a simple technique that produces a “profound state of restful alertness,” says Sanford Nidich, EdD, a professor and senior investigator at the Maharishi University of Management Research Institute. It’s the practice where you murmur a mantra for 20 minutes, twice a day, and it’s what the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi taught the Beatles back in the late 1960s. Since then, more than 30 clinical studies have confirmed its many benefits. You learn TM from a certified teacher in a seven-step program.

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How does it work?
That’s the question I put to Nidich. “Daily practice enlivens the body’s own inner intelligence,” he tells me. As I reported here last year, TM can turn down your fight-or-flight response, which leads to lower levels of stress hormones circulating through your system. Those stress hormones play a role in the inflammatory process that can trigger or worsen chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

I wasn’t very successful last year when I tried to reinvigorate my TM practice, so now I’m going to try what TM experts recommend: I’m scheduling a checkup with a TM teacher to refresh my technique. For more information about TM, visit the transcendental meditation official website.

Note: Next week, more details about my program with Dr. Braverman. So far, results have been pretty terrific: I’ve lost 3 pounds and I’m sleeping through the night for the first time in years.

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OK, so it may not be kosher for me to report on a chocolate study that was conducted by an employee of a chocolate maker at the chocolate maker’s own research lab. Get over it. The results of this new study are intriguing and shed more light on the biochemical basis behind dark chocolate’s health benefits.

The team of researchers was led by Sunil Kochhar, PhD, who heads the BioAnalytical Science Department at the Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland. He and his colleagues designed the study to see whether eating dark chocolate every day for two weeks could affect the way the body metabolizes stress hormones.

They recruited 30 healthy young people—11 men and 19 women. They tested their anxiety levels and determined that 13 of them tested as “high anxiety” and 17 tested as “low anxiety” on standardized anxiety tests. They gave the volunteers 40 grams of dark chocolate (about an ounce and a half), containing 74% cocoa, every day for two weeks and tested their blood and urine at the beginning and end of the trial.

In the high anxiety group, eating chocolate reduced levels of their stress hormones, and the changes were “biologically significant,” Dr. Kochhar tells me. What’s more, people felt less anxious after munching on chocolate. The findings did not apply to the low anxiety group. “We observed improvement in the anxiety states of subjects immediately after their consumption of chocolate,” he says.

 

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Though the product used in the study, Nestlé Noir Intense, is not available in the United States, Dr. Kochhar tells me that any dark chocolate with a cocoa content of more than 60% is likely to have the same benefits. We know from other chocolate studies that the darker the chocolate (the higher its cocoa content), the more health benefits it offers.

Though the participants consumed about 220 extra calories a day, they didn’t experience measurable changes in blood-sugar levels. But if you’re thinking about regularly eating this much dark chocolate, better trim 220 calories elsewhere, or you could find yourself 23 pounds heavier a year from now.

Next step in my anti-diabetes program: I take more brain tests
I returned to the Manhattan office of Eric Braverman, MD, on Monday to take a few more brain function tests to determine whether aging has slowed me down in any measurable way. These tests stressed me out—I had to remember lists of words, sets of patterns, faces, sequences, and details of spoken stories and pictures. All told, the tests took an hour or more. Weirdly for a writer who prides herself on her spelling, the one thing I flunked was being able to spell the word world backward.

In spite of that, as it turns out, my brain’s working just fine. I scored average or above average in all the tested categories. According to Richard Smayda, DO, an osteopath who works with Dr. Braverman, I should be able to improve my function to above average in all categories after a few months of following Dr. Braverman’s program, which I’ll outline here next week. I should also be able to lose 15 more pounds and normalize my blood sugar and pressure.
Read more about Dr. Braverman’s program

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It seems like all the yoga we do these days is to strengthen our abs and tighten flab, but as we enter the holiday season, we need a great way to relax too. Certain yoga stretches are prime de-stressing tools. But don’t start reaching for your toes just yet. Forward bends put a lot of pressure on your back. Stretching while lying on your back is a great way to become more flexible in your legs and hips without putting too much pressure on your spine.

The simplest way to begin is by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Press your belly into the floor as much as possible, but do know that there is a natural curve in your lower back that you should not flatten out all the way. Raise your right leg up to the ceiling and hold your shin, ankle, or foot.

Next, you have a couple of options. If you like, you can straighten your leg and put a towel or strap around your foot to grab onto. Or, if you’re not that flexible yet, you may keep your leg straight but hold your leg wherever it feels comfortable. For example, holding the back of your thigh will allow you to get a deep stretch without pushing yourself too hard.

Once you have established your comfortable version of this stretch, check in with the rest of your body. Your head and shoulders should be on the floor completely. If your hand placement has made you lift up off the floor, you’re pushing too much. Back off until your head and shoulders can relax back down. Keeping the belly firm, draw the right leg in as far as is comfortable.

 

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The left leg remains bent until you know you are in a good spot. Only then, if you are relaxed and know you can go deeper, do you straighten the left leg onto the floor. If you are doing this, press the left leg totally straight, roll the thigh in, and press the leg into the floor as much as possible. If this feels like too much, go back to the bent knee version.

Hold this reclined leg stretch for 10–30 breaths, or 30 seconds to 2 minutes per side. Don’t push, but the longer you hold the pose, the more effective it will be. Release and try the stretch on your other side. This is a great pose to do after cooling down from a run or Spin class, or as you’re winding down to go to bed.

Previous posts by Sara Ivanhoe:

• We’re big fans of seasonal fall foods and incorporating them into our favorite healthy comfort foods. But a group of German musicians has been putting fall produce to use in a totally different way: The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra performs on instruments made out of vegetables. [Diagonal View]

• A Bulgarian was on the way to her wedding when she went into labor and had to be rushed to the hospital instead of the altar. The bride-to-be became one of the youngest mothers in the world, as she is only 11 years old! [Daily Mail]

• How do you unwind after a stressful day? A new study shows that we may not be the best at managing stress—Americans blame poor eating and sleeping habits on stress, and resort to some popular sedentary stress relievers. Instead, try pounding the pavement or unwinding with yoga. [Forbes.com]

• We’ve carved the jack-o’-lanterns, roasted the seeds, and are already planning some delicious pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. But there’s a surprising new use for pumpkins: The fall staple may help fight yeast infections. [Vitamin G]

• Attention, smokers: If patches or gum just won’t curb your nicotine cravings, try hitting the gym. A new study shows that exercise may decrease a smoker’s interest in cigarettes. [ScienceDaily]

Previous news from Around the Web:

As the days grow shorter and the holiday season looms on the horizon, I find my body tends to tense up. One of the best yoga postures for stress relief is Eagle Pose. It opens up your shoulders, releases neck tension, strengthens your quads, and engages your core. It’s an all-over body toner and stress reducer. And since it can be practiced in stages, it’s an ideal posture for yogis of every level.

New yogis—or even those just wanting some all-natural tension tamers—should focus on the “wings,” or upper body element, of Eagle Pose. Begin standing up, with your right arm in front of you making an “L” shape. Then wrap your left arm under and in front of your right, and bring your palms together in a prayer position. Lift your arms up and away from your face to ensure the proper alignment of the pose. This simple part of Eagle Pose can be practiced several times a day, and you can do it anywhere—on an airplane, in line at the coffee shop, and even stopped at a red light.

 

(Thomas Hoefgen)

Once you have achieved that stage of Eagle, you’re ready to add the leg component to this pose. Maintain the stretch in your upper body as you bring your feet together and sit back and down, like you’re hovering above the seat of a chair. Don’t take your thighs any lower than parallel to the floor. Make sure you sit both back and down, as if there were an actual chair behind you. Pull your belly in and up, and draw your tailbone down.

This is all plenty of work on its own. But if you’d like to incorporate the balance aspect of this pose, wrap your left leg over your right. Then curl your left foot’s toes around the ankle or shin of your right leg. Hold whatever version of the posture you like for 5–15 breaths. Release and repeat on the other side.

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Having a boss or coworker who’s a bully not only makes your life miserable, but it can also make you sick. Luckily, I’ve found a new book that might help you cope.

In a new study, published in the September issue of Sleep, researchers found that 10% of 7,694 office workers surveyed in southeast France had been victimized by an office bully, and that the more frequent the bullying episodes, the more likely workers were to experience sleep disturbances. Even just watching someone else being bullied was enough to cause sleep problems.

Another study, in this month’s Journal of Professional Nursing, surveyed 303 nurses at Boston College. More than two-thirds of this group—212 in all—reported that they’d experienced on-the-job public humiliation, isolation, exclusion, or excessive criticism. As a result, the bullied nurses reported their stress levels as “moderate to severe.”

Chronic stress can sicken you. It can lower levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine in the brain, for example, leaving you vulnerable to depression. Chronic stress, such as you’d experience when you’re the victim of a workplace bully every day, is also linked to higher rates of chronic illness.

In one study, people who had a chronic work-related stressor (defined as stress lasting one month or longer) were at increased risk of developing colds—and the longer the stress lasted, the more likely a person was to become ill—not to mention that sleep disturbances, such as those reported in the French study, are linked to heart disease and obesity.

What to do when you can’t just walk away
Back before the American economy tanked and jobs became extra-precious, you had two possible choices for coping: You could confront the bully and attempt to “fix” him or her, perhaps by an open and honest discussion of your distress. (Yeah. That always works.) Or you could just quit and find a happier workplace.

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But in today’s challenging business climate, it’s even less likely that your attempts at “bully-fixing” will pay off, because uncertain times are likely to make insecure bullies act out even more inappropriately.

And unless you work in a profession that hasn’t been hit by hard times, staying in a bad job beats unemployment. (Not to mention that if you quit a job, it’s unlikely that you’ll collect unemployment benefits).

Here’s one solution—a helpful new book I just came across. Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job is written by Lynn Taylor, a California-based workplace consultant who helps companies humanize their workplaces.

Next page: 3 ways to treat a boss like your toddler

Besides a quick weekend trip here and there, I’d been vacation-less for four years. It’s not that I’m anti-vacation. It’s just that spare cash and free time hadn’t coincided in my life for a while. Happily, things changed over the summer, so my husband and I immediately started researching beach getaways.

That’s all I wanted. Didn’t want to see the sights, speak a foreign language, museum hop, experiment with exotic foods, or improve my culture quotient. I didn’t even want to shop, if you can believe that.

I just wanted to read, soak in warm turquoise waters, smell salty sea air, heal my restless mind, reconnect with my sweet hubby, and, hopefully, regenerate the creative juices that had oozed out of me after months of intense, back-to-back writing assignments. I just wanted to stop being a type A personality—which is great for my work ethic but not so great for my long-term health—for 10 solid days.

I returned a few days ago and I’m happy to report, I got exactly what I asked for—and then some.

Search “secluded Bahamas beach”
My Web search turned up a place called the Andros Beach Club, a private beachfront cottage with two bedrooms. Because it was off-season (also known as hurricane season), the owner was willing to let us have the whole place for about $100 a night. Getting there was easy enough—a three-hour flight from JFK to Nassau and then a quick, scenic 15-minute flight to Andros.

As soon as we arrived, we knew we’d found the right place. The cottage was kitted out with all the creature comforts—a well-equipped kitchen, a sea-view porch with two rope hammocks, wireless Internet, and even a satellite TV and DVD player (we’d brought Mad Men seasons 1 and 2 so we could play catch-up).

What we’d really come for, however, loomed just 300 feet away. A completely private, white-powder sand beach that ran in a lovely crescent for about four miles. Glass-clear turquoise water. A little pavilion that provided a sun shield for beach lounge chairs. And two amazingly friendly dogs, Duke and Riley, who befriended and watched over us during our stay.

As I looked at the heavenly beach, I sent waves of gratitude into the universe, thanking my stars to be lucky enough to have the resources, time, and this beautiful place to enjoy—and a loving companion with whom to share it all. That was my first thought. My second: I’m doing absolutely nothing for 10 long days? Really? Me, Ms. Type A?

I immediately began wondering whether I’d lose my mind.

Surprise! It’s good to rest
My worries were short-lived. Resting turned out to be exactly what I needed. Our days took on a pattern. We’d slather sunscreen on every smidgen of exposed skin, grab our reading, and arrange ourselves under the shade of the beachside pavilion. After a while, we’d sink into the water and swim around till it was time to eat or rest again.

It didn’t take long for the worries I perennially harbor to float away. As they did, I imagined that harmful stress hormones were evaporating and leaving me healthier in their wake.

Next page: Plant medicine on the island

Istockphoto

You know those days when you’re hunched over your computer for so long that your shoulders start to creep up to your ears? That kind of work tension can cause shoulder and neck pain, and eventually damage tendons and ligaments, leaving you hurting long-term.

Next time you’re in career knots, melt away the tension with this yoga Shoulder Stretch.

How-to:
Sit comfortably at your desk, or stand with your feet together. Raise your left arm overhead, bending your elbow and placing your fingertips at the base of your neck. (Your left elbow should be pointing toward the ceiling.)

Take hold of your left elbow with your right hand, and guide it in toward your body so your left hand reaches farther down your back. Move slowly, and use the back of your head to gently guide your elbow backward. Hold for 5–15 breaths, then release and repeat on the opposite side.

 
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By Sara Altshul

My first cousin Laura asked me and another cousin, Liz, to join her on a weekend mini-vacation. I knew it would be good for me, but now a new study backs me up!

Laura and I share a July birthday, which we’ve never celebrated together. And though Laura, Liz, and I love seeing each other at family events, we’ve never hung out, just the three of us. So we unanimously decided to make some new family history.

Laura was due for some fun: Her mother recently passed away after a 10-year battle with a blood cancer, and Laura dropped everything to tend her while working a demanding job in television sports. Liz, too: She’s a top retail executive and the mother of three boys. Her workday starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m.

Compared to the lives of Laura and Liz, my whole life is a vacation; I don’t commute and I don’t answer to a boss. Still, the stresses of being family breadwinner and a freelance writer are real enough. Plus, I haven’t taken a vacation in years.

So off we went to a lovely resort just outside of Atlantic City, N.J. I admit, I worried a little at first about how relaxing it would be to share a room for two nights (and a bathroom) with two women relatives that I haven’t spent much time with.

I absolutely needn’t have. I was stunned to discover how utterly relaxed I became in the short time between Friday afternoon and Sunday. I’m sure the heavenly massage, facial, and spa manicure I enjoyed, to say nothing of the strolling, shopping, pool-lounging, and divine food, and our brief stint in the resort’s fitness room, and the howling fun we had staying up late on Friday playing pool and air hockey, helped me unwind so quickly. I swear I could literally feel the stress hormones leaving my body.

  

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Study says: Have fun!
Turns out, that’s exactly what was happening to me. According to a study published Thursday in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, engaging in enjoyable leisure activities can lower stress hormones and blood pressure, make you feel better all over, and reduce your waist circumference and body mass index (although I’m pretty sure the Friday night gala all-you-could-eat seafood buffet probably canceled out those last two benefits).

In the study, 1,400 people reported how often they participated in activities like vacationing, going to clubs, playing sports, or plain old loafing around. Folks who spent the most time doing many different fun activities reaped the most health benefits. Though the study may sound like “duh” research (what I call studies whose results seem painfully obvious), the scientist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who conducted it makes a good point.

“When you’re under stress, the usual thing is to cut back on enjoyable activities because you’re feeling uncomfortable and you need more time to deal with the stress. But these data suggest that’s the wrong thing to do, and that continuing enjoyable activities can be helpful,” says study coauthor Karen Matthews, PhD, a professor of psychiatry, epidemiology, and psychology.

That’s all I needed to hear. I’m planning to take a real vacation with my husband, Frank, at the end of August. Not sure where yet, but it will absolutely be someplace that has lots and lots of fun things to do. Suggestions are welcome!

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Are you doing a little porch-sitting, either literally or just in your imagination, now that summer’s truly here and the sun is finally shining? That’s an activity that demands a refreshing beverage, and I’d like to make a suggestion: Consider broadening your quaffing horizons with herbal teas.

These blends—which may or may not contain any real tea (as in, black, green, white, etc.) at all, but rather a mix of herbs, spices, and other natural ingredients—are as refreshing as traditional tea and delectable over ice. What’s more, many are caffeine-free, and these tasty brews offer some real benefits: Some hasten relaxation and others tame digestive woes (a perfect antidote to the weekend barbecue).

Chamomile: Instant calm
Iced chamomile tea got me through an emotionally turbulent patch at work a few years back. Our cafeteria stocked a bottled variety (I can’t remember the brand) and I still remember how instantly and remarkably it lifted my spirits and soothed my ruffled feathers.

Chamomile, which has a delicate sweet-apple flavor, is also the tea to choose if your nerves affect your digestion—it contains compounds that soothe inflammation and ease stomach cramps when you drink a couple glasses a day. The tea might also take the edge off PMS symptoms and hot flashes, and may even help prevent diabetes symptoms.

Ginger: Bring this aboard a boat 
If sailing the seas are on your to-do list this summer, do your queasy self a favor and tote along a thermos of iced ginger tea. Nothing beats ginger’s ability to ease seasickness, and, for that matter, it’s also tops for preventing motion sickness no matter what conveyances—buses, planes, cars—turn you green.

Lemon balm: Tranquility enhancer
Citrusy lemon balm gently calms nerves and can even relax away a stress headache. It has a mild antidepressant action and can ease insomnia if you sip it before bedtime.

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Peppermint: Supercharged refreshment
Brew it alone, or add peppermint tea bags to your regular black tea or any herbal teas. Peppermint adds a minty blast that will energize and cool you on the hottest summer afternoon, plus it helps reduce bloating and calm tummy upsets. (Check out the other cool things mint can do too!)

How to brew
I like to brew herbal iced tea on the strong side so that it stands up to dilution when you add ice cubes: 10 teabags per quart of water. Add boiling water to a heatproof vessel, put in the tea bags, cover (this is important when you’re making medicinal tea—you don’t want the essential oils to escape through steam), and steep for 10 minutes. Squeeze the tea bags and chill.

All these teas are available at any natural food store. Traditional Medicinals makes top-quality organic teas. So drink up, calm down, and enjoy the summer.

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