Conclusions We found that psychological intervention  improved psychological symptoms and reduced cardiac mortality for people with CHD .
However , there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the magnitude of these effects and the specific techniques most likely to benefit people with different presentations of CHD
Background Although psychological interventions are recommended for the management of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) , there remains considerable uncertainty regarding their effectiveness .
Stress Reduction in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: Randomized, Controlled Trial of Transcendental Meditation and Health Education in Blacks
Background —Blacks have disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease . Psychosocial stress may contribute to this disparity . Previous trials on stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation ( TM ) program have reported improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors , surrogate end points , and mortality in blacks and other population s. Methods and Results —This was a r and omized , controlled trial of 201 black men and women with coronary heart disease who were r and omized to the TM program or health education .  The primary end point was the composite of all-cause mortality , myocardial infa rct ion , or stroke . Secondary end points included the composite of cardiovascular mortality , revascularizations , and cardiovascular hospitalizations ; blood pressure ; psychosocial stress factors ; and lifestyle behaviors . During an average follow-up of 5.4 years , there was a 48 % risk reduction in the primary end point in the TM group ( hazard ratio , 0.52 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.29–0.92 ; P=0.025 ) . The TM group also showed a 24 % risk reduction in the secondary end point ( hazard ratio , 0.76 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.51–0.1.13 ; P=0.17 ) . There were reductions of 4.9 mmHg in systolic blood pressure ( 95 % confidence interval −8.3 to –1.5 mmHg ; P=0.01 ) and anger expression ( P<0.05 for all scales ) . Adherence was associated with survival . Conclusions —A selected mind – body intervention , the TM program , significantly reduced risk for mortality , myocardial infa rct ion , and stroke in coronary heart disease patients . These changes were associated with lower blood pressure and psychosocial stress factors . Therefore , this practice may be clinical ly useful in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease . Clinical Trial Registration —URL : www . clinical trials.gov Unique identifier : NCT01299935
Conclusions We found that psychological intervention  improved psychological symptoms and reduced cardiac mortality for people with CHD .
However , there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the magnitude of these effects and the specific techniques most likely to benefit people with different presentations of CHD
Background Although psychological interventions are recommended for the management of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) , there remains considerable uncertainty regarding their effectiveness .