Stress is one of the most powerful negative influences on human health. The New York Times reported on Sept 5, 2004 that “Workplace stress costs the nation more than $300 billion each year in health care, missed work and the stress-reduction industry that has grown up to soothe workers and keep production high.”

Harvard researchers estimate that 60-90% of doctor's visits are caused by stress. Stress is linked to a wide variety of illnesses, including: heart attacks, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic pain, insomnia, allergies, headache, backache, various skins disorders, cancer, accidents, suicide, depression, immune system weakness, decreases in the number and function of white blood cells.

1) Stress is more powerful than diet in influencing cholesterol levels. Studies of medical students near exam time and accountants during tax season showed significant increases in cholesterol levels during stressful events, when there was little or no change in diet.
Rosenman, Homeostasis 34 (1993)

2) During several years of rising unemployment, workers in departments with the most downsizing suffered twice the normal death rate from heart attack and stroke.
Chandola, British Medical Journal 332 (January, 2006)

3) More than 50% of adults have insomnia a few nights a week or more. 25% suffer from insomnia occurring most nights and lasting a month or longer.
Thakur, DukeUniversityMedicalCenter (2004)

4) Severe stress may be a potent risk factor for stroke even 50 years after the initial trauma. In a study of 556 veterans of WWII, the rate of stroke among those who had been prisoners of war was eight times higher than among those not captured.
Page and Brass, Yale Medical, Military Medicine 166 (2001)

5) Workplace stress is estimated to cause:
19% of absenteeism
40% of turnover
55% of EAP programs
60% of workplace accidents
30% of short and long-term disability
What Stress Costs, Ravi Tangri, Oxford, (2003)

6) Stress appears to significantly increase the ability of pharmaceuticals to pass through the blood-brain barrier, which normally protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream. Many of today's medicines are developed under the assumption that they cannot cross this barrier.
HebrewUniversity, Nature Medicine 2 (12) (1996)

7) Common emotions such as tension, frustration, and sadness trigger frequent heart abnormalities that can lead to permanent heart damage. Study results show a direct relationship between negative emotions, an inadequate flow of blood to the heart, and increased risk of heart attack.
Journal of the American Medical Association 277 (1997)

Clinical Research on Benefits of Meditation

Hundreds of studies have been conducted on meditation and its beneficial effects on heart disease, cholesterol, high blood pressure, insomnia, chronic pain, cancer, and immunity. Studies have also shown significant improvements in mental health, memory, concentration, and productivity.

Stress

1) A recent study showed that meditation induces positive changes at the level of our genes. Those who meditated as little as ten minutes per day were able to switch-off stress-producing genes in ways that non-meditators could not. Even those who have meditated for a relatively brief amount of time showed genetic benefit.  Dusek, Otut, et al., Genomic Counter-Stress Changes Induced by the Relaxation Response, Public Library of Science, May 2008.

2) Another recent study found that not only can meditation reduce stress, it can also boost performance of those who meditate regularly. University of Oregon (2007, October 9). Body-mind Meditation Boosts Performance, Reduces Stress. ScienceDaily.

Heart disease

1) Meditation lowers blood pressure in people who are normal to moderately hypertensive. This finding has been replicated in more than nineteen studies, some of which have shown systolic reductions among subjects of 25 mmHg or more.
Murphy and Donovan, The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation, Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1997

2) Stress management appears to be as beneficial as aerobic exercise in preventing major cardiac events. A group receiving standard care turned out to have the most cardiac events, such as heart attacks, open-heart surgery, and angioplasty. The group that studied stress management had fewer problems - equal to that of the aerobics group.
Blumenthal, American Journal of Cardiology, 89 (January, 2002)

3) Twenty-eight people with high levels of blocked arteries and high risk of heart attack practiced a program of meditation, yoga, a low-fat vegetarian diet, and exercise. A control group received conventional medical care endorsed by the AMA. In one year, most of the experimental group reported that their chest pains had virtually disappeared; in 82% of the patients, arterial clogging had reversed. The control group experienced an increase in chest pain and arterial blockage. Subsequent studies indicate that stress-reduction may be the most significant factor.
Ornish, The Lancet 336 (July, 1990)

4) Meditation significantly increases circulation. Forearm blood flow increased in novice meditators by 30%. Frontal cerebral blood flow increased an average of 65% in experienced meditators, and remained elevated afterwards, with brief increases of up to 100 to 200%.
Murphy and Donovan, The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation, Institute of Noetic Sciences (1997)

Insomnia

5) 75% of long-term insomniacs who have been trained in relaxation, meditation, and simple lifestyle changes can fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed.
Jacobs, Harvard Medical, Say Goodnight To Insomnia, Owl Books (1999)

Chronic pain

6) Those trained in meditation were able to reduce chronic pain by more than 50%. This gain was maintained even 4 years after the initial training.
Kabat-Zinn, Clinical Journal of Pain 2 (1986)

7) Meditation and relaxation therapies are effective in treating chronic pain, and can markedly ease the pain of low back problems, arthritis, and headaches.
National Institutes of Health (NIH), JAMA 276 (4) (1996)

More