“Practice of Rajyoga Meditation along with a healthy diet, healthy exercise, and proper sleep as per our biological clock/circadian rhythm can regress CAD and prevent fresh angina or heart attack.”

Q. How did you turn yourself from clinical cardiology to preventive cardiology and adopt meditation to prevent/reverse heart disease.

While working in one of premier Heart Institute in Delhi in 1994-95, I noticed the number of heart patients in the 30-40 yrs age group, coming to the hospital with acute coronary events have increased. After managing the patient the next day we used to perform coronary angiography and we used to put a stent in the culprit lesion. I remember one patient, who was about 36 years old, got admitted to the emergency room with a heart attack. Next day in coronary angiography we found 80% blockage in Left artery and 60% blockage in right coronary artery.

I informed the patient’s wife about the urgent coronary intervention by putting stent. Patient was discharged from the hospital three days after the procedure. About 3 months later, same patient was again admitted to our hospital with chest discomfort, he was managed conservatively in CCU and repeat coronary angiography revealed 100% in stent restenosis in one artery and  80% in other artery    his wife had sold their house and for the last 3 months, he is not able to join his work and now what should they sell to get angioplasty. I had no answer to his query and after the round I went to the library and found few research articles, which related psychosocial stressors e.g Type A behaviour, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, lack of social and emotional support etc. with rapid progression of CAD (Coronary Artery disease) and acute coronary events e.g. unstable angina or heart attack. 

I met Brahmakumaris Rajyoga Meditation in 1986 when I was at AIIMS, New Delhi. I have been doing Rajyoga Meditation since then and experienced a lot of changes in my thought patterns. Just a few days of practice of Rajyoga Meditation made me experience internal peace, true love, and happiness.  Then, one day after early morning meditation I had clairvoyance, in which I realised how psychosocial stressors are responsible for rapid progression of coronary blockages and acute coronary events. Practice of Rajyoga Meditation along with a healthy diet, healthy exercise, and proper sleep as per our biological clock/circadian rhythm can regress CAD and prevent fresh angina or heart attack.

After few days of this realization, when I was delivering a talk on “Stress & Heart Diseases” in Doctors meeting, I shared my thoughts on how stress can lead to rapid progression of coronary blockages & acute coronary events and how meditation and healthy lifestyle changes can reverse coronary blockages and prevent further heart attacks. 

After this, we planned a research project in collaboration with Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences and Defence Institute of Psychological Research, DRDO, New Delhi. To conduct this research project I shifted to J Watumull Global Hospital & Research Centre, Brahmakumaris, Mount Abu in April 1995.

“Brahmakumaris Rajyoga meditation uses Rajyoga meditation to open the blockages, role of healthy diet, exercise, sleep and de-addiction from smoking and alcohol.”

Q. Could you elaborate how you have reversed angiographic proven heart blocks for which you had received a Lifetime achievement award from President of India Sh Abdul Kalam who had conceived this project with you as Scientific Advisor of the Ministry of Defence provided all technical support You have also written about it in my book published in the USA.

In the CAD Research Project, for every angiographically proven CAD patient psychological analysis along with physiological (EEG, HR variability), endocrinological (adrenaline, nor-adrenaline, cortisol; beta-endorphins, serotonin) was carried out. With 24 long years of research, we have been able to co-relate every coronary artery blockage with various thought patterns (type A behavior, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, lack of social and emotional support, etc). 

We educate our CAD patients how to change various thought patterns with Rajyoga Meditation. This change in thought patterns along with better adherence to health-promoting behavior e.g. healthy diet, exercise, sleep and de-addiction from smoking and alcohol leads to normalization of endothelial function thereby reverse cholesterol transport of LDL from the plaque into the lumen, hence regression in coronary blockages.

Q. Can you give details of protocol you used in your one-week workshop for lifestyle changes.

Angiographically documented CAD patients along with spouse are invited for “3D Healthcare Rajyoga Meditative Lifestyle or Healthy Heart, Happy Mind  & Healthy Body”, 7 days in-house program in RMM Global Hospital Trauma Centre & Brahmakumaris shantivan campus. 

In the first day morning weight, height, BMI, skin for thickness, Heart Rate, blood pressure, ECG, and various tests e.g. Haemoglobin, Serum creatinine, serum lipid profile, blood sugar: fasting, two hours after the breakfast, Glycosylated Haemoglobin (only on day 1), Serum uric-acid are assessed on day one and day 6 (after 6 days of workshop). Along with these baseline assessments detailed Clinical and Psychological Analysis is also carried out. After these baseline assessment patients are given intense information, education and counselling about body, heart, mind, mind-body connection, about Heart Disease, conventional and psychological risk factors of heart disease. Brahmakumaris Rajyoga meditation uses Rajyoga meditation to open the blockages, role of healthy diet, exercise, sleep and de-addiction from smoking and alcohol. On day 6 repetition of clinical, psychological, pathological assessment is carried out. On day 7 every patient along with the spouse is given individual clinical, psychological healthy lifestyle counselling, overall risk factors modification and optimization of medication is advised.

Q. Could you explain how Meditation can help reversing diseases. Some details of Rajyoga you used extensively may please be brought out. There are around 35,000 thoughts a day out of which many are useless negative thoughts, how these can be reduced.

It has been observed in many studies that stress e.g. type A behaviour, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility etc leads to prolonged endothelial dysfunction. Rajyoga Meditation normalizes endothelial function thereby reversing the heart disease. When we are in stress our thought speed increases from 10-15 thoughts per minute to 30-45 thoughts per minute. 

Rajyoga Meditation is conscious training of the mind for enjoying inner self consciousness for enduring the immortal spirit/soul and it leads to stability and full proof security. This further leads to the understanding of truth, purity, peace, love, happiness, bliss and powers from outer self-consciousness of the mortal body, or ever-changing role & material things which leads to instability and insecurity therefore they in-turn leads to type A behaviour, anger, anxiety, depression, isolation and chronic life stresses. Conversely, a healthy lifestyle is an ‘inner self-conscious lifestyle’ in which all negative and waste/useless thoughts disappear and only positive thoughts of peace, love and happiness, which leads to relaxation response and release of happy hormones e.g. endorphins and encephalins.

Q. You have published several scientific papers. Could you please elaborate in which all diseases meditation helps.

We have observed that more than 10,000 heart patients also had other lifestyle-related diseases e.g. anxiety, depression, hypertension (about 35%), diabetes (about 30%), high cholesterol (65-70%), obesity (35-40%), GERD/Acidity (45-50%), migraine (10-15%), cervical & lumbar spondylosis (20%), osteo-arthritis of knee joints (25%). We observed that most of these heart patients had better control of all lifestyle-related diseases of mind and body with significant reduction in requirement of medication.

Q. Can you explain your concept of three-dimensional healthcare (3D) ? How many patients have you handled with a positive response?

 “3D Healthcare Rajyoga Meditative lifestyle” has the following principles to be sustained as far as possible in daily living:

Self-responsibility through self-empowerment:  The word ‘healthy’ is derived from two words; ‘heal’ + ’thy’ i.e., to heal yourself. To heal oneself, one needs to be empowered by appropriate information about the mind-body connection, psychological and conventional risk factors, stress management, diet, exercise, sleep, substance abuse, and usual medical care. 

Self-awareness: The very word HUMAN-BEING has two components: HUMAN+BEING: HUMAN word has its origin from HUMUS- a Latin word, which means SOIL (I-ness to illness) & BEING meaning Lifeforce/SOUL(We-ness to Wellness). 

The Hindi word for healthy is ‘swasth’, which consists of swa-, meaning ‘inner self’, and -asth, meaning ‘conscious’. The word ‘healthy’ could also mean ‘inner self-conscious’. Outer self-consciousness of the mortal body, or ever-changing role & material things, leads to instability and insecurity, which in turn leads to anger, anxiety, depression, type A behavior, isolation, and chronic life stresses.  Conversely, inner self-consciousness of an enduring and immortal spirit leads to stability and security, which in turn leads to peace, love, and happiness.  A healthy lifestyle is an ‘inner self-conscious lifestyle’.

Multi-dimensionality:  The current medical approach addresses only one dimension, the physical body. A new model of health, “3D HEALTHCARE” (Soul-Mind-Body Medicine) is called for. As per this new model, health is a dynamic process of harmony inflow of spiritual energy: knowledge of truth, purity, peace, love, happiness, bliss; 

• power: of discrimination, to judge, to withdraw, to pack up, to tolerate, to face, to accommodate, to cooperate; 
• mental energy: is positive thoughts, emotions, attitudes and memories (TEAM), and 
• physical energy: healthy diet, exercise, sleep, cessation of smoking and alcohol, proper adherence to prescribed treatment regimen and medication. 

Biological clock and circadian rhythm: When activities are in rhythm with one’s biological clock, energy expense and stress are reduced, beneficial for the health of mind, intellect, and body.

More than 93% of patients adhere to this program sincerely. It has been observed that “Better the program adherence, more the reversal of heart blockages and other lifestyle-related diseases-in a dose-response manner.”

Q. No money is being charged from patients for treatment, boarding and lodging. How are you supporting your initiative?

We have not kept any formal fee for participation in these 7 days in-house retreat but most of the patients contribute as per their will and economic condition.

“For the last 24 years we have been using this scientific, evidence-based “3D Healthcare Rajyoga Meditative Lifestyle for Healthy Heart, Happy Mind & Healthy Body” for almost all the NCDs/lifestyle related mind and body diseases.”

Q. What is your message to the community to remain healthy by lifestyle changes?

At present due to industrialization, urbanization, acculturation, social and digital media, change in food, exercise, sleeping habits, and addictions, the whole world including India is suffering from pandemic of Noncommunicable diseases(NCDs). These all NCDs including cardiovascular disorders (such as hypertension, heart attacks, and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma), depression, diabetes, etc. are psychosomatic/lifestyle-related diseases and only permanent solution for all these NCDs is integrating Meditation with modern state of art medication to enjoy healthy and happy life. For the last 24 years we have been using this scientific, evidence-based “3D Healthcare Rajyoga Meditative Lifestyle for Healthy Heart, Happy Mind & Healthy Body” for almost all the NCDs/lifestyle-related mind and body diseases. 

I understand It is not very easy to follow such a regime by everyone as it requires utmost commitment. I would like to narrate a story that a Vice-Chancellor of a University friend of mine was advised angioplasty and I requested him to come with me to Dr Gupta and told him what all is required to be done by him to reverse heart block and avoid angioplasty. He told me it is better to have angioplasty and have my whisky and fried fish every day and enjoy life rather than a restricted lifestyle and stay many years miserably. I request you to follow 3D healthcare