Dr. Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.M.R., is an NIH-funded medical researcher and author of Total Heart Health: How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (Basic Health Publications, 2006). Here he answers questions on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.

Q: What is the role of metabolic syndrome in creating heart disease?

Dr. Schneider: Metabolic syndrome is a new term used by doctors to describe a cluster of risk factors, found in at least a third of the population, which indicate a very high risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Dr. Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.M.R., is an NIH-funded medical researcher and author of Total Heart Health: How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (Basic Health Publications, 2006). Here he answers questions on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.

Q: What about high cholesterol? Can the Transcendental Meditation program help reduce high levels of cholesterol?

Dr. Schneider: High cholesterol is another major risk factor for heart disease and many forms of stroke. Cardiologists now prescribe lipid-lowering or

Dr. Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.M.R., is an NIH-funded medical researcher and author of Total Heart Health: How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (Basic Health Publications, 2006). Here he answers questions on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.

Q: How does anxiety play into heart disease?

Dr. Schneider: Anxiety is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, for hypertension, for many psychosomatic conditions. It generally reduces the quality of life and effectiveness in everyday functioning of a high

Dr. Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.M.R., is an NIH-funded medical researcher and author of Total Heart Health: How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (Basic Health Publications, 2006). Here he answers questions on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.

Q: One of the major risk factors for heart disease is smoking. What can the Transcendental Meditation technique do to help people stop smoking?

Dr. Schneider: Smoking is, indeed, a major risk factor for heart disease, for lung cancer and for many other conditions that produce

Dr. Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.M.R., is an NIH-funded medical researcher and author of Total Heart Health: How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (Basic Health Publications, 2006). Here he answers questions on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.

Q: Can blood pressure be treated naturally, without side effects?

Dr. Schneider: Blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. While drug treatment can be used to lower blood pressure, all drugs have adverse side effects. However, research has shown that natural