Getting sick of reality TV? New survey confirms that it can be bad for your health Excerpted from an article in Mail Online, 14 April 2010 IF TERRIBLE MANNERS and tacky television shows make your blood boil, you are not alone. Almost eight out of ten of us let everyday irritations get under our skin instead of walking away from exasperating situations, according to a survey. But experts have warned that regularly getting wound up can have health consequences - raising the risk of a stroke. ... Meanwhile medical experts believe transcendental meditation could be used to treat high blood pressure and psychological problems. More than five decades after the relaxation therapy became popular, two studies have found that it worked significantly better than good diet and exercise in tackling the stresses of modern life. Transcendental meditation - known as TM - was spread by the teaching of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who started a worldwide movement in 1957. The technique involves the daily chanting of a mantra. Advocates include film directors Clint Eastwood and David Lynch. The two studies, at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles and the University of Hawaii, looked at more than 100 people aged 55 and older who were at risk from cardiovascular disease. Those who practised TM showed a 48 per cent reduction in symptoms of depression - compared to those given dietary and exercise advice. © Mail Online 2010