Prevalence of hypertension and coronary heart disease reduced through the practice of Transcendental Meditation

The Institute of Natural Medicine and Prevention
Maharishi University of Management, USA    Translate This Article
18 February 2009

The Institute of Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in the United States and Maharishi College of Perfect Health in MERU, Holland, recently prepared a presentation to introduce health insurance companies to the compelling scientific evidence of the clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program.

Please see Part I of this article.

The pamphlet states that health care costs continue to spiral upward, in large part due to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, notably cardiovascular disease. About 30% of the adult population in developed nations has hypertension. In the US, about 15 million adults have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD), and nearly 50% will die as a result of cardiovascular disease (CHD or stroke). Thus, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of premature death and serious disability in the US and other developed nations, as well as worldwide.

Conventional therapies
More than $300 billion is spent each year in the US on the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Conventional therapies encompass a wide variety of drugs including diuretics, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, alpha receptor blockers, vasodilators, statins, nitrates, resins, fibrates, niacin, thrombolytics, aspirin, and hormone replacement therapy. Surgical procedures include angioplasty and coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Inadequacies of conventional therapy
Conventional drug therapies do not address the causes of cardiovascular disease, which are often rooted in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Furthermore, conventional pharmacological and surgical therapies for cardiovascular disease often lead to serious adverse effects, including adverse drug effects, impairments in quality of life, and increased mortality.

For these reasons, national practice guidelines of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other professional associations recommend non-drug lifestyle modifications (i) as the first line of therapy for individuals with hypertension and (ii) as part of a comprehensive package of lifestyle modifications and drug therapy for individuals with diagnoses of CHD.

This latter group includes patients who have had a myocardial infarction, coronary artery procedures to open clogged arteries (revascularization), chronic angina or stroke.

In contrast, the Transcendental Meditation program, introduced to the world 50 years ago by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, targets a basic, contributing cause of cardiovascular disease, the lifestyle factor we call 'stress'.

Many research studies document the stress-reducing and health-promoting effects of the Transcendental Meditation program, and there have been no documented adverse effects associated with the use of the program to reduce stress, treat cardiovascular disease, or with its use by the general population for disease prevention and health promotion.

Data supporting the effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in treating cardiovascular disease
Randomized clinical trials and other controlled studies show that the Transcendental Meditation program reduces blood pressure in persons with hypertension. End organ damage associated with hypertensive heart disease is also reduced.

Transcendental Meditation has been found to reduce cigarette and alcohol consumption; to reduce all-cause mortality; and reduce cardiovascular mortality; it also contributes to reduced anxiety, decreased hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and decreased medical expenses

More than a thousand press reports have appeared about the effects of Transcendental Meditation and heart disease, including articles in The New York Times, NBC Health, The Washington Post Health, CNN Health, Penn Medicine, Newsweek Health and WebMD.

© Copyright 2009 Institute of Natural Medicine and Prevention^®

Global Good News comment: For more information refer to: www.doctorsontm.org and www.mum.edu/inmp

For information about Maharishi's seven-point programme to create a healthy, happy, prosperous society, and a peaceful world, please visit: Global Financial Capital of New York.



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