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New study indicates significant reduction in risk for heart attack and stroke
London, 17 April 2002:
Natural methods for preventing ill health could save millions from the NHS budget, and thereby avert the need for extra funding and possible tax increases in today’s Budget statement.
Dr Geoffrey Clements, Chairman of Maharishi Foundation, which teaches Transcendental Meditation in the UK, made this statement following the publication this week of a study in the American Journal of Cardiology.
The study, conducted on elderly people, shows substantial reductions in atherosclerosis – hardening of the arteries – in those participating in a programme which included Transcendental Meditation and other natural treatments from the traditional approaches of Maharishi Vedic Medicine. The other treatments involved dietary and exercise advice, and taking anti-oxidant herbal food supplements.
According to Dr Robert Schneider, co-author of the study: “For those older people with a risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity or diabetes, this would translate into a 33% reduction in risk for heart attack and stroke over the long term.
“Even for relatively healthy older people, this programme appears to result in an 8% decrease in risk for cardiovascular disease.” Dr Schneider is Director of the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, one of 16 centres for specialised research supported by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr Clements said: “Heart attack and stroke are two of the three main causes of death in the UK. The natural approaches used in this study, including Transcendental Meditation, have no side effects, do not involve any change in lifestyle, and can be used by anyone. Funding them on a large scale would represent a major benefit for national health and would thus reduce the strain on the NHS budget.”
Dr Clements pointed out that according to National Audit Office statistics, less than one per cent of the NHS budget for coronary heart disease is spent on prevention.
Dr Clements is available for interview
Also available for interview: Dr Michael Musgrave, a north London GP who has had experience of using Transcendental Meditation in general practice.
Further information, see also:
About the research: www.MUM.edu/CMVM
About Transcendental Meditation: www.t-m.org.uk
continued
Page 2, NHS crisis could be helped by natural medicine
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
About the study:
● The study was published in the 15 April 2002 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
● In the study, 57 seniors with an average age of 74 were randomly assigned into three treatment groups: 1) a multimodality intervention of Maharishi Vedic Medicine involving, dietary, exercise, anti-oxidant herbal food supplement, and stress-reduction (Transcendental Meditation) approaches; 2) health education involving standard recommendations in diet, exercise, and a multivitamin supplement; and 3) usual care with no added intervention. Participants with multiple risk factors for coronary heart disease were also classified into a high-risk subgroup for each group.
● The primary measurement used in the study was carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a non-invasive measure of atherosclerosis that is known to correlate with coronary heart disease and stroke. IMT of the carotid artery wall was evaluated in subjects by standard B-mode ultrasound before and after one year of treatment. Of the 57 participants in the study, 46 subjects completed the IMT post-testing.
● The results of this pilot study showed that IMT in the Maharishi Vedic Medicine subjects decreased 10.6% for the entire group and 19.4% for the high-risk subgroup. 80% of the subjects in the entire Maharishi Vedic Medicine group and 100% of the subjects in the MVM high risk subgroup showed regression in atherosclerosis. Comparing high-risk subgroups, IMT decreased significantly more in the MVM subjects than in the health education or usual care subjects.
● The study was funded by grants from the Retirement Research Foundation in Chicago, and from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland.
● Lead author of the study was Jeremy Fields, PhD, Research Coordinator for the Center for Healthy Aging at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Co-author was Robert Schneider, MD, Director of the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, one of 16 NIH-supported centres of specialised research.
About Transcendental Meditation:
● Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a simple, natural technique that is practised for 15-20 minutes twice each day sitting comfortably in a chair with eyes closed. During this time mind and body gain a unique state of deep rest, allowing for the release of deep stress and fatigue, and the development of good mental and physical health.
● TM is practised by people of all ages, religions, professions, and cultural backgrounds – business people, educators, athletes, housewives, students, medical doctors, retired people, etc. This is because Transcendental Meditation is a universal technique that is enriching to everyone. TM is not a religion, a philosophy, a set of beliefs, or a lifestyle.
● Transcendental Meditation is easy to learn and practise. The course consists of four one-and-a-half hour sessions held on consecutive days, and includes an optional three-month follow-up. There are over 50 TM teaching centres in Britain.
● Transcendental Meditation was founded in 1957 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and since that time over 200,000 people have learned TM in Britain, and over 4 million worldwide. Transcendental Meditation is a programme for the development of consciousness which, in the UK, is available only from Maharishi Foundation (registered educational charity, No 270157).
● Transcendental Meditation has been extensively researched in over 600 studies, many published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals. Health benefits of the technique include: