24 June 2003 — Risk factors for heart disease are substantially reduced by practising Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation, according to a new US study published this month.

The paper also shows that using Transcendental Meditation slows, and can even reverse, some of the physiological changes which underlie cardiovascular disease.

The study, which was funded by the US Government, is published this month in the journal Behavioral Medicine. It analyses the results of 30 studies published on Transcendental Meditation and heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the three major killers in Western society, and costs the NHS billions of pounds each year. In order to fund a massive increase in NHS expenditure, the Chancellor increased National Insurance contributions this spring.

The cost of each heart bypass operation is of the order of £25-30,000, yet a tiny fraction of NHS spending on Coronary Heart Disease goes to health promotion. A National Audit Office report suggests this is less than one per cent.

According to London GP Dr Elizabeth Young, "Transcendental Meditation helps with treating hypertension. It's my experience that people with hypertension who learn TM not only feel better and happier, but their blood pressure is easier to control and I've been able to slowly reduce — and in a few cases even stop — their medication over time." [Full quote below.]

Preliminary research on TM and cardiovascular health has been conducted here in the UK at St George's Hospital, London. Over a three month period in a certain category of heart patient significant reductions in angina were found. The study was published in The American Journal of Cardiology.

Over the years several hundred doctors have written to the Department of Health suggesting that TM should become available on the NHS.

hinde@t-m.org.uk 020 7402 3787

--- Editors’ notes follow ---

Reference: Psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease Part 2: Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program for treatment and prevention. Walton et al, Behavioral Medicine Vol 28 106-123.

A pdf copy of the paper available from hinde@t-m.org.uk

Also see: Behavioral Medicine. http://www.heldref.org/html/body_bmed.html.

A research database of Transcendental Meditation is available at www.mum.edu/tm_research/welcome.

Reference of British Study: Cunningham CH, Brown S, Kaski JC. The effects of Transcendental Meditation on symptoms and electrocardiographic changes in patients with cardiac syndrome X: A pilot study. American Journal of Cardiology 2000 Mar 1; 85(5): 653-5.

The research is part two of a series of three articles. The first article reviewed evidence that stress exacerbates cardiovascular disease. The current article demonstrates the positive effects of Transcendental Meditation on a wide array of risk factors and shows how this technique can halt or even reverse negative changes in the body associated with cardiovascular disease.

The study located all controlled research in the last 15 years that examined the effects of Transcendental Meditation on a variety of factors relating to cardiovascular disease, including traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure, lipids and cholesterol, and substance abuse. It also located research that examined the ability of TM to change indicators of stress such as neuroticism and low self-concept. And it looked at studies on the ability of TM to change physiological indicators of stress, such as skin resistance, respiratory and heart rates, and urinary indicators of chronic stress. Finally, the study located research on the effects of Transcendental Meditation on the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death.

Thirty studies met the criteria for inclusion. The outcomes of all but one of the reviewed studies support the ability of TM to positively affect the symptoms and progression of cardiovascular disease. The most promising research may be the clinical trials showing reductions in atherosclerosis in middle aged and older individuals.

The research was conducted by the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, which was founded four years ago with the assistance of a grant of nearly $8 million from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a component of the US Government’s National Institutes of Health. This centre is the research arm of the College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine, located on the campus of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield and Vedic City, Iowa.

According to study co-author, Ken Walton, psychosocial stress (as opposed to stress caused by trauma or deprivation) is associated with adverse life events such as loss of a loved one, divorce, job loss, work pressures, or social isolation, and with conditions such as low socioeconomic status (low levels of education, occupation, and income).

These conditions can lead to inappropriate or maladaptive responses such as anger, hostility, and depression. A psychosocial approach attempting to alleviate cardiovascular disease would need to address psychological as well as social behaviour. The study demonstrates the potential effectiveness of TM on both aspects.

When people feel stressed, the usual coping mechanisms aren’t enough to deal with the challenges they are experiencing. Under these conditions, the body’s normal responses become distorted in ways that cause damage. These include neuroendocrine imbalances such as hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. Distortions of this sort increase risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity.

Under chronic stress, these physiological mechanisms may lead to manifest cardiovascular disease in the form of atherosclerosis and ischemia.

The research shows that not only is TM useful for addressing the non-traditional risk factor of psychosocial stress, it is also beneficial for tackling these traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors and for treating diagnosed cardiovascular disease cases. It also thereby lowers the probability of a fatal heart attack or stroke.

"This study pulls together evidence that supports our follow-up research to clarify the mechanics of the beneficial, holistic effects of Transcendental Meditation," Dr. Walton said. "Also the study should help legitimise this approach so it can be implemented on a large scale to reduce cardiovascular disease, its risk factors, its enormous economic costs, and the general misery index that cardiovascular disease exacerbates."

The third and final paper in this series, expected in Behavioral Medicine later this year, covers public policy issues connected with the use of the TM programme. It focuses in part on medical education, comparing this approach to health with that of modern medicine, on Transcendental Meditation itself, and on community-wide application of TM.

Self-employed businessman Graham King learned Transcendental Meditation four years ago as a result of being diagnosed with high blood pressure by his GP. "My blood pressure was being monitored over a period by my doctor and it didn't improve, so he put me on tablets. But having an aversion to taking any sort of tablet, I found out about TM, and took a course of instruction. My doctor was amazed at the improvements in blood pressure, and took me straight off the tablets – and the blood pressure has remained at a fairly normal level ever since."

According to London GP Dr Elizabeth Young, "Transcendental Meditation helps with treating hypertension. It's my experience that people with hypertension who learn TM not only feel better and happier, but their blood pressure is easier to control and I've been able to slowly reduce – and in a few cases even stop – their medication over time.

"I think the sense of wellbeing is very important, that people who learn TM are feeling better, they're sleeping better. I'm sure that has a big impact on coronary heart disease.

"When people feel better, they also tend to adopt healthier lifestyles. There's no doubt that drugs have made a big impact on the treatment of coronary heart diseases, but still the greatest challenge is to find non-drug ways to help people improve their health habits, in terms of diet, exercise, smoking, in ways that will improve their health. Once people learn TM, we notice that they start to choose more healthy lifestyles and more healthy habits, and that they find it easier to give up smoking – and that alone would have a dramatic effect on heart disease. It's very rare to find someone who practises TM regularly and still smokes."

Transcendental Meditation™, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi™, is a programme for the Development of Consciousness which, in the UK, is available only from Maharishi Foundation™, registered educational charity number 270157.

Transcendental Meditation™ is a simple technique, practised for 15-20 minutes sitting comfortably in a chair with eyes closed. It gives deep rest to mind and body, allowing stress to be released in a natural way.

There are 60 Centres around the UK where Transcendental Meditation can be learned.

General enquiry details: 08705 143733 or www.t-m.org.uk

Press information: Jonathan Hinde 020 7402 3787 / mailto:hinde@t-m.org.uk