This is a great article. Of course, speaking from my own limited experience, OM meditation has helped me with so many things in life, everything from losing weight, to getting better quality sleep, to improved relationships, to being able to handle my own finances better, clear skin. etc. I have to agree with the skeptics, that people's benefits may come because they have a strong desire for the OM meditation to work. I agree totally, because simply chanting on its own without a sincere desire for it to work and focusing on the actual Idea of OM, will probably not do anything. The weight loss I've experienced, was not directly from the chants, but because the vibrations of my voice began to be felt throughout my body and the pronounciation of OM "AUM" is close to yawning, which when repetively done in conjunction with vibrating the OM will put you in a very relaxed state, a waking sleep state. This is a natural and healthy state of balance of mind and body. In turn, it allows people to make healthier life choices in small steps throughout multiple areas of life. OM can work for some people, for others there are all kinds of ways to get relaxed. I've found that playing certain musical scales to the beat of a metronome for half an hour to 45 mins a day has helped me relax and have more inner peace.