Univ. of Kentucky study on TM and high blood pressure

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maillist(Invincible America)

 

Transcendental Meditation More Effective in Reducing High Blood Pressure

Compared to Other Stress Reduction Programs, Study Shows

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 4, 2007) -- People with high blood pressure may

find relief from Transcendental Meditation, according to a definitive

new meta-analysis of 107 published studies on stress reduction programs

and high blood pressure, which will be published in the December issue

of Current Hypertension Reports.

 

The Transcendental Meditation technique produces a statistically

significant reduction in high blood pressure that is not found with

other forms of relaxation, meditation, biofeedback or stress management.

 

The new meta-analysis reviewed randomized, controlled trials of all

stress reduction and relaxation methods in participants with high blood

pressure that have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

 

Blood pressure changes for the Transcendental Meditation technique

included average reductions of 5.0 points on systolic blood pressure and

2.8 on diastolic blood pressure, which were statistically significant,

according to the review. The other stress reduction programs did not

show significant changes in blood pressure.

 

Blood pressure changes associated with Transcendental Meditation

practice were consistent with other controlled studies showing

reductions in cardiovascular risk factors, improved markers of heart

disease, and reduced mortality rates among participants in the

Transcendental Meditation program.

 

The new meta-analysis was conducted by researchers at the University of

Kentucky College of Medicine and at the NIH-funded Institute of Natural

Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management.

 

According to Dr. James Anderson, professor of medicine at the University

of Kentucky and co-author of the new meta-analysis, the findings of the

new review  rebut a July 2007 report sponsored by the Agency for

Healthcare Research and Quality and the NIH-National Center for

Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which concluded that most

research on meditation is low quality and found little evidence that any

specific stress reduction effectively lowers blood pressure. The new

meta-analysis identified all high quality meditation studies published

through 2006 and rigorously analyzed their effects, which the previous

government report failed to do.   

 

Anderson said the new meta-analysis includes only high quality studies

on all available stress reduction interventions. The studies on

Transcendental Meditation were conducted at five independent

universities and medical institutions, and the majority of them were

funded by competitivegrants from the National Institutes of Health.

 

" The magnitude of the changes in blood pressure with the Transcendental

Meditation technique are at least as great as the changes found with

major changes in diet or exercise that doctors often recommend, "

Anderson said. " Yet the Transcendental Meditation technique does not

require changes in lifestyle. Thus many patients with mild hypertension

or prehypertension may be able to avoid the need to take blood pressure

medications -- all of which have adverse side effects. Individuals with

more severe forms of hypertension may be able to reduce the number or

dosages of their BP medications under the guidance of their doctor. "

 

Anderson added that long-term changes in blood pressure of this

magnitude are associated with at least a 15 percent reduction in rates

of heart attack and stroke. " This is important to everyone because

cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and

worldwide, " Anderson said.

 

The study's biostatistician, Maxwell Rainforth, assistant professor of

Physiology and Health Statistics at Maharishi University of Management,

said the meta-analysis used state-of-the-art statistical methods to

review 107 published studies in the field of stress reduction,

relaxation and blood pressure.

 

" The twenty-three separate studies included in the final analysis met

well-known criteria for high scientific quality. That is, these studies

used repeated blood pressure measurements and participants were

randomized to either a stress reduction technique or placebo-type

control for at least eight weeks.  The data we used are all published

in peer-reviewed scientific journals, " Rainforth said. 

 

According to Dr. Robert Schneider, director of the Institute of Natural

Medicine and Prevention and co-author, this rigorously conducted

meta-analysis indicates that the Transcendental Meditation program is

distinctively effective compared to other scientifically studied

techniques in lowering high blood pressure.

 

" For those 100 million Americans with elevated blood pressure, here is a

scientifically documented, yet simple and easy way to lower blood

pressure without drugs and harmful side effects. In addition, related

studies show an integrated set of positive 'side benefits', such as

reduced stress, reduced heart disease levels and longer lifespan with

this technique to restore balance in the cardiovascular system, mind and

body, " Schneider said.

 

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In striving to become a Top 20 public research institution, the

University of Kentucky is a catalyst for a new Commonwealth -- a

Kentucky that is healthier, better educated, and positioned to compete

in a global and changing economy. For more information about UK --

efforts to become a Top 20 university, please go to

 

http://www.uky.edu/OPBPA/Top20.html