Re: Transcendental meditation extends lifespan -OT

[Guest guest]

Hi Aequalsz:

One thing we can be sure of, apparently ..................

meditation does NOT prevent baldness.

http://www.mou.org/images/media_theme_r1_c1.jpg

Rodney.

--- In , " aequalsz " <aequalsz@y...>

wrote:

> Hello,

>

> F.Y.I.

>

> http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200505031170.htm

>

> and,

>

> http://www.tm.org/stress/stress.html

>

> Now if I could just remember my mantra.

>

> Aequalsz

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

wrote:

> Hi Aequalsz:

>

> One thing we can be sure of, apparently ..................

> meditation does NOT prevent baldness.

>

> http://www.mou.org/images/media_theme_r1_c1.jpg

>

> Rodney.

>

Hello,

Fer shore. Also many, many references to T.M. seem to be very

commercially oriented and mercenary. I'd read a book many years ago

on this subject so thought I'd give it a try this morning.

Immediately noticed that I was much aware of many things I usually

don't notice like the sounds of nature, a bird chirping, etc. But

also noticed that afterwards, I tended to forget what I was doing and

apparently didn't immediately completely " come out " of this state.

But I know one thing fer sure, wouldn't fork over $2500 for T.M.

lessons. Would recommend a good book I just downloaded from

Amazon.com just a few minutes ago that comes with very high

recommendations called, " Meditation Made Easy, " by Lorin Roche, PH.D.

Costs about $10.

Aequalsz

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

See the below.

Systemic Hypertension

8.

Long-Term Effects of Stress Reduction on Mortality in Persons & #8805;55 Years

of

Age With Systemic Hypertension • ARTICLE

Pages 1060-1064

H. Schneider, N. , Staggers, Maxwell Rainforth,

W. Salerno, Arthur Hartz, Arndt, Vernon A. and Sanford I. Nidich

Psychosocial stress contributes to high blood pressure and subsequent

cardiovascular

morbidity and mortality. Previous controlled studies have associated decreasing

stress with the Transcendental Meditation program with lower blood

pressure.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate, over the long term,

all-cause

and cause-specific mortality in older subjects who had high blood pressure and

who

participated in randomized controlled trials that included the TM program and

other

behavioral stress-decreasing interventions. Patient data were pooled from 2

published randomized controlled trials that compared TM, other behavioral

interventions, and usual therapy for high blood pressure. There were 202

subjects,

including 77 whites (mean age 81 years) and 125 African-American (mean age 66

years)

men and women. In these studies, average baseline blood pressure was in the

prehypertensive or stage I hypertension range. Follow-up of vital status and

cause

of death over a maximum of 18.8 years was determined from the National Death

Index.

Survival analysis was used to compare intervention groups on mortality rates

after

adjusting for study location. Mean follow-up was 7.6 ± 3.5 years. Compared with

combined controls, the TM group showed a 23% decrease in the primary outcome of

all-cause mortality after maximum follow-up (relative risk 0.77, p = 0.039).

Secondary analyses showed a 30% decrease in the rate of cardiovascular mortality

(relative risk 0.70, p = 0.045) and a 49% decrease in the rate of mortality due

to

cancer (relative risk 0.49, p = 0.16) in the TM group compared with combined

controls. These results suggest that a specific stress-decreasing approach used

in

the prevention and control of high blood pressure, such as the TM program, may

contribute to decreased mortality from all causes and cardiovascular disease in

older subjects who have systemic hypertension.

.... The distinctive features of the 3 active treatments were as follows, The TM

program was described as the principal mind-body technique of Maharishi

Consciousness-Based Health Care, a comprehensive traditional system of natural

medicine derived from the ancient Vedic tradition.11 and 12 The TM program was

reported to include a simple, yet precise technique whereby the ordinary

thinking

process becomes quiescent and a unique psychophysiologic state of “restful

alertness” appears to be gained.13 Details of the instructional protocol have

been

published.14 Mindfulness training, developed by et al,8 involved

learning

a guided attention technique to engage participants in novel and creative mental

activities.8 The mental relaxation technique was designed to simulate generic

features of the TM program, hypothesized by some researchers to be responsible

for

its relaxation effects.15 The mental relaxation technique required subjects to

repeat silently to themselves familiar and brief mental stimuli (e.g., a phrase

or

verse) during the relaxation period. Home practice compliance rates after 3

months

for each of the 3 active treatment groups were 80% for TM subjects who practiced

regularly compared with 48% for the mindfulness training group and 47% for the

mental relaxation group. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the

TM

group than in the control group at 3 months.

Methods of the second trial have been published in detail.6 and 7 Briefly, this

was

a randomized controlled trial of community-dwelling older African-Americans (43%

men

and 57% women; mean age 67 ± 7.6 years) who had stage I and II hypertension

(stages

I and II; baseline blood pressure averaged 147/92 ± 13.2/8.7 mm Hg) and lived in

Oakland, California. The 125 subjects were randomized to a TM group (n = 40), a

progressive muscle relaxation group (PMR; n = 42), or a health education control

group (n = 43). The 2 active interventions (TM and PMR) were matched for

expectancy

of benefits, teaching format, instructional time, and home practice (20 minutes

2

times a day). The TM program was taught according to the same standardized

procedures as in the et al8 trial. The PMR technique followed

previously

standardized and validated procedures of Bernstein and Borkovic,16 based on a

classic muscle relaxation program by son.17 This technique involved

systematically relaxing the major muscle groups of the body with the goal of

physical and mental relaxation. The health education control group received

lifestyle modification information consistent with national guidelines.18 The

education control intervention was designed to reflect usual-care community

practice. Original outcomes in this study included systolic and diastolic blood

pressures and other cardiovascular risk factors for cardiovascular disease

(diet,

exercise, weight, and substance use). The duration of the intervention was 3

months.

Home practice regularity rates for TM and PMR after 3 months were 97% and 81%,

respectively. There were no significant changes in diet, exercise, or blood

pressure

medications. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly lower in

the

TM group than in the PMR and education control groups.6 and 7 ... The usual-care

groups constituted minimally controlled conditions for comparison with the 2

active

treatment categories.

.... Results

For all subjects in the pooled study, mean age ± SD was 72.0 ± 10.6 years, 67%

were

women, and systolic blood pressure was 144 ± 15.6 mm Hg. Mean follow-up times

were

8.45 ± 4.83 years in study 1, 7.13 ± 2.15 years in study 2, and 7.63 ± 3.48

years

for studies 1 and 2. Table 1 presents the number of all-cause and

disease-specific

mortality events in each study for the on-trial analysis. Table 2 presents the

number of mortality events for the intention-to-treat analysis. Table 3 presents

the

relative risks and significance levels for the primary and secondary outcomes of

cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality for each study and for the 2 studies

combined. As presented in Table 3, the relative risk of all-cause mortality for

the

TM group compared with combined control groups was 0.77 (p = 0.039; Figure 1).

For

mortality due to cardiovascular disease, the relative risk was 0.70 (p = 0.045);

for

mortality due to cancer, the relative risk was 0.51 (p = 0.153). The

intention-to-treat results showed a similar pattern. That is, for the 2 trials

pooled, the relative risks were 0.75 (p = 0.062) for the TM group compared with

combined control groups for all-cause mortality, 0.62 (p = 0.025) for

cardiovascular

mortality, and 0.53 (p = 0.190) for cancer mortality.

TABLE 1. Numbers of Deaths by Treatment Group in Each Clinical Trial† Clinical

Trial

Treatment Group No. of Subjects No. of deaths

All Causes Cardiovascular Diseases Cancers

Boston ( et al8) TM 20 20 11 1

Mindfulness 20 20 10 4

Mental relaxation 22 21 12 4

Usual care 11 10 4 1

Oakland (Schneider et al6) TM 36 8 1 4

PMR 37 12 4 5

Health education (control) 36 10 6 4

† For subjects included in on-trial analyses.

TABLE 2.

Numbers of Deaths by Treatment Group in Each Clinical Trial† Clinical Trial

Treatment Group No. of Subjects No. of deaths

All Causes Cardiovascular Diseases Cancers

Boston ( et al8) TM 21 20 11 1

Mindfulness 23 22 12 4

Mental relaxation 22 21 12 4

Usual care 11 10 4 1

Oakland (Schneider et al6) TM 41 9 1 4

PMR 42 12 4 5

Health education (control) 42 11 7 4

† For subjects included in intention-to-treat analyses.

TABLE 3.

Effects of Interventions on Mortality in the Pooled Clinical Trials Cause of

Death

Statistical Comparison Relative Risk Significance (2 trials)

Boston8 Oakland6 2 Trials

All cause TM vs usual care 1.13 0.60 0.89 0.21

TM vs other active therapy 0.79 0.58 0.73 0.03

Other active therapy vs usual care 1.33 1.16 1.26 0.43

TM vs combined controls 0.85 0.61 0.77 0.04

Cardiovascular disease TM vs usual care 1.65 0.16 0.82 0.10

TM vs other active therapy 0.80 0.23 0.68 0.06

Other active therapy vs usual care 1.79 0.69 1.23 0.74

TM vs combined controls 0.92 0.19 0.70 0.05

Cancer TM vs usual care 0.54 0.69 0.65 0.47

TM vs other active therapy 0.20 0.69 0.44 0.09

Other active therapy vs usual care 2.49 1.25 1.56 0.52

TM vs combined controls 0.24 0.73 0.51 0.15

To further evaluate the effects of stress-decreasing intervention on

intermediate

time points of survival, analyses were conducted for 3 and 10 years of

follow-up.

The results of the TM versus combined controls comparison for all-cause

mortality

showed relative risks of 0.11 (p = 0.013) at 3 years and 0.60 (p = 0.025) at 10

years of follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses showed similar results, i.e.,

relative risks were 0.21 (p = 0.046) at 3 years and 0.62 (p = 0.044) at 10

years.

--- aequalsz <aequalsz@...> wrote:

> Hello,

>

> F.Y.I.

>

> http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200505031170.htm

>

> and,

>

> http://www.tm.org/stress/stress.html

>

> Now if I could just remember my mantra.

Al Pater, PhD; email: old542000@...

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hmmmm. I wonder if this also applies to yoga which is often recommended for

stress - in fact Dean Ornish recommends yoga in his CVD program (as well as

meditation).

on 5/3/2005 6:33 AM, aequalsz at aequalsz@... wrote:

> Hello,

>

> F.Y.I.

>

> http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200505031170.htm

>

> and,

>

> http://www.tm.org/stress/stress.html

>

> Now if I could just remember my mantra.

>

> Aequalsz

>

[Guest guest]

I lowered my BP from between 140-160 systolic while on meds which I

took for 30 years, to normal having come off the meds. I did it in

stages and the first part I attributed to breathing. I am keen on

yoga and meditation and in the past have used Buteyko breathing to

come off my asthma meds.

Not just stress related relaxation but breathing in itself, I feel

it is all very beneficial.

After I added dietary changes into the equation, my BP on my last 24

hour ambulatory test was 100/63. It was 110/68 before the dietary

changes and is still coming down now I'm exercising a little. I

often get readings of 85/65 which is brilliant after being on meds

since my early twenties.

My GP is most sceptical about the breathing but I have no doubts.

I think it's true to say that if you are used to meditation, you

soon learn to slip into that light calm stage and slow your

breathing. So I give it a thumbs up!

Regards, Gay

> Hmmmm. I wonder if this also applies to yoga which is often

recommended for

> stress - in fact Dean Ornish recommends yoga in his CVD program

(as well as

> meditation).

[Guest guest]

In fact, there's an FDA approved breath pattern conditioning device

for blood pressure control:

RESPeRATE

http://www.resperate.com/resperate/consumers_home.aspx

On 5/3/05, Gay e <@...> wrote:

> I lowered my BP from between 140-160 systolic while on meds which I

> took for 30 years, to normal having come off the meds. I did it in

> stages and the first part I attributed to breathing. I am keen on

> yoga and meditation and in the past have used Buteyko breathing to

> come off my asthma meds.

>

> Not just stress related relaxation but breathing in itself, I feel

> it is all very beneficial.

>

> After I added dietary changes into the equation, my BP on my last 24

> hour ambulatory test was 100/63. It was 110/68 before the dietary

> changes and is still coming down now I'm exercising a little. I

> often get readings of 85/65 which is brilliant after being on meds

> since my early twenties.

>

> My GP is most sceptical about the breathing but I have no doubts.

>

> I think it's true to say that if you are used to meditation, you

> soon learn to slip into that light calm stage and slow your

> breathing. So I give it a thumbs up!

>

> Regards, Gay

>

>

> > Hmmmm. I wonder if this also applies to yoga which is often

> recommended for

> > stress - in fact Dean Ornish recommends yoga in his CVD program

> (as well as

> > meditation).

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Aequalsz:

It is difficult to put a specific numerical price on how much to pay

to preserve one's health. (Fortunately CRers SAVE money while

protecting their health). But we do know that people will willingly

pay tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix a

major problem when they get sick. Would it not make sense to pay a

sizeable amount to avoid getting sick in the first place? Especially

when many of the sicknesses people get cannot be fixed at ANY price.

If those study results are confirmed, and they are just the latest of

literally hundreds of serious studies that have now been published

that have shown significant benefits for TM, then how much is it

worth to procure a 30% decline in CVD risk (probably not as relevant

to us since CRers already have reduced risk) and a 49% decline in

cancer risk? I dunno.

But, as is always the problem here, we do seem to have ample evidence

of the multiple benefits of TM. OTOH we can find " very high

recommendations " for all kinds of other ...........

stuff .......... all over the internet. Usually here we assume such

recommendations are worthless if not supported by serious published

research. So, do we have studies done on buyers of " Meditation Made

Easy " ? If so please post.

For me the principal respect in which TM has stood out from the crowd

of alternative health practices is that its advocates have always -

since at least the early 1970s - based their claims on the results of

peer-reviewed research published in serious scientific journals.

Bear in mind that not even CRON can boast, yet, to having long

lasting studies demonstrating reduced **incidence** of CVD and cancer

in humans. It takes a long time to conduct such studies because you

have to wait for a large enough proportion of your sample to get sick

before you have any data. I am not aware of any such studies for CR

that have even started yet (If anyone knows of any please post about

them). So CRON appears to be way behind TM in that respect. We all

look forward to seeing these CRON studies in due course - which may

be ten to thirty years down the road.

Regarding the price of TM, yer should have done it when I did, when

it was $75 : ^ )))

Rodney.

> > Hi Aequalsz:

> >

> > One thing we can be sure of, apparently ..................

> > meditation does NOT prevent baldness.

> >

> > http://www.mou.org/images/media_theme_r1_c1.jpg

> >

> > Rodney.

> >

>

> Hello,

>

> Fer shore. Also many, many references to T.M. seem to be very

> commercially oriented and mercenary. I'd read a book many years ago

> on this subject so thought I'd give it a try this morning.

> Immediately noticed that I was much aware of many things I usually

> don't notice like the sounds of nature, a bird chirping, etc. But

> also noticed that afterwards, I tended to forget what I was doing

and

> apparently didn't immediately completely " come out " of this state.

>

> But I know one thing fer sure, wouldn't fork over $2500 for T.M.

> lessons. Would recommend a good book I just downloaded from

> Amazon.com just a few minutes ago that comes with very high

> recommendations called, " Meditation Made Easy, " by Lorin Roche,

PH.D.

> Costs about $10.

>

> Aequalsz

[Guest guest]

Hi :

FASCINATING. Many thanks for posting about RESPeRATE. I think I may

have made a few interesting 'connections' that I would not have

realized without seeing that.

If you click on a few buttons there is says RESPeRATE's purpose is to

drop the breathing rate from a 'normal' rate of 14 - 18 (I think

those were the numbers) breaths per minute to below ten, for fifteen

minutes three or four times a week. It claims (FDA approved) that if

you do that your blood pressure will be significantly lowered on a

continuous basis - not just while you are using the gadget.

The connections I think I may have made are these. I have always

noticed that transcendental meditation dramatically drops my

breathing rate (but not my pulse rate). This evening I checked my

breathing rate over a ten minute period while meditating and found it

to be six breaths per minute. I wonder if the lower breathing rate

may be a common denominator connecting the very long established

(early 1970s) fact that TM reduces blood pressure, and the blood

pressure reduction associated with the lower breathing rate induced

by RESPeRATE?

The second connection I think I may have made is this. Respiration -

oxygen consumption and usage - is a measure of metabolic rate. I

have noticed when I have been strictly counting calories for a month

straight, that the number of calories I need in order to maintain my

weight is, for a number, 250 a day less than -Benedict

predicts. So is this perhaps all connected ............. lower

breathing rate, lower metabolic rate, lower than H-B caloric needs?

Induced by meditation?

Not sure about this. But it seems plausible. If it is then it would

mean that it will be more difficult to lose weight (if one wishes to)

but is good for the restriction that results when a sensible weight

is maintained. fwiw

Rodney.

> > > Hmmmm. I wonder if this also applies to yoga which is often

> > recommended for

> > > stress - in fact Dean Ornish recommends yoga in his CVD program

> > (as well as

> > > meditation).

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

wrote:

> Hi Aequalsz:

>

> It is difficult to put a specific numerical price on how much to

pay

> to preserve one's health. (Fortunately CRers SAVE money while

> protecting their health). But we do know that people will

willingly

> pay tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix a

> major problem when they get sick. Would it not make sense to pay a

> sizeable amount to avoid getting sick in the first place?

As the old saying goes, " Why pay for the cow when you can get the milk

for free? " . OK slightly mixed metaphor maybe but it sounds kinda

funny. Point being, you can get a book about T.M. from the library

for free.

OTOH we can find " very high

> recommendations " for all kinds of other ...........

> stuff .......... all over the internet. Usually here we assume

such

> recommendations are worthless if not supported by serious published

> research. So, do we have studies done on buyers of " Meditation

Made

> Easy " ? If so please post.

Don't have any studies regarding that - only noted what I read in the

Amazon reviews by many satisfied readers of the book. Ya got me there

it looks like. (I generally like to read the reviews because

invariably some truth will come out. I am quite capable of making my

own judgments regarding what is sound or not and generally don't need

some expert or authority to lead me by the nose. :-) I'll keep this

board posted however and inform everyone as soon as I find some

published research on that book. In the meantime I would suggest that

all of you (that's you'all), that can afford the $2500 class to enroll

immediately. On the other hand it might be beter to just donate the

money to the charity of your choice since there are many other more

needy people in this world.

JMHO

Aequalsz

[Guest guest]

Hi Aequlsz:

If yer can find a book in the library that **teaches yer**

Transcendental Meditation then by all means go ahead. I didn't know

there were any.

Incidentally I will just mention the following and then drop the

subject (!): if you go to Pubmed and enter the words " trancendental

meditation " in the box labeled 'for..' it comes up with 540 articles.

Here is the link for Pubmed for anyone who needs it:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search & DB=pubmed

[Of course I have no interest of any kind in promoting TM. Beyond

the fact that I have been doing it for more than 30 years and believe

it to be remarkably beneficial.]

Enuf said!

Rodney.

> > Hi Aequalsz:

> >

> > It is difficult to put a specific numerical price on how much to

> pay

> > to preserve one's health. (Fortunately CRers SAVE money while

> > protecting their health). But we do know that people will

> willingly

> > pay tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix

a

> > major problem when they get sick. Would it not make sense to pay

a

> > sizeable amount to avoid getting sick in the first place?

>

> As the old saying goes, " Why pay for the cow when you can get the

milk

> for free? " . OK slightly mixed metaphor maybe but it sounds kinda

> funny. Point being, you can get a book about T.M. from the library

> for free.

>

>

> OTOH we can find " very high

> > recommendations " for all kinds of other ...........

> > stuff .......... all over the internet. Usually here we assume

> such

> > recommendations are worthless if not supported by serious

published

> > research. So, do we have studies done on buyers of " Meditation

> Made

> > Easy " ? If so please post.

>

> Don't have any studies regarding that - only noted what I read in

the

> Amazon reviews by many satisfied readers of the book. Ya got me

there

> it looks like. (I generally like to read the reviews because

> invariably some truth will come out. I am quite capable of making

my

> own judgments regarding what is sound or not and generally don't

need

> some expert or authority to lead me by the nose. :-) I'll keep this

> board posted however and inform everyone as soon as I find some

> published research on that book. In the meantime I would suggest

that

> all of you (that's you'all), that can afford the $2500 class to

enroll

> immediately. On the other hand it might be beter to just donate the

> money to the charity of your choice since there are many other more

> needy people in this world.

>

> JMHO

>

> Aequalsz

[Guest guest]

Sorry, correction:

Enter: if you enter " transcendental meditation " in the Pubmed window.

I had omitted the 's'.

Rodney.

> > > Hi Aequalsz:

> > >

> > > It is difficult to put a specific numerical price on how much to

> > pay

> > > to preserve one's health. (Fortunately CRers SAVE money while

> > > protecting their health). But we do know that people will

> > willingly

> > > pay tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to

fix

> a

> > > major problem when they get sick. Would it not make sense to

pay

> a

> > > sizeable amount to avoid getting sick in the first place?

> >

> > As the old saying goes, " Why pay for the cow when you can get the

> milk

> > for free? " . OK slightly mixed metaphor maybe but it sounds kinda

> > funny. Point being, you can get a book about T.M. from the

library

> > for free.

> >

> >

> > OTOH we can find " very high

> > > recommendations " for all kinds of other ...........

> > > stuff .......... all over the internet. Usually here we assume

> > such

> > > recommendations are worthless if not supported by serious

> published

> > > research. So, do we have studies done on buyers of " Meditation

> > Made

> > > Easy " ? If so please post.

> >

> > Don't have any studies regarding that - only noted what I read in

> the

> > Amazon reviews by many satisfied readers of the book. Ya got me

> there

> > it looks like. (I generally like to read the reviews because

> > invariably some truth will come out. I am quite capable of

making

> my

> > own judgments regarding what is sound or not and generally don't

> need

> > some expert or authority to lead me by the nose. :-) I'll keep

this

> > board posted however and inform everyone as soon as I find some

> > published research on that book. In the meantime I would suggest

> that

> > all of you (that's you'all), that can afford the $2500 class to

> enroll

> > immediately. On the other hand it might be beter to just donate

the

> > money to the charity of your choice since there are many other

more

> > needy people in this world.

> >

> > JMHO

> >

> > Aequalsz

[Guest guest]

2 comments on this issue..(somewhat lengthy)

1) When the Maharishi first brought TM to the USA, Herbert Benson was the

researcher who agreed to do the original studies on the technique. They showed

some dramatic results from the use of TM. Based on the outcomes of those

studies, the TM technique became highly promoted and still uses much of the

original studies. Unfortunately, there was alot of quackery associated with

the way it was promoted (secret mantras, ability to levitate,etc).

After the original studies, Herbert Benson decided to see what would happend if

he replicated the studies/technique, but instead of using the " secret " mantras,

he just used a simple phrase. The results.... exactly the same. he then wrote

the book, The Relaxation Response describing this in detail. He than went to

india to study Monks who had been meditating for years and was interested in

some of the " feats " they could do, like control body temperature., and did some

studies on them. As a result, he realized adding it when he called a

" sprititual " factor could only help. He then wrote " Beyond The Relaxation

Response " as a result adding in the " faith factor " to the Relaxation Response.

In the late 80s (i beleive) there were several lawsuits against TM and some of

their practices which resulted in some of their " secrets " being revealed. A few

books were written by former TM teachers who had left the " flock " including ones

the told the whole story and the secret techniques.

So, between the books of former teachers and Herbert Bensons books, you can

learn everything there is to know about TM without having to pay the money or go

through the silly rituals. Unfortunately, back in 1973, I had paid the huge

fee, went thru the rituals and was given a secret mantra, only to learn years

later, it was no secret. Or maybe, that was the secret.

2) Having been a " student " of meditation over the years, I have followed the

research on it and in 1998 (after 25 years of practice) I wrote a (never

published) review paper on this topic called ........Ending the Silence, Opening

the Heart: The Therapeutic Aspects of Meditation in Hypertension

While it is a few years old, and there is newer data out, my general comments

still apply. The full paper is about 30 pages and I would be glad to send it

to anyone, or just the specific section on Mediation and Hypertension or post

that section here as I think you will find my comments on the studies

interesting and relevant....

However, in the meantime, some specific comments.on the " quality " of the studies

on Meditation ..

" In preparing a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of meditation and relaxation

on hypertension, Eisenberg, Delbanco, Berkey, Kaptchuk, Kupelnick, Kuhl, et al.

(1993), reported finding over 1000 articles between 1970 and 1991 in response to

searches on MEDLINE and PSYCHLIT in this area. However, of these studies, only

26 met their criteria of being randomized, controlled trials with applicable

cognitive-behavioral therapies as intervention, concurrent control groups,

detailed descriptions of intervention techniques, and detailed reporting of

baseline BP's and of follow up BP's post-treatment. Most studies were

discarded due to small sample sizes, inconsistent BP reporting, inconsistent

control groups, and the lack of accounting for multiple noncognitive

cointerventions, such as diet and exercise. As both of these therapies have

been shown to be effective in and of themselves, they are important factors to

account for in these studies.

The 26 studies that remained still had other technical problems due to problems

in data reporting. On a technical quality rating scale, the 26 studies have a

mean quality score of 34 out of a possible 104 maximum score. The meta-analysis

of these 26 showed that the changes in blood pressure were also influenced by

the study design. Specifically, studies with baseline periods of 1 day showed

reductions in BP much greater than in studies with baseline periods of more than

1 day. This reduction may be more because of subject acclimatization to the

study then any treatment method, as BP will decrease predictably through routine

baseline measurement and also tends to increase on initial examination, a

phenomenon known as white-coat HTN. The researchers concluded that much more

research and future studies are needed in this area and should compare the

efficacy of CBT with NCBT and/or drug therapies, or with combination therapies.

The authors also concluded that cognitive behavioral therapies in the absence of

recommendations for weight loss, salt and alcohol reduction and increased

exercise, are not nearly as effective as standard pharmacotherapy. They

reported that cognitive therapies for essential HTN are superior to no therapy

and that no single cognitive behavioral technique appeared to be more effective

than any other. They recommended that cognitive behavioral interventions be

compared with noncognitive behavioral therapies (diet and exercise), or drug

therapies, or combinations of behavioral and drug therapies.

Regards

Jeff

[Guest guest]

I asked Jeff to send me his paper discussed below. Here are a few excerpts:

Since 1939, relaxation of muscles has been known to lower BP (son,

1939). During the mid 1970s, many studies appeared on the health benefits

of meditation, and several studies claimed to demonstrate the effectiveness

of meditation in reducing HTN and stress (Wallace, 1972; Patel, 1975;

Benson, 1971).

Many forms of meditation have been developed, taught and promoted by

various religious and spiritual traditions. Some involve withdrawal from

the outer world and from customary patterns of mental activity into a state

of inner and outer stillness. Other forms utilize movement, music, or

visual and/or auditory contemplation of physical objects (candle flame,

ocean waves, mandalas, bells). All these various techniques can be divided

into two main categories: concentration methods and insight methods

(Goleman, 1988).

Concentration meditation fixes the mind on a simple object such as the

breath or a mantra (a repeated phrase) and attempts to exclude all other

thoughts from ones' awareness. One popular form of this meditation

technique is Transcendental Meditation (T. M.), which has been studied

scientifically since 1970 (Wallace & Benson, 1970). The focused

concentration suppresses ordinary mental functioning, restricts the

attention to one point, and can induce states of tranquillity.

Benson (1975) devised his own technique that is similar to the TM

technique. He called this technique the relaxation response. Benson (1975)

showed that despite the differences in the forms of attention used and brain

wave activity elicited, the different meditation techniques he was studying

all elicited a similar response. He demonstrated similar physiological

changes regardless of the technique he studied, which he also called the

relaxation response. He describes four basic components necessary to bring

forth this response: 1) a quiet environment with as few distractions as

possible; 2) a mental device, to shift the mind from its logical and

external orientation; 3) a passive attitude and the adoption of a let it

happen attitude; and 4) a comfortable position so there is no undue muscle

tension. He asserted that these changes associated with the relaxation

response were the direct opposite to those physiological changes associated

with the fight-or-flight response.

After 6 months, at the end of the relaxation program, the BPs of the

treatment group were significantly lower. The subjects were asked to

continue practicing the relaxation technique and at 4 years their BPs

remained significantly lower. These patients also experienced fewer CVD

complications while maintaining a higher quality of life (Patel et al.,

1988). The techniques used in this study have also been successfully used

by general practitioners (Patel et al., 1988)

Is meditation an effective treatment for HTN? Perhaps. It is an effective

form of treatment for mild HTN, and effective as an adjunct treatment in

moderate and severe HTN. It can lower BP, reduce ones' response to stress,

improve quality of life, and may play a role in effecting positive lifestyle

behavioral changes.

Is meditation a realistic therapy? Again, perhaps. The documented

successes of both patients and practitioners in its application demonstrate

that it can be an effective and realistic therapy. The technique is simple

to learn, and easy to teach. Time and energy are required on the part of

both practitioner and patient. While meditation has problems with

compliance, compliance is also a problem with drug therapy. However,

meditation is safe, inexpensive, effective and without side effects, all of

which are concerns with drug therapy. "

on 5/3/2005 9:39 PM, Jeff Novick at jnovick@... wrote:

> The full paper is about 30 pages and I would be glad to send it to anyone, or

> just the specific section on Mediation and Hypertension or post that section

> here as I think you will find my comments on the studies interesting and

> relevant....