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Original Message

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Date: Tue, 01 Nov 2011
Subject: New WebMD Article: Health Benefits of TM Technique
From: "Peace Palace Info"
To: dr.zeiger




New article in WebMD: the Magazine
How Transcendental Meditation Can Improve Your Health

A new feature article on the health benefits of the Transcendental Meditation technique has been published in the October issue of WebMD: the Magazine.

WebMD is one of the Internet’s most visited resources for health information and health management tools. Click to read the article on WebMD.com.
www.webmd.com/balance/features/transcend...ditation-your-health
It also appears on page 30 of the print edition, which is available in many doctor’s offices, and in the new digital reader edition.

Excerpts:

By Annie Stuart
Reviewed by Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D., WebMD Mental Health Expert

“New research shows that this ancient practice can increase focus, decrease stress, and manage high blood pressure.

“Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University Medical School and author of Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation, recently completed a small study of TM’s effects on veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“‘Before our research was over, three of our clinicians had gotten TM training,’ Rosenthal says. ‘That’s how impressed they were with what they saw.’

“[TM] has you silently and effortlessly recite a mantra, a soothing sound without meaning. As a result, muscles unwind, breathing slows, and the pituitary gland releases prolactin, a hormone thought to have a calming effect, Rosenthal says.

“The health benefits? Plenty, according to more than 300 peer-reviewed articles. TM-linked brain changes help interrupt the body’s stress response, helpful for people with problems ranging from anxiety to high blood pressure (HBP) and heart disease.”

Read the complete article in the WebMD online edition:
www.webmd.com/balance/features/transcend...ditation-your-health

Collected Papers Volume 6:
Dillbeck, M.C. (2011). Scientific research on Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programme: Collected papers, Volume 6. MUM Press, USA.
In summer 2011, for the first time in many years, a new volume in the Collected Papers series is being published.
Vol. 6 has over 1000 pages and contains 94 papers authored by 115 researchers from 45 universities, research institutes, governmental organizations, or corporations in 16 countries: Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Japan, Mozambique, The Netherlands, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States.
Eighty of the papers in this volume were previously published, 69 of them in journals, 6 in conference proceedings, and 5 in books. Of the remaining 14 papers or summaries, 6 were previously presented at academic conferences, 4 were summaries of university doctoral, masters, or bachelors theses, 1 is a research report of a governmental organization, and 3 are presented in the volume for the first time.
As in previous volumes in this series, the papers have been organized into four major parts-Physiology, Psychology, Sociology, and Theoretical and Review Papers. These four parts are further divided into a total of thirteen sections. Each of the sections begins with an introduction that summarizes the papers in that section.

Vol. 6 of the Collected Paper containes 21 papers on the health benefits of Transcendental Meditation:

Part I Research Papers in Physiology
Section C Health
457 TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION, MINDFULNESS, AND LONGEVITY: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH THE ELDERLY.
Charles N. Alexander, Ph.D.; Ellen J. Langer, Ph.D.; Ronnie I. Newman, M.Ed.; Howard M. Chandler, M.S.; and John L. Davies, Ph.D.
Benefits for the Elderly Demonstrating Reversal of Ageing: Increased Longevity (Higher Survival Rate); Reduction of Systolic Blood Pressure to More Ideal Levels; Improved Mental Health (Improvements on Nurses’ Mental Health Ratings); Increased Cognitive Flexibility (Verbal Task); Increased Learning Ability (Paired Associate Learning Task); Improvements in Self-Reported Measures of Behavioural Flexibility and Ageing (Greater Ability to Cope with Inconvenience, Reduced Feelings of Being Old); Greater Sense of Well-Being (Feeling Better and More Relaxed After Transcendental Meditation; Feeling Better During Transcendental Meditation; High Interest in Transcendental Meditation; and High Ratings of the Value of Transcendental Meditation)

458 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF STRESS REDUCTION ON CARDIOVASCULAR AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY IN THE ELDERLY: RESULTS OF 8 YEAR AND 15 YEAR FOLLOW-UPS
Charles Alexander, Ph.D.; Vernon Barnes, Ph.D.; Robert Schneider, M.D.; Ellen Langer, Ph.D.; Ronnie Newman, M.Ed.; Howard Chandler, Ph.D.; John Davies, Ph.D.; and Maxwell Rainforth, M.S., M.A.
Benefits for the Elderly: Increased Longevity (Higher Survival Rate); Higher Survival Rate Among Those with Cardiovascular Mortality

459 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF STRESS REDUCTION FOR HYPERTENSION IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS
Robert H. Schneider, M.D; Frank Staggers, M.D.; Charles N. Alexander, Ph.D.; William Sheppard, Ph.D.; Maxwell Rainforth, M.S., M.A.; Kofi Kondwani, M.S.; Sandra Smith, Ph.D.; and Carolyn Gaylord King, Ph.D.
More Ideal Levels of Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Subjects: Reduction of High Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure

460 TRIAL OF STRESS REDUCTION FOR HYPERTENSION IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS: II. SEX AND RISK SUBGROUP ANALYSIS
Charles N. Alexander, Ph.D.; Robert H. Schneider, M.D.; Frank Staggers, M.D.; William Sheppard, Ph.D.; B. Mawiyah Clayborne, Ph.D.; Maxwell Rainforth, M.S., M.A.; John Salerno, Ph.D.; Kofi Kondwani, M.S.; Sandra Smith, Ph.D; Kenneth G. Walton, Ph.D.; and Brent Egan, M.D.
More Ideal Levels of Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Subjects who Learned the Transcendental Meditation Programme: Reduction of High Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure Found for both Men and Women, and both High and Low Psychosocial Stress Subjects; Reduction of High Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure Irrespective of Score on Five Other Measures of Risk for High Blood Pressure—Obesity, Alcohol Use, Physical Inactivity, Dietary Sodium-Potassium Intake, and Index of All Risk Factors Combined

461 THE EFFECT OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION ON AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY
Stig R. Wenneberg, M.S.; Robert H. Schneider, M.D.; Christopher R. K. MacLean, M.S.; Debra K. Levitsky, M.S.; Kenneth G. Walton, Ph.D.; Joseph Mandarino, Ph.D.; and Rafiq Waziri, M.D.
More Ideal Levels of Blood Pressure in Normotensive Subjects: Decreased Mean Diastolic Ambulatory Blood Pressure; Maintenance of Blood Pressure Reactivity.

462 COST-EFFECTIVE HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT: COMPARISON OF DRUG THERAPIES WITH AN ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM
Robert E. Herron, Ph.D.; Robert H. Schneider, M.D.; Joseph V. Mandarino, Ph.D.; Charles N. Alexander, Ph.D.; and Kenneth Walton, Ph.D.
Greater Cost-Effectiveness for Hypertension Management through Transcendental Meditation Programme in Comparison to Drug Therapies

463 USEFULNESS OF THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION PROGRAM IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE
John W. Zamarra, M.D.; Robert H. Schneider, M.D.; Italo Besseghini, M.D.; Donald K. Robinson, M.S.; and John W. Salerno, Ph.D.
Improved Cardiovascular Functioning in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: Improved Exercise Tolerance (Increased Exercise Duration; Increased Maximal Workload; Greater Delay of Onset of ST Depression; Greater Reduction of Rate-Pressure Product During Exercise)

464 TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION AND THREE CASES OF MIGRAINE
H. David Lovell-Smith, B.A, M.B., Ch.B.
Reduced Frequency and Severity of Migraine Headache

465 MONITORING BEHAVIOURAL STRESS CONTROL USING A CRANIOMANDIBULAR INDEX
R. M. Shaw, B.D.Sc., M.Sc.; and D. M. Dettmar, B.D.Sc.
Reduction of craniomandibular stress

466 EFFECTS OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION (TM) ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF INDUSTRIAL WORKERS
Takashi Haratani, Ph.D.; and Takemitsu Hemmi, M.D., Ph.D.
Improvements in General Physical and Mental Well-Being in Industrial Workers: Decreased Physical Complaints; Decreased Impulsive Tendency; Reduced Emotional Instability; Decreased Neurotic Tendency; Decreased Anxiety

467 EFFECTS OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION (TM) ON THE HEALTH BEHAVIOUR OF INDUSTRIAL WORKERS
Takashi Haratani, Ph.D.; and Takemitsu Hemmi, M.D., Ph.D.
Improved Sleep and Decreased Smoking in Industrial Workers: Decreased Time to Fall Asleep; Reduced Waking During the Night; Decreased Percentage of People Smoking; Fewer Cigarettes Smoked per Day

468 THE ROLE OF THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION TECHNIQUE IN PROMOTING SMOKING CESSATION: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Ann Royer, Ph.D.
Decreased Cigarette Consumption; Increased Smoking Quit Rate Over a Two-Year Period

469 THE IMPACT OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION PRACTICE ON MEDICAL EXPENDITURES
Robert E. Herron, Ph.D.
Decreased Payments for Physicians’ Services; Greatest Savings for Elderly and High Medical Cost People

470 THE IMPACT OF THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION PROGRAM ON GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS TO PHYSICIANS IN QUEBEC
Robert E. Herron, Ph.D.; Stephen L. Hillis, Ph.D.; Joseph V. Mandarino, Ph.D.; David W. Orme-Johnson, Ph.D.; and Kenneth G. Walton, Ph.D.
Decreased Payments for Physicians’ Services

Part IV Theoretical and Review Papers

A: Physiology and Health

499 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF MEDITATION: A REVIEW. A WAKEFUL HYPOMETABOLIC INTEGRATED RESPONSE
Ron Jevning, Ph.D.; R. Keith Wallace, Ph.D.; and Mark Biedebach, Ph.D.
The authors propose that practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique creates an integrated physiological response with peripheral circulatory and metabolic changes subserving increased central nervous activity, and review data from previous research on physiological changes associated with the Transcendental Meditation Programme.

500 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF HIGHER STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Robert Keith Wallace, Ph.D.
The author reviews current research on the Transcendental Meditation Programme delineating physiological correlates of the development of higher states of consciousness.

501 SERUM HORMONAL CONCENTRATIONS FOLLOWING TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION—POTENTIAL ROLE OF GAMMA AMINOBUTYRIC ACID
Alan N. Elias, M.D.; and Archie F. Wilson, M.D., Ph.D.
The authors review research on the hormonal changes associated with the Transcendental Meditation Technique and attempt to understand these changes in light of the known effects of the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) on hormonal secretion and release, proposing that one of the mechanisms by which the Transcendental Meditation Technique produces relaxation is by enhancing the effects of an endogenous neurotransmitter.

502 TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION AS A TECHNIQUE TO INCREASE NEURAL, COGNITIVE, AND BEHAVIORAL PLASTICITY
David W. Orme-Johnson, Ph.D.
The author reviews research indicating that regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique increases the flexibility of the nervous system and improves general adaptive ability.

503 A NEUROENDOCRINE MECHANISM FOR THE REDUCTION OF DRUG USE AND ADDICTIONS BY TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
Kenneth G. Walton, Ph.D.; and Debra Levitsky, M.S.
This paper outlines a model of the neurochemical and endocrine processes associated with chronic stress and their contribution to the development of drug addiction; it also reviews research on the physiological effects of Transcendental Meditation in light of this model, indicating mechanisms of how this technique creates physiological balance and thereby promotes freedom from addictive behaviours.

504 IN SEARCH OF AN OPTIMAL BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT FOR HYPERTENSION: A REVIEW AND FOCUS ON TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
Robert H. Schneider, M.D.; Charles N. Alexander, Ph.D.; and Robert Keith Wallace, Ph.D.
This paper reviews the body of research papers on the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation Programme for reduction of hypertension, focussing in detail on two controlled clinical trials showing decreased hypertension among the elderly. The authors examine the Transcendental Meditation Technique in light of requirements for an optimal behavioural treatment of hypertension.

505 THE EFFECTS OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION COMPARED TO OTHER METHODS OF RELAXATION AND MEDITATION IN REDUCING RISK FACTORS, MORBIDITY, AND MORTALITY
Charles N. Alexander, Ph.D.; Pat Robinson, Ph.D., O.T.R.; David W. Orme-Johnson, Ph.D.; Robert H. Schneider, M.D.; and Kenneth G. Walton, Ph.D.
This paper reviews four meta-analyses that show the superiority of the Transcendental Meditation Programme compared to other techniques in producing deep rest, decreasing anxiety, increasing self-actualization, and decreasing substance abuse (cigarettes, drugs, alcohol). It also reviews individual well-controlled studies on the beneficial effects of this technique on hypertension, mortality, medical care, and medical expenses, and discusses physiological mechanisms for these effects.

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Original Message

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Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2011
Subject: Fwd: New review paper on TM and Coronary Heart Disease
From: Klaus Weber

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Original-Nachricht

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Betreff: New review paper on TM and Coronary Heart Disease
Datum: Fri, 19 Aug 2011
Von: David Orme-Johnson

Dear Colleagues,

Attached is a new book chapter, just published by the American Psychological Association, which reviews the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on coronary heart disease (CHD). It has concise reviews of the effects of TM on risk factors for CHD, which include stress, anxiety, depression, blood pressure, cardiovascular reactivity, etc.

Orme-Johnson DW, Barnes VA, and Schneider RH. Transcendental Meditation for Primary and Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease. In: Allan R and Fisher J, eds. Heart & Mind: the Practice of Cardiac Psychology. Second ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2011:365-379.


All the best,
David W. Orme-Johnson, PhD
www.TruthAboutTM.com


The internet link to the book chapter is
xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/3920196/632807424/...al+With+Citation.pdf

The review paper conludes:
The evidence indicates that the Transcendental Meditation program has acute and
long-term effects on reducing chronic sympathetic tone and HPA activation and improves cardiovascular reactivity to stressors, decreases depression, anxiety and other psychosocial stress factors in both healthy and cardiac patients. For primary prevention or for patients presenting with subclinical CHD, the evidence suggests it reduces traditional risk factors such as hypertension, left
ventricular hypertrophy, and carotid atherosclerosis. Results of clinical trials indicate that the program improves functional ability in patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure, decreases cardiovascular mortality, and decreases CHD events. In conclusion, the TM technique appears to be a standardized, feasible, and clinically useful lifestyle modification program, which, along other more traditional therapeutic lifestyle changes, can be applied in medical or psychological health settings for primary and secondary prevention of CHD.


The article mentions the link
www.doctorsontm.com/national-institutes-of-health
There PDFs of full articles of NIH supported research on the Transcendental Meditation program can be found

Reduced Medical Expenses for High-Cost People

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Original Message

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Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2011
Subject: Fwd: Fwd: New Chart: TM Reduces Medical Costs
From: Klaus Weber

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Forwarded message

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From: Robert Herron
Date: Sun, Sep 4, 2011
Subject: New Chart: TM Reduces Medical Costs


Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Attached is a chart from the newly published study that may be useful in your work, with background information and abstract below. Please share this chart widely. Best wishes for continued great successes.
Jai Guru Dev,
Robert




Background for Chart

In most populations, a small fraction of people account for the majority of health care expenses. In the U.S., the highest spending 10% in the general population has incurred 60% to 70% of total medical expenditures annually.1-3 In the Medicare population, the highest spending 5% incurred 43% of total Medicare expenditures, and the highest spending 25% of seniors accounted for 85% of total expenses.(4, 5) Many of these people have consistently high costs over many years.(6, 7)

Consistent high-cost people typically have very poor health with five or more chronic conditions.(5, 7, 8) In the U.S., chronic disorders account for approximately 80% of national medical expenditures.(9) In a comparison of the effect of health risk factors on medical expenses, Anderson et al. reported: “Stress was the most costly factor, with tobacco use, overweight, and lack of exercise also being linked to substantial expenditures.”10 Chronic stress degrades several physiological systems and causes, aggravates, or contributes to a wide range of physical and mental disorders. Chronic stress also contributes to unhealthy lifestyles. Thus, interventions need to be identified to decrease the medical expenses of persistent high-cost people.

ABSTRACT

Changes in Physician Costs Among High Cost Transcendental Meditation Practitioners Compared with High Cost Non-practitioners Over 5 Years, R. E. Herron, American Journal of Health Promotion, 2011; 26(1): 56–60.


Purpose: To determine whether the Transcendental Meditation® (TM)® technique can affect the physician costs of consistent high-cost people.

Design: Quasi-experimental, longitudinal, cost-minimization evaluation. This 14-year, pre- and post-intervention study retrospectively assessed government payments to physicians for treating the TM and no-treatment (NT) groups.

Setting: Province of Quebec, Canada.

Participants: The highest spending 10% of 1,418 Quebec health insurance enrollees who practiced the TM technique were compared with the highest 10% of 1,418 subjects who were randomly selected from enrollees of the same age, sex, and region. TM participants had chosen to begin the technique prior to choosing to enter the study.

Measures: Annual payments to private physicians in all treatment settings. The Quebec government health insurance agency provided the total physician payments for each of the 2,836 subjects from 1981 to 1994. Other medical expense data for individuals were unavailable. Data were adjusted for medical cost inflation.

Analysis: For each subject, least-squares regression slopes were calculated to estimate pre- and post-intervention annual rates of change in payments. The groups' means, slopes, and medians were compared using both parametric and nonparametric tests.

Results: Before starting meditation, the yearly rate of increase in payments to physicians between groups was not significantly different. After commencing meditation, the TM group's mean payments declined $44.93 annually (p = 0.004), while the NT comparison group's payments exhibited non-significant changes. After 1 year, the TM group decreased 11%, and after 5 years their cumulative reduction was 28% (p = 0.001).

Conclusions: The results suggest the intervention may be an effective method for reducing physician costs. Randomized studies are recommended.

References:
1. Cohen SB, Rohde F. The Concentration in Health Expenditures over a Two Year Time Interval, Estimates for the U.S. Population, 2005-2006. Washington, DC: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2009.
2. Stanton MW, Rutherford MK. The High Concentration of U.S. Health Care Expenditures. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2005.
3. Berk ML, Monheit AC. The concentration of health care expenditures, revisited. Health Affairs. 2001;20(2):9–18.
4. High-Cost Medicare Beneficiaries. Washington, DC: Congressional Budget Office, The Congress of the United States; 2005.
5. Thorpe KE, Howard DH. The rise in spending among Medicare beneficiaries: The role of chronic disease prevalence and changes in treatment intensity. Health Affairs. Aug. 22 2006;25:w378–w388.
6. Coughlin TA, Long SK. Health care spending and service use among high-cost Medicaid beneficiaries, 2002-2004. Inquiry. Winter 2009-2010;46(4):405–417.
7. Herron RE. New Knowledge for New Results: A Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Skyrocketing Medical Costs. Fairfield, Iowa: 1st World Publishing; 2008.
8. Reschovsky JD, Hadley J, Saiontz-Martinez CB, Boukus ER. Following the money: Factors associated with the cost of treating high-cost Medicare beneficiaries. Health Ser Res. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2011.01242.x; 2011.
9. Hoffman C, Rice D, Sung H-Y. Persons with chronic conditions: Their prevalence and costs. JAMA. 1996;276:1473–1479.
10. Anderson DR, Whitmer RW, Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, Wasserman J, Serxner S. The relationship between modifiable health risks and group-level health care expenditures. Am J Health Promot. 2000;15(1):45–52.