National Institutes
American Medical Association Research on TM technique reported in AMA journal 
American Psychological Association Conference presentations on the TM technique 
American College of Cardiology Symposium highlights TM research | Cardiovascular Disease | 31 Mar 2008 |
| What is Cardiovascular Disease and What Are Its Risk Factors? by Dr. Schneider | |
Dr. Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.M.R., is an NIH-funded medical researcher and author of Total Heart Health: How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (Basic Health Publications, 2006). Here he answers questions on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.
Q: How dangerous is cardiovascular disease?
Dr. Schneider: Cardiovascular Disease is quite simply the #1 cause of death in the world today, according to the WHO World Health Report. In reviewing the relative causes of mortality in developed nations, including the United States, death from cardiovascular disease, which means heart attacks and strokes, accounts for as many mortalities as other causes combined. So this is a major epidemic both for men and for women today.
Q: What are the risk factors for heart attack and stroke?
Dr. Schneider: There are several major risk factors for heart attack and stroke. They include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high stress, smoking, metabolic syndrome, and alcohol overuse. And all of these can be modified to dramatically reduce heart attack and stroke, as demonstrated in research studies on the Transcendental Meditation technique.
Q: Can mortality rates be affected by the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique?
Dr. Schneider: Research on the Transcendental Meditation program has shown reductions in risk factors for diseases and reductions in disease rates. And the most recent research on the Transcendental Meditation program has shown reductions in mortality rates from all causes.
This is a study of individuals aged 55 years and older published in the American Journal of Cardiology. This long-term study followed for an average of 8 years individuals who were randomized to practice the Transcendental Meditation technique for 15-20 minutes twice a day, compared to controls practicing a variety of relaxation techniques and behavioral interventions. What this study found is that the Transcendental Meditation practitioners lived an average of 30% longer, which means they had a 30% higher survival rate, compared to controls. This is a remarkable finding, that the practice of a simple, natural, effortless mind-body technique could have this effect on increasing survival rate and increasing longevity to this magnitude.
