A study by an Iowa researcher released Monday in the American Journal of Cardiology says there are great benefits for older people who practice transcendental meditation or “T-M”. Robert Schneider is the principal author of the study and director of the Center of Natural Medicine and Prevention the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield. He says, “What we found is that those older individuals who have learned T-M lived significantly longer than the people practicing the other control interventions. And uh, death from all causes was reduced 23-percent, and death from heart disease was reduced 30-percent. It also showed a 49-percent reduction in the rate of death from cancer. So, those are rather remarkable findings.” The study tracked people with an average age of 71 for 18 years. Schneider says the study participants did 15 to 20 minutes of T-M two times a day. He says this study backs up other research that shows T-M helps reduce blood pressure and stress related hormones.He says, “There are a wide range of integrated physiological changes uh, which could explain the present results of reductions in mortality, including psychological stress, and physiological correlates and roots of that.” Schneider says he’s heard from people worldwide about this study. He says, “What we’re finding is, you know, those physicians and scientists who’re really interested in the latest scientific discoveries are really taking this seriously.” Schneider says he expects many to question the study and the effectiveness of T-M as a treatment. He says, “Yes, there is an interest group that would rather wait until it’s too late, or who would rather do surgery, or who would rather use drugs that have a enormous range of adverse side effects and a high cost over a long period of time. You know there are people entrenched in that perspective. But, you know, I think that’s being change now with this publication and actually several hundred other publications on the effects of the T-M program on health.” Schneider says T-M provides an alternative that’s easy to use. He says there’s a seven-step course that take about an hour-and-a-half a day over six days to learn. “But after one learns the technique, then you have it for the rest of your life. You can self sufficiently help to regulate your own physiology, prevent disease and promote your own health.” Researchers from Harvard, the University of Iowa, the Medical College of Georgia and the West Oakland Health Center also collaborated on the study.
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