Transcendental Meditation Technique Lowers Health Costs
BY CHRISTINE SCHRUM
Findings from a faculty study published in the current issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion show that people who practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique are healthier and need less medical care--a dramatic finding which could save U.S. health insurance companies billions of dollars each year.
The study of Quebec citizens enrolled in the government health insurance program showed that over a six-year period those practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique reduced government payments to physicians by 13 percent each year compared to a control group. This translates into a savings of as much as $300 million per year for the province's health insurance company.
"This is a significant finding for Canada, and one that could help reduce the soaring health care costs in the U.S. as well," says Robert Herron, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate professor of health economics and policy at Maharishi University of Management. He said that a 13 percent decline in costs would translate into a $4–5 billion savings for U.S. health insurance companies.
The Quebec study involved a total of 2,836 people from the province enrolled in the government's health insurance program. Of these, 1,418 were volunteers who had been practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique for an average of six years, and 1,418 were controls of the same age, sex, and region who were randomly selected by the Regie de l'assurance-maladie du Quebec (RAMQ).
Using data provided by RAMQ, Dr. Herron and associates first established a baseline by going back 14 years and gathering information on the total amount of money paid to physicians for this group. Adjustments for inflation were made using the medical cost component of the Canadian government's Consumer Price Index (CPI). The scientists were able to determine a typical subject's rate of change in expenditure over the period using robust statistics.
Researchers found that before starting meditation, the yearly rate of increase in payments between the Transcendental Meditation group and the control group was not significant. However, after learning meditation, the Transcendental Meditation group's mean payments declined 1 to 2 percent each year, while the control group's mean payments increased up to 12 percent annually over six years. Thus, there was a mean annual difference between the two groups of about 13 percent.
Dr. Herron says over 70 percent of illnesses arise from preventable causes. "Moreover, physicians know that 80 to 90 percent of all illnesses are caused and complicated by stress. Research has shown that the Transcendental Meditation technique is a highly effective stress-reducing program."
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