Reversal of atherosclerosis with Vedic Medicine
A new study appearing in the American Journal of Cardiology shows that a
combination of approaches from Maharishi Vedic Medicine significantly
reduces atherosclerosis, the fatty buildup in arteries that contributes to
heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks.
Conducted under a grant to Dr. Robert Schneider and the Saint Joseph
Hospital in Chicago, the study involved 57 persons with an average age of 74
who learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique, took Maharishi Amrit
Kalash®, practiced certain stretching exercises (Maharishi Yoga asanas and
Surya Namaskar), and ate a healthy Ãyurvedic diet.
According to faculty member Ken Walton, who helped conduct According to
faculty member Ken Walton, who helped conduct the research, a study
published two years ago in Stroke showed that the Transcendental Meditation
program alone reduces atherosclerosis, but the current study shows an even
greater reduction when the Transcendental Meditation program is combined
with these additional modalities.
In the study, 57 seniors with an average age of 74 were randomly assigned
into three treatment groups: (1) a multimodality intervention of Maharishi
Vedic Medicine; (2) health education involving standard recommendations in
diet, exercise, and a multivitamin supplement; and (3) usual care with no
added intervention. Participants with multiple risk factors for coronary
heart disease were also classified into a "high-risk" subgroup for each
group.
Decrease in Thickness of Artery Wall
The primary measurement used in the study was carotid intima-media thickness
(IMT), a noninvasive measure of atherosclerosis that is known to correlate
with coronary heart disease and stroke. IMT of the carotid artery wall was
evaluated in subjects by standard B-mode ultrasound before and after one
year of treatment. Of the 57 participants in the study, 46 subjects
completed the IMT post-testing.
The results of this pilot study showed that IMT in the Maharishi Vedic
Medicine subjects decreased 10.6 percent for the entire group and 19.4
percent for the high-risk subgroup. Eighty percent of subjects in the entire
Maharishi Vedic Medicine group and 100 percent of subjects in the Maharishi
Vedic Medicine high-risk subgroup showed regression in atherosclerosis. A
comparison among the high-risk subgroups showed that IMT decreased
significantly more in the MVM subjects than in the health education or
usual-care subjects.
"Although the onset and progression of coronary heart disease involve
multiple risk factors, surprisingly few intervention studies have attempted
to modify these factors simultaneously," said Dr. Walton, a coauthor of the
study and Senior Fellow with the University's Center for Natural Medicine
and Prevention.
This was the first randomized, controlled study to test all of these
Maharishi Vedic Medicine components together in older people at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
According to Dr. Walton, the reduction in carotid IMT in the Maharishi Vedic
Medicine group, relative to that in the combined control groups, was also
greater than those reported in studies on conventional approaches, such as
the use of beta blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs, or the combination of
vitamins E and C.
Reduction in Risk for Heart Attack
"The decreases in atherosclerosis observed in this study are clinically
significant," said Robert Schneider, M.D., dean of the College of Maharishi
Vedic Medicine. "For those older people with a risk factor for heart
disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, or
diabetes, this would translate into a 33 percent reduction in risk for heart
attack and stroke over the long term. Even for relatively healthy older
people, this program appears to result in an eight percent decrease in risk
for cardiovascular disease. As a next step, these results will need to be
replicated in larger trials with more culturally diverse groups."
Self-Repair of Body's Mechanisms
Dr. Schneider said that when used together, these traditional approaches of
Maharishi Vedic Medicine appear to have a synergistic effect that enlivens
the body's own self-repair and homeostatic mechanisms. This results in
restoration of more healthy functioning of the cardiovascular system and
prevention of heart disease.
The study was funded by grants from the Retirement Research Foundation in
Chicago, Illinois, and from the NIH's National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. Lead author on the study was
Jeremy Fields, Ph.D., research coordinator for the Center for Healthy Aging
at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago and research professor at Maharishi
University of Management.
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