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04/14/2008 Transcendental meditation is an effective treatment for controlling high blood pressure with the added benefit of bypassing possible side effects and hazards of anti-hypertension drugs.
University of Kentucky researchers looked into several controlled studies of transcendental meditation being used for patients with high blood pressure. The reductions were enough to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease without drugs, says Dr. James W. Anderson, professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
The findings reinforce earlier studies that have found transcendental meditation produces a statistically significant reduction in high blood pressure that was not found with many other forms of relaxation. "Adding transcendental meditation is about equivalent to adding a second anti-hypertension agent to one's current regimen only safer and less troublesome," Anderson said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 out of 3 American adults have high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure increases one's chances of developing heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and kidney disease.
The study appeared in the March issue of the American Journal of Hypertension. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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