by Mary Ellen Graybill

Back in the 1970’s when Transcendental Meditation – TM was first taught in the Baltimore area, there were twelve teachers quietly telling new meditators about the benefits of the practice. There were charts on blood pressure reduction or normalization, galvanic skin response, and residence courses where a new meditator could ask questions about experiences.

Proof was in the doing. Anecdotal evidence was everywhere – people were rested, happier, peaceful, changing for the better. Old habits were falling off.

On a Tuesday in early April, 2014, in the city of Baltimore, at the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine, many people gathered in a large room to meet and learn about scientific evidence has grown to show how Transcendental Meditation, has been proven to reduce heart disease. Dr. Robert Schneider, MD, FACC presented a dazzling array of facts and made a convincing yet scholarly summary of his recently published research on meditation.

April is National Stress Awareness Month. Heart disease kills one in three Americans, and health care professionals offer a variety of stress-reduction techniques like muscle relaxation, acupuncture, and meditation. Dr. Schneider presented scientific charts and evidence based on his recently published National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trial which he led.

Results showed a 48% reduction in heart attack, stroke and death over a five-year period among heart disease patients who learned and practiced the TM technique. Blood pressure and psychological stress has been shown to be reduced by the practice.

“TM is amazing, in what it does … that, when something happens in your life that affects you, two days later it doesn’t stick with you…” says Janette, a long time meditator from Baltimore. She and Judy, meditating about 3 years were leaving the lectures with renewed fervor to be regular in meditation.

Judy says, “My problem is I don’t do it as often as I should. When I do, it has a fantastic effect! Going to meetings like this puts you on the right track!”

She adds that sleeping and staying asleep is no longer a problem.

After Dr. Schneider’s scholarly talk, compressing many years of research into a display of charts and graphs, and descriptions, there was an inspiring introductory lecture by Dr. Stuart Rothenberg, the National Director TM Health Professionals Program. Steve Corrick represented the TM Program of Baltimore located at 1120 S Robinson Street, Baltimore Maryland 21224 and answered questions from the audience. Also present was John Sorflaten from the Columbia (MD) Transcendental Meditation Center.

“Now, many doctors and scientists are recognizing that mind-body-heart research has crossed a threshold,” says Dr. Schneider. “… managing your stress is as important as a balanced diet and exercise.”

Dr. Schneider is a pioneer in the study of how the brain contributed to hypertension. He asked himself “If the brain contributes to hypertension, why can’t we use the brain to reduce hypertension?”

Furthermore, he notes “Many don’t want to take medication, and don’t want to subject themselves (to side effects) if they don’t have to. Alternative treatments including the TM technique have finally been recognized, for “the first time in the Western world and probably in the world…for people with high blood pressure,” he says.

The talk was a highlight for the audience, held rapt by the clear explanation of the studies and the soothing news that the brain has the ability to be serene, silent and peaceful, thus bringing all physiological health to stop narrowing of blood vessels, eliminate angina lower cortisol, a stress hormone, and in general all the effects of psychological distress.

Dr. Schneider was the host and the core of the study that has opened the doors to further acceptance by the media and the public. The key point, he says, is not how the brain causes the stress response, but how it can reduce it.

“Stress response is the moderating factor,” he says.

Media host, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and also the Discovery Channel’s Dr. Pamela Peeke, and many other physicians are embracing meditation to show its power in transforming health. With hundreds of other peer-reviewed studies on TM, mindfulness and other meditation practices- there is now strong scientific evidence that meditation when properly practiced may significantly contribute to preventing cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a former researcher at the NIH of Mental Health who has written a book called “Transcendence” says, “If TM were a new drug, it would be the biggest-selling, multibillion-dollar drug on the market.” No one willingly chooses “deadly medicine” anymore, says Dr. Schneider- that is, medicine with bad side effects. The door is opening to understanding more than a magic bullet cure to the mind-body.

People want a natural cure, prevention-oriented methods, and that might mean a new paradigm to think about the brain-body connection. You can read Dr. Schneider’s book “Total Heart Health”. He has published 165 Peer-reviewed scientific papers on heart disease and mind-body medicine, supported by over $25 million in grant support from NIH.

According to the American Heart Association, the Transcendental Meditation technique is the only meditation practice that has been shown to lower blood pressure.” Lower blood pressure through Transcendental Meditation practice is associated with substantially reduced rates of death, heart attack and stroke. In conclusion, alternative treatments that include the Transcendental Meditation technique are recommended for treatment plans for all individuals with blood pressure over120/80 mm Hg. The report also recognized that Transcendental Meditation is generally considered safe and without harmful side effects. The statement also noted that many of the reviewed alternative therapies, such as meditation, may provide a range of health or psychological benefits beyond Blood Pressure lowering or cardiovascular risk reduction.

For more information and to meet with a teacher, you can look up www.tm.org

If you are in the Baltimore or Columbia, Maryland area, you can contact the centers there:

Baltimore Transcendental Meditation Center at 1120 S Robinson Street, Baltimore MD 21224 Phone 410-336-2991/email: Baltimore@tm.org

And the Columbia Transcendental Meditation Center at 10844 Harmel Drive, Columbia MD 21044 Phone 641-455-1065/email: Columbia@tm.org