Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
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128 <strong>Alternative</strong> <strong>Cardiovascular</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong><br />
circulation that used dye-dilution and radioactive clearance methods<br />
yielded results that demonstrated a small but significant increase in cardiac<br />
output (15%) during TM. In perhaps the only controlled study investigating<br />
the impact of meditation on TPR, subjects in the TM group<br />
exhibited significantly decreased TPR and systolic blood pressure, compared<br />
with increases in the eyes-closed relaxation control group (43).<br />
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM DURING MEDITATION<br />
Studies of electroencephalogram (EEG) during meditation demonstrate<br />
an increase in intensity of slow alpha waves and occasional theta<br />
wave activity. Beta and delta waves either decrease or remain constant<br />
during meditation (26,27). This pattern has been very well replicated in<br />
numerous studies and has been distinguished as different from relaxation<br />
(31,45,46). In fact, one study investigated the difference between<br />
EEG activity in TM and MM and compared both with relaxation (46).<br />
These findings demonstrated significant mean amplitude frequency differences<br />
between the two meditation conditions and relaxation at all<br />
bandwidths and at numerous cortical sites, as well as significant differences<br />
between concentration and mindfulness at all bandwidths. The<br />
authors interpreted their results as indicating that TM and MM represent<br />
unique forms of consciousness and are not merely varying degrees of a<br />
state of relaxation (46).<br />
Impact of Meditation on Cardiac Disease Process<br />
and Risk Factors (Clinical)<br />
Clinical research on the health-related outcomes of meditation practice<br />
is still in its early development, and there is a need for more controlled<br />
studies (23). However, the mounting evidence discussed earlier<br />
in this chapter, which indicates that a meditation program can result in<br />
the sustained lowering of BP, heart rate, cardiac output, and TPR in<br />
nonclinical samples (8,9,27,28,39,42,43), suggests the need for further<br />
clinical research .<br />
Schneider and colleagues conducted one of the more rigorous clinical<br />
studies on health-related outcome (47). This randomized, controlled,<br />
single-blind trial, with 3-mo follow-up, tested the efficacy of two stresseducation<br />
approaches to the treatment of mild hypertension in older<br />
African Americans. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three<br />
study groups: the TM program, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), or<br />
a lifestyle modification education control (EC) program. TM significantly<br />
reduced both systolic and diastolic pressures, as did PMR. However,<br />
the reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures were<br />
significantly greater in the TM group than in the PMR group. TM was<br />
approximately twice as effective as PMR in reducing blood pressure.