Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine

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