LIMITATIONS OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION IN THE TREATMENT OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION

The LancetPublished 1 January 1977

AlbertA. Pollack, DavidB. Case, Michaela Weber, JohnH. Laragh

DOI10.1016/s0140-6736(77)91082-0

Source URL

Citations44

SJR quartileQ1

SJR score12.11

SNIP22.72

TL;DR

It is concluded that while the general feeling of wellbeing experienced by most patients may provide a useful adjunct to conventional treatments, it is unlikely that transcendental meditation contributes directly towards the lowering of blood-pressure.

Abstract

20 hypertensive patients participating in a professionally supervised programme of transcendental meditation showed no significant change in blood-pressure after a 6-month study. Although there were small reductions in systolic blood-pressure and in pulse-rate early in the trial, these changes had disappeared by 6 months. At no time did the mean diastolic pressure fall significantly. Plasma-renin activity did not change during the study. It is concluded that while the general feeling of wellbeing experienced by most patients may provide a useful adjunct to conventional treatments, it is unlikely that transcendental meditation contributes directly towards the lowering of blood-pressure.

Keywords

PsychologyNeuroscience

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