Positive Health Online

Abstract

SCHNEIDER and co-workers, Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, rschneider@mum.edu, have evaluated the long-term effects of stress reduction in people with high blood pressure.

Background

Psychosocial stress contributes to high blood pressure and subsequent cardiovascular illness and death. Previous controlled studies have associated decreasing stress with a Transcendental Meditation (TM) programme with lower blood pressure. The aim of this study was to evaluate, over the long term, mortality in older subjects with high blood pressure.

Methodology

Patient data were pooled from 2 published randomized controlled trials that compared TM, other behavioural interventions, and standard therapy for high blood pressure. There were 202 subjects with average baseline blood pressures in the prehypertensive or stage I hypertension range. Follow-up of vital status and cause of death over a maximum of 18.8 years was determined from the National Death Index. Survival analysis was used to compare mortality rates. Mean follow-up was 7.6 +/- 3.5 years.

Results

Compared with combined controls, the TM group showed a 23% decrease in all-cause mortality after maximum follow-up (relative risk 0.77, p = 0.039). Secondary analyses showed a 30% decrease in the rate of cardiovascular mortality (relative risk 0.70, p = 0.045) and a 49% decrease in the rate of mortality due to cancer (relative risk 0.49, p = 0.16) in the TM group compared with combined controls.

Conclusion

These results suggest that a stress reduction intervention such as TM can reduce the risk of death from the sequelae of high blood pressure.

References

Schneider RH, Alexander CN, Staggers F, Rainforth M, Salerno JW, Hartz A, Arndt S, Barnes VA, Nidich SI. Long-term effects of stress reduction on mortality in persons > or = 55 years of age with systemic hypertension.. American Journal of Cardiology 95 (9): 1060-1064, May 1, 2005.

Comment

This is an important result, a 23% decrease in all-cause mortality and a 30% reduced risk from cardiovascular death in individuals with high blood pressure who performed Transcendental Meditation™.