Consciousness-Based Education - Maharishi University of ...

consciousness-based education and governmentBelow we summarize the most pertinent areas of research on theTranscendental Meditation program concerning the alleviation of healthproblems that contribute most to rising national health care expenditures.Studies on Health Care Utilization and CostsSeveral studies have shown that the Transcendental Meditation programsubstantially reduces rates of health care utilization and costs. Orme-Johnson (1987, 1988) conducted two field studies using Blue Cross/BlueShield data to compare the health care utilization rates of TranscendentalMeditation practitioners with matched control groups. In the first study,over 2000 subjects were followed over a five-year period. The TranscendentalMeditation subjects had a 50% reduction in both inpatient andoutpatient medical utilization when compared with controls matchedfor age, gender, occupation, and health insurance coverage. As Figure3 shows, for people practicing the Transcendental Meditation program,utilization was strikingly reduced in every major category of health careexamined, including heart disease, cancer, and mental health.In the second study, the medical insurance utilization of 400 individualswho practiced Transcendental Meditation and other preventionprograms of Maharishi Ayur-Veda in the midwestern United Stateswas 83% lower than the national norm. The greatest utilization decreasewas in the older subjects.In a longitudinal study, Herron (1993) expanded upon Orme-Johnson’s research by evaluating the impact of Transcendental Meditationpractice on the medical care costs of 600 French Canadians.This carefully controlled study used the Quebec government’s healthcare system’s own data. Health care utilization was compared for thethree years preceding and the three years following instruction in theTranscendental Meditation technique. The Transcendental Meditationparticipants’ expenses declined approximately 36% over three years.Older participants showed even greater reductions in their expenses—a57% decline over three years.Transcendental Meditation in the Treatment of HypertensionHypertension is a major health problem throughout the United States,and is an even greater problem among African Americans. Approximately40% of African American adults are afflicted with hypertension.372