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Portland Press Herald, Portland, MaineMonday, November 27,1995
A powerful case for TM By MEREDITH GOAD Staff Writer Fourteen months ago, John Thibeault, a regionalmanager at Cellular Inc, was a self described "Type A" personality.Instead of just rolling along with the trials and tribulations of life,be reacted to them so strongly his stress level skyrocketed. He ran threeto five miles a day and lifted weights, but even that didn't help relievehis tension and ongoing struggle with high blood pressure. Then he found something that changed the way heresponded to daily pressures -- and his blood pressure improved so muchthat last week his doctor took him off his medication. Thibeault and other Mainers say they have founda better way of dealing with the tensions and anxieties that permeate everydaylife and explode during the pressure-cooker holiday season. They use TranscendentalMeditation, or TM, as an antidote to seasonal stresses and strains, andas a way of improving their health and general outlook on life. TM is a meditation technique used to attain "restfulalertness" and relaxation that was brought to this country in 1959by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. More than a million people in the United Statesnow practice TM. In this month's issue of Hypertension, a medicalJournal published by the American Heart Association, a new study shows thatTM is about as effective as many medications in reducing high blood pressure. The study focused on 111 elderly black men andwomen between the ages of 55 and 85 who had mild hypertension. About a thirdof the study participants received training in TM, which involves sittingcomfortably with the eyes closed for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. Others were taught a technique for muscle relaxation.And a third group was instructed to make changes in their lifestyles, cuttingback on salt and calories and engaging in aerobic exercise. After having their blood pressure checked everyweek for three months, the people who had taken up TM showed the greatestimprovement, the researchers found. Their systolic pressure -- the uppernumber in a blood-pressure reading -- dropped an average of 10.0 points,and their diastolic number fell 5.6 points. While other studies have hinted that TM is goodfor your blood pressure, this new study "is the one that really hasbeen done the best," says Dr. Jeffrey Fuson, a family practitionerfrom Farmington who occasionally recommends TM to his patients. The results of the new study were so impressivethat the National Institutes of Health has earmarked $1.4 million for afollow-up study to see if the improvements persist. John Thibeault, 44, had tried exercise and subliminaltapes to control stress and lower his blood pressure, but nothing seemedto work very well. Then he read about TM and decided to try it. "I was a little bit skeptical, but at thepoint where I wanted to try something and was willing to go through someeffort to get results," he said. Before starting TM, a typical blood pressure readingfor Thibeault was 132/86 on medication. After practicing TM for just over a year, a typicalreading is 122/78. "These readings I've had taken over the pastyear are the lowest readings in my life," he said. Thibeault says the meditation also has changedhis lifestyle. Besides being more relaxed, he has given up caffeine, cutway back on alcohol and is leading a healthier life in general. "Mentally, I just have a much more relaxedattitude towards life," he said. "You feel very rested after meditation.One of the biggest things is I don't react to situations very strongly.You sort of realize that there's the outside world that's beyond you, thatyou can't really control and that you don't need to react to." Mary LaPrise, a 66-year-old Hollis woman who runsa horse farm, has had hypertension for about three decades. She took a course in TM in June 1994 and is nowoff her medication. Her most recent blood-pressure reading, she says, was128/72. LaPrise, like Thibeault, says her TM practice hashad unexpected side effects, making her calmer and much less likely to "flyoff the handle." "It's making me take time for myself,"she said. "I enjoy doing it simply because it's a wonderful feelingafterwards. You feel totally relaxed, and I can accomplish more now. I usedto be dead-tired all the time, dragging. I feel like I've taken my wholelife back." The results of the new study, and the stories toldby Thibeault and LaPrise, are no big surprise for people who are familiarwith TM, says Dr. Linda Kennsington-Dubocq, a Waterville family practitionerwho meditates and recommends the practice to patients. "I've had a number of patients with high bloodpressure who have been able to get off their medications completely or dramaticallyreduce the number of medications they've been taking," she said. Fuson, the physician from Farmington, said he hasn'ttaken patients off medication, but he has seen modest improvements in patients'blood pressure. A TM course costs $575 for adults and $345 forfull-time students, according to Nan White, one of the directors of theMaharishi Ayur-Veda School on Forest Avenue, where the training is offered.The cost covers introductory lectures and four days of instruction, plusregular sessions with a TM teacher who "checks" students' meditationsto make sure they are doing it properly. The fee also covers the cost of a lifetime follow-upprogram that includes admission to advanced lectures and seminars. White says 6,000 Mainers have been taught TM. "This meditation enlivens the body's own intelligence,"she said. "The main thing it does is provide a verydeep rest, which releases stress." She said one of the most common reasons for takingup TM is a concern about stress and health. Meditates before work That's what attracted Michael O'Donnell, a professorof education at the University of Southern Maine, to TM. O'Donnell, 59, was diagnosed with a rare blooddisorder called polycythemia in 1983. The condition causes the bone marrowto manufacture an unusually large number of red cells. If the illness isnot monitored, it can cause a dangerous thickening of the blood. O'Donnell's treatment consisted of having bloodremoved from his body two to three times a week. He stated exercising andmade other lifestyle changes. In early 1987, on the advice of friends, hedecided to try TM. Now he never misses his twice daily meditation,often tracking down an empty room on USM's Gorham campus so he can do itbefore teaching a class. "It is my priority," he said. "Alot of things interfere with our schedules in life, but for me meditationand exercise are two things that are right at the top of my list, almostbefore work." Since he has been meditating, O'Donnell says hismedical condition has stabilized. He now has blood taken only two to threetimes a year. Although he is not cured, he attributes his improved conditionto TM. O'Donnell also has noticed other changes in hislife, he said, "a lot of internal changes, a lot of nudging in termsof more positive behaviors. I have changed my diet. I just seem to havelost interest in (foods) that are not as good for you. "I haven't felt better in my life than I doright at this moment," he said. Reprinted with permission of the PortlandPress Herald, Portland, Maine. Scientific chart and summary of research study on the Transcendental Meditation program and hypertension (high blood pressure). Scientific chart and summary of research study on the Transcendental Meditation program and stress and anxiety. 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