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A study, published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, found that Amrit Kalash was an effective antioxidant and may be useful in the treatment of atherosclerosis. The study involved 10 hyperlipidemic patients over an 18-week period.<ref>{{harvnb|Sundaram|Hanna|Lubow|Koneru|1997}}</ref>
A study, published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, found that Amrit Kalash was an effective antioxidant and may be useful in the treatment of atherosclerosis. The study involved 10 hyperlipidemic patients over an 18-week period.<ref>{{harvnb|Sundaram|Hanna|Lubow|Koneru|1997}}</ref>

At the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center a study published in 'Nutrition and Cancer' suggests that murine and human [[melanoma]] cells respond differently to MAK-5 and MAK-4 and that human melanoma growth-inhibiting agents are present in both compounds.<ref>Nutrition and Cancer 1993; 20(1):79-86</ref>


A double blind, randomized study of 48 subjects published in the International Journal of Psychosomatics found that Maharishi Amrit Kalash improved performance on an age-related visual task. The treatment group showed significantly more improvement after periods of three and six weeks than the placebo group. The study, by researchers at the Maharishi International University, concluded that this herbal formula may enhance attentional capacity or alertness, thereby reversing some of the detrimental cognitive effects of aging.<ref>{{harvnb|Gelderloos|Ahlström|Orme-Johnson|Robinson|1990}}</ref>
A double blind, randomized study of 48 subjects published in the International Journal of Psychosomatics found that Maharishi Amrit Kalash improved performance on an age-related visual task. The treatment group showed significantly more improvement after periods of three and six weeks than the placebo group. The study, by researchers at the Maharishi International University, concluded that this herbal formula may enhance attentional capacity or alertness, thereby reversing some of the detrimental cognitive effects of aging.<ref>{{harvnb|Gelderloos|Ahlström|Orme-Johnson|Robinson|1990}}</ref>

Revision as of 20:23, 27 November 2009

Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (MVAH) (also known as Maharishi Ayurveda[1][2] and Maharishi Vedic Medicine[3]) was founded internationally in the mid 1980s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health is considered an alternative medicine and aims at being a complementary system to modern western medicine.[4] Maharishi Ayur Veda emerges from and consistently reflects the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.[5] Maharishi Ayur Veda presents itself as representing the entirety of the Ayurvedic tradition.[6]

MVAH is based on Ayurveda, a system of traditional medicine from ancient India. It aims to restore balance in the physiology, eliminate toxins and impurities, and awaken the body's natural healing mechanisms, according to Nancy Lonsdorf, Medical Director of The Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Vedic City, Iowa.[7] Entities within the Transcendental Meditation movement, such as Maharishi Ayurveda Products International and various health centers, offer a variety of products and services related to the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health, including therapies and herbal supplements.[citation needed]

An article in 1991 in the Journal of the American Medical Association alleged that promoters of MVAH have failed to disclose financial incentives received when they submitted a letter for publication and alleged that marketing practices were misleading. According to a 2008 Journal of the American Medical Association study, two of 19 Maharishi Ayurveda products that were tested contained detectable lead. In Britain in 1991, two doctors were charged with "Serious Professional Misconduct" for using MVAH in the treatment of HIV.

Principles

According to Robert Schneider and Jeremy Z. Fields, researchers at Maharishi University of Management,[8][9] MVAH is the Maharishi's attempt to revive the ancient Vedic system of health care.[10] The authors explain that Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health uses 40 approaches, each one based on one of the 40 branches of Vedic literature. According to MVAH, each of these 40 branches of Vedic literature has a direct correlation to various aspects of the human physiology.[11] These 40 approaches are further reduced to three areas of practical application: mind, body, and environment.[12]

According to Hari Sharma, Maharishi Ayur-Veda represents a restoration of the wholistic perspective of the original texts of Ayurveda found in the Vedas to the modern practice of Ayurveda.[13] The Vedas attributed most disease and bad luck to demons, devils, and the influences of the stars and planets.[14][15] Maharishi Ayur Veda emerges from and consistently reflects Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.[16] Maharishi Ayur Veda represents itself as representing the entirety of the Ayurvedic tradition.[17] As with traditional Ayurveda, Maharishi Ayur Veda describes material creation according to panchamahabhutas theory, in which the five elements of earth, air, fire, water and ether combine to form three doshas: vatta, pitta and kapha.[18] The theory of both traditional and Maharishi Ayurveda is that the body's function is governed by the three doshas, which designate body types and the physical and mental traits they typify. An individual's dosha contains various combinations of vatta, pitta and kapha, which can vary with the seasons and time of day. Disease symptoms are attributed to imbalances in ones dosha, which can be detected through pulse diagnosis or a questionnaire. Balance is achieved through a variety of products and procedures, many of which are specific to one's dosha.[15][19] Maharishi Ayur-Veda does not stray from these traditional common interpretations of dosha.[20] Francis Zimmerman states that the practices of Maharishi Ayur-Veda are authentic, but that they are biased toward gentleness, avoiding treatments he characterizes as "violent", and involving an ideological confusion of Ayurvedic categories.[21] Decisions on what traditional Ayurvedic practices and products Maharishi Ayur-Veda would offer to the American public, and which to drop, were made by consulting outside marketing experts.[22] The principal difference between Maharishi Ayur-Veda and traditional Ayurveda is the emphasis on the role of consciousness and the use of Transcendental Meditation, as well as the highlighting of the need to express positive emotions and attuning ones life to the natural rhythms of the body.[23][13]

Maharishi Ayur Veda also holds that perfect health is a state present within every person, that can be chosen by the individual, and that the physical body is a portal to a "quantum mechanical body" that exists at the subatomic level where matter and energy are one, and that every organ and process in the body has a quantum equivalent.[24] Tony Nader, called Maharajadhiraj Raja Ram, who is the Soverign Ruler of the Global Country of World Peace, identifies this concept of "quantum healing" with the Maharishi's theories of Vedic Science.[25]

Components

Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health involves reconnecting physiological functioning with the body's inner intelligence by reducing and eliminating impurities and imbalances, which are said to be the cause of disease.[citation needed] In Alternative Medicine and Ethics, Stephen Barrett writes,

The full range of the Maharishi Ayur-Veda program 'for creating healthy individuals and a disease free society' has 20 components: development of higher states of consciousness through advanced meditation techniques, use of primordial sounds, correction of the "mistake of the intellect', strengthening of the emotions, Vedic structuring of language, music therapy, enlivening of the senses, pulse diagnosis, psychophysiological integration, neuromuscular integration, neurorespiratory integration, purification (to remove 'impurities due to faulty diet or behavioral patterns'), dietary measures, herbal food supplements, other herbal preparations, daily behavioral routines, prediction of future imbalances , religious ceremonies, nourishing the environment and promoting world health and peace. Most of these cost several hundred dollars but some cost thousands and require the service of an Ayurvedic practitioner.[15]

According to Andrew Weil, in India Ayurveda is an inexpensive alternative to allopathic medicine available to all people, while Maharishi Ayurveda is expensive.[26] A traditional Vaidya treats patients individually, diagnosing them and then individually preparing or instructing the patient how to prepare treatments for the entire complexity of their individual symptoms, whereas Maharishi Ayur-Veda takes a mass-market approach.[27] While TM and other relaxation techniques may temporarily relieve stress, the balance of these claims have no scientific basis.[15]

Transcendental Meditation

Main article: Transcendental Meditation

The Transcendental Meditation technique is the main modality for improving mental health and promoting collective health in MVAH.[28][29] Studies have suggested a positive correlation between the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique and various health-related behaviors and physiological parameters[30] including decreased cigarette smoking,[31] decreased alcohol use,[31] decreased anxiety,[32] decreased insomnia,[33] reduction of high cholesterol,[34] improvement in lung function for patients with asthma,[35] and an effect the researchers termed "younger biological age".[36] Reduced illness and medical expenditures[37] and decreased outpatient visits have also been observed in TM practitioners.[37] It may also have an effect on a variety of disorders, including ADHD, pain, diabetes, and congestive heart failure.[38][39][40] The National Institutes of Health, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the National Center for Research Resources have funded research on the Transcendental Meditation program.[30] Further research is on-going and researchers have been particularly interested in its potential usefulness in treating heart disease and hypertension, especially among African-Americans, and in promoting longevity.[41] Proponents of Transcendental Meditation and Maharishi Ayur-Veda claim that stress is the basis for all illness, and that TM is the most effective technique for improving all aspects of health.[15]

Positive thoughts

Deepak Chopra, founding president of Maharishi Ayur-Veda Products International, Inc (MAPI), the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine and former medical director of the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Center for Stress Management and Behavioral Medicine, has stated that "If you have happy thoughts, then you make happy molecules. On the other hand, if you have sad thoughts, and angry thoughts, and hostile thoughts, then you make those molecules which may depress the immune system and make you more susceptible to disease."[15]

Pulse diagnosis

The MVAH practitioner uses pulse diagnosis (also known in Sanskrit as "nadi vigyan")[42][43] to determine the levels of imbalance and impurities in the patient and offer recommendations related to herbal preparations,[44] diet, daily and seasonal routines, exercise, and physiological purification.[7][45] Procedures that strengthen digestion and proper nutrient absorption are also given importance.[10] Proponents claim that the pulse can be used to detect “imbalances at early stages when there may be no other clinical signs and when mild forms of intervention may suffice”.[15][43] It is thought that herbal remedies, dietary adjustments and changes in routine initiated at this stage can prevent imbalances from developing into disease. Chopra and Sharma said in their JAMA article that pulse diagnosis can diagnose a variety of diseases, including those unrelated to the cardiovascular system, including asthma, cancer, and diabetes.[46] The JAMA article says that National Council Against Health Fraud President William Jarvis describes pulse diagnosis as a variety of palm reading and that Chopra refused to have pulse diagnosis tested by JAMA in a blinded protocol "on the grounds that a blinded experiment would 'eliminate the most crucial component of the experiment, which is consciousness.'"[47]

Architecture

MVAH also considers the patient's environment. Maharishi Sthapatya Veda,[48] a system of Vedic architecture, is the main modality for improving the immediate environment.

Maharishi Vedic Astrology

Maharishi Vedic Astrology (also known as Maharishi Jyotish)[49][50] is said to address planetary influences on individual health.[50] The Maharishi explained that Maharishi Jyotish is an aspect of Maharishi Ayurveda that is premised on the ability to precisely calculate mathematically the unfolding pattern of life, and to locate the trends and tendencies of an individual life within that pattern, making it possible to determine in advance whether a difficult period was coming, and to take action in the present to amend a future difficulty. [51] According Maharishi Jyotish, the solar system has an influence on the human brain, cells and DNA.[52] According to the Maharishi and Nader, there is a correspondence between the nine Grahas of Vedic Astrology and the structure of DNA: the Sun to the hydrogen bonds that form the central axis of the DNA strand; Jupiter to guanine; Saturn to adenine; Mars to cytosine; Venus to thymine; Mercury to sugar; the Moon to phosphate; and the Ascending and Descending Lunar Nodes to enzymes. They claim a similar correspondence between the Grahas and components of the brain: the Sun to the thalmus; the Moon to the hypothalmus; Mars to the amygdala; Mercury to the subthalmus; Jupiter to the globus pallidus; Venus to the substantia nigra; Saturn to the putamen; and the lunar nodes to the nucleus caudatus head and tail respectively. They also write that there is a correspondence in the structure of the cell: the Sun to the nucleus; the Moon to cytosol; Mars to mitochondria; Mercury to cell membranes; Jupiter to the golgi apparatus; Saturn to the lysomi; Venus to the endoplastic reticulum; Ascending lunar node to the endosome; and descending lunar node to the pores. With respect to the nervous system, Maharishi Vedic Astrology associates the Grahas with the basal ganglia, thalmus and hypothalmus; the 12 Bhavas (astrological houses) with cortical areas; the 12 Rashis (zodiac signs) with the cranial nerves; and the 27 Nakshatras (lunar mansions) with groups of the brainstem.[53]

Correction of imbalances discovered through Maharishi Jyotish is possible, the Maharishi claimed, through the performance of "Yagyas" by Vedic Pandits in India, ceremonies designed to restore the balance between the individual and the environment.[54] MVAH holds that the patient need not witness or be present for the Yagya, or even for the Yagya to be conducted nearby the patient. It is claimed that, by chanting verses from Vedic literature, the sounds affect the unified field to neutralize negative patterns and reinforce positive patterns.[55] According to Maharishi Jyotish, Maharishi Yagya performances are Vedic engineering technologies to avert and dissolve negativity, and through which perfection of life can be created.[56] A Vedic Calendar, which establishes the most auspicious days for the performance of Yagyas, is published on the Official TM Movement web sites. For example, Yagyas performed on Maha Shivaratri, the Day of Shiva, are claimed to enliven spiritual and material aspects of one's consciousness, and to promote progress in all areas of life; Yagyas performed on Maha Lakshmi are claimed to bring prosperity, growth and good fortune; and, Yagyas performed on Akshaya Tritiya are claimed to enhance lasting success in one's activities.[57][58]

Andrew Skolnick describes Maharishi Yagyas as Hindu ceremonies to appease the gods and beseech their help on behalf of afflicted followers that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and which the patient neither takes part in nor witnesses. He wrote that, while Chopra and Nancy Lonsdorf, medical director of the Maharishi Ayur-Veda Center in Washington D.C. denied that they prescribed Yagyas or that Yagyas were part of Maharishi Ayur-Veda, Chopra's Lancaster Center did in fact recommend Yagyas for its patients, and a TM-Movement fundraising letter states that Lonsdorf prescribed an $11,500 Yagya for a seriously-ill patient of hers.[59]

Maharishi Jyotish is also used to prescribe Jyotish Gems and Maharishi Light Therapy.

Maharishi Ayurveda Products

The Maharishi and his followers, working with Vedic and Western scholars, have developed, marketed, and researched a variety of botanical preparations that are based on restored ancient Ayurvedic recipes. Maharishi Ayurvedic herbal products are manufactured and sold by many companies, including: Maharishi Ayurveda Products Pvt. Ltd. (MAPPL) of New Delhi, India, Maharishi Ayurveda Products International (MAPI) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Maharishi Ayurveda Products Europe B.V., the Netherlands.[60][61] Maharishi Ayurveda products and services are also sold through contacts in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zeland, Norway, Paraguay, Phillipines, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.[62]

Maharishi Amrit Kalash

The original Maharishi Ayurveda product is Maharishi Amrit Kalash (MAK), a two-part herbal formula referred to in many research studies as MAK-4 and MAK-5. MAPI says that it is prepared according to an ancient recipe that includes over two dozen fruits and herbs such as amla, haritaki, turmeric, and long pepper,[63] the exact contents of which MAPI refuses to disclose.[64] MAK is available only from MAPI, which calls it a "'broad-spectrum' super-antioxidant formula".[61] Chopra recommended that everyone take MAK twice daily as a cure-all/prevent-all, claiming that MAV is far more cost-effective than conventional medicine. Skolnick observed that the cost of MAK alone was $1000 per year as of 1991, equal to 40% of the average per-capita expenditure on all health care in the United States in 1989.[59]

There have been more than twenty research studies conducted with Maharishi Amrit Kalash. These studies appeared in the following scientific journals: the Indian Journal of Clinical Practice,[65] the Biochemical Archives,[66] Complementary Medicine International,[67] The American Journal of the Medical Sciences,[68] the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine,[69] Pharmacological Research,[70] Indian Journal of Experimental Biology[71] and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.[72] Other research has been presented at the Scientific Conference on Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Proliferation and the American Heart Association, Joint Meeting of the International Union of Biochemists.[citation needed]

At Ohio State University MAK-4 and MAK-5 were studied individually and together and were shown to be "highly effective against breast cancer" according to Christine Horner in her book, Waking the Warrior Goddess. Horner, who sells Ayurvedic remedies on her website, but not Maharishi Amrit Kalash or any Maharishi Ayurveda products,[73] goes on to say that MAK is "an effective anti-aging supplement" and "alleviates the horrendous side effects of chemotherapy".[74]

A study, published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, found that Amrit Kalash was an effective antioxidant and may be useful in the treatment of atherosclerosis. The study involved 10 hyperlipidemic patients over an 18-week period.[75]

At the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center a study published in 'Nutrition and Cancer' suggests that murine and human melanoma cells respond differently to MAK-5 and MAK-4 and that human melanoma growth-inhibiting agents are present in both compounds.[76]

A double blind, randomized study of 48 subjects published in the International Journal of Psychosomatics found that Maharishi Amrit Kalash improved performance on an age-related visual task. The treatment group showed significantly more improvement after periods of three and six weeks than the placebo group. The study, by researchers at the Maharishi International University, concluded that this herbal formula may enhance attentional capacity or alertness, thereby reversing some of the detrimental cognitive effects of aging.[77]

Two studies by Hari Sharma suggesting positive effects of Maharishi Amrit Kalash on platelet aggregation in a test tube were criticized in a 1991 article by Mount Sinai Medical Center professor Victor Herbert as having "no relation to human disease", that there is no way of knowing how much of MAV products are actually absorbed, and that the compounds in MAV products, once transformed in the gut, may be harmful to humans.[64]

Other

In 1996 a study conducted at Ohio State University, College of Medicine examined the herbal mixture, MA-471, developed by Maharishi Ayurveda Products Ltd. (Noida, India). It was evaluated for its efficacy and safety in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). According to the study, MA-471 resulted in a fall in serum total cholesterol and triglycerides, and resulted in improvement in polyuria, fatigue, and constipation. This pilot study showed the herbal mixture MA-471 to have hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties with NIDDM patients. MA-471 appeared to be more effective in patients who had diabetes of less than five years duration. [78]

In this 1996 pilot study, a clinical trial was conducted in which patients were divided into three groups: Group A (15 cases) were patients who had never taken an anti-diabetic drug and were uncontrolled by diet and exercise; Group B (30 cases) were patients controlled by an oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA); and Group C (15 cases) were patients uncontrolled by the maximum dose of an OHA. All patients were started on MA-471 tablets after initial evaluation and blood collection, and were called for follow-up every two weeks for blood collection and observation of the improvement or deterioration of various symptoms. The mean fasting and postprandial blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1C showed a significant decrease from the initial values in all three groups of patients. “Good” and “acceptable” control was achieved in 68.3% of the patients.[79]

Professional training

Maharishi Ayur-Veda Association of America

Courses to train physicians, nurses and health professionals in the principles and practices of Maharishi Ayurveda are offered by the Maharishi Ayur-Veda Association of America (MAAA) in various locations in the USA. These courses include Continuing Medical Education credit. The faculty and curriculum committee of the MAAA include: Stuart Rothenberg, Robert Schneider, Walter Moelk, Nancy Lonsdorf, Richard Averbach, Gary Kaplan, and Vaidya Manohar Palakurthi.[80]

Maharishi College of Perfect Health

Courses in Maharishi Ayur-Veda for health professionals are also conducted at the Maharishi College of Perfect Health, International Maharishi Ayur-Veda Training Centre in Vlodrop, the Netherlands. These courses include: post graduate training, Maharishi Aroma Therapy, Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems, Maharishi Ayur-Veda Health Educator, Vedic Mind-Body program and Presentation of Medical Research.[81] The faculty includes Rainer Picha, Walter Mölk, Robert Keith Wallace, Roswitha Margarete Geelvink-Tradel, and Bob Apon.[82]

Services

Spas and health centers

The Transcendental Meditation movement operates dozens of spas and health centers around the world. They offer a series of purification therapies known as Maharishi Panchakarma.[83][84] One of these purification therapies is "abhyanga", the Sanskrit word for a highly regimented oil massage. Preliminary research suggests that these Maharishi Panchakarma therapies, when used in concert with one another, may be effective in reducing cholesterol, reducing fat soluble toxins and creating an improved sense of well being.[85][86][87][88][89][90]

Jyotish Gems and Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems

A TM-Movement company called Jyotish Gems sells gemstones prescribed by Maharishi Jyotish astrologers to ward off the effects of bad influences in one's horoscope.[91] Nader states that various gemstones correspond to the planets of Maharisi Jyotish, and also correspond to parts of the body.[92]

The Maharishi described Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems (MLG) as a Vedic technology, according to Rainer Picha, Minister of Health for the Global Country of World Peace. Training in the therapeutic use of gemstones is conducted at the Maharishi European Research University in Holland. Picha says that MLG "approach is absolutely harmless. There is nothing invasive about it. It is pure cosmic light that enters the physiology, bringing order and helping in every way. Order in the physiology basically means health, and health is promoted through this approach."[93]

Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology

Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology (MVVT) is performed by an MVVT Vedic expert who whispers within themselves some specific traditional Vedic sounds that have been chosen to address the health concerns of that individual, and then administers the sound vibrations by blowing on the affected area of the body.[94][95] A website for the Maharishi Medical Centers says that MVVT offers "relief from a wide range of chronic health problems",[96] including athlete's foot, baldness, HIV, and cancer of the blood.[97]

A double-blinded randomized controlled trial involving 167 subjects found that the Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology was effective in reducing pain and stiffness in arthritic subjects. Those in the treatment group also had improved range of motion. One hundred percent relief of symptoms was the most commonly reported category of improvement due to treatment. Overall, the results were highly significant. Analysis of subcategories found significant results for the treatment of peripheral arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.[98]

An uncontrolled study of the Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology involving 213 subjects found that after three sessions the average self-reported improvement in chronic illness was 40.97 percent. The conditions that were treated included neck pain, which improved the most, respiratory ailments, digestive problems, mental health (including anxiety and depression), back pain, headaches, cardiovascular conditions, and eye problems. Findings also showed significant reductions in frequency of discomfort or pain, in intensity of pain, and in the disturbing effects of the pain in daily activity.[99]

Other sound therapies

MVAH also utilizes two other kinds of sound therapy:

  • Listening to Vedic Literature recited in Sanskrit from a specific branch of the Vedic Literature that corresponds to the appropriate area of the body as determined by a MVAH expert.[100]
  • Listening to a form of classical Indian music called Maharishi Gandharva Veda that are purported to integrate and harmonize the cycles and rhythms of the body.[94][101][102] Maharishi Gandaharva Veda is described in the TM Movement as the science of sound, focusing on finding the healing properties of sounds. It is claimed that the melodies date from the Vedic period, and that particular melodies or ragas express the qualities of specific periods of day or night, divided into eight three-hour periods.[103] Gandharva Veda is North Indian classical music, that has Islamic rather than Vedic roots, something ignored by the Maharishi and the TM Movement.[104]

Compact discs of the music are published by the Maharishi University of Management Press.[105] Research by David Orme-Johnson, a former professor at Maharishi International University, and David K. Wallace, the founding president of the university, indicates that listening to Maharishi Gandharva Veda music produces brain waves that correlate with relaxation and the experience of bliss.[106]

Multimodal treatments

A study published in 2002 in the American Journal of Cardiology found that a multimodal approach of Maharishi Vedic Medicine can be a treatment for carotid atherosclerosis in older subjects. The randomized controlled trial involving 57 subjects found that subjects in the research group had reduced thickness of the carotid artery after one year of treatment. The treatment consisted of practicing Transcendental Meditation, taking the Maharishi Amrit Kalash herbal formula, practicing Maharishi Yoga asanas and Surya Namaskar, and eating an ayurvedic diet.[107]

Controversies

Chalmers and Davis

In October 1991, the Professional Conduct Committee of the British General Medical Council found Roger Chalmers, Dean of Medicine of the unrecognized Maharishi University of Natural Law, Mentmore and Leslie Davis, Dean of Physiology at that institution, guilty of "Serious Professional Misconduct" in connection with their use of Maharishi Ayur-Veda for the treatment of AIDS and HIV, and ordered them erased from the Register. The Committee found, among other things, that there were no proper and approved clinical trials for the treatments, there was inadequate scientific evidence to support the treatments, that they were prescribing and that they had made false and misleading statements on the value of MAV in the treatment of HIV and AIDs and about the TM-affiliated "World Medical Association for Perfect Health". Independent tests of the pills prescribed by Chambers and Davis showed that they had, at best, a negligible effect on the HIV virus, but were 100,000 times more toxic than AZT. Separate warnings were issued on side-effects of both Transcendental Medication and the Maharishi Ayurvedic diet, and by the British Dietetic Association on the potential dangers of the Maharishi Ayurvedic diet to AIDS patients.[108][109][110][47][111] MAV became the subject of the GMC trial because it had been marketing its treatments specifically to one of the most vulnerable and controversial groups in the late 1980s: HIV-positive homosexuals.[112]

Sharma and Chopra

In 1991, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article on the benefits of Maharishi Ayur-Veda titled Letter from New Delhi: Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Modern Insights into Ancient Medicine, authored by Hari Sharma, of the Ohio State University College of Medicine, Brihaspati Dev Triguna, of the All India Ayur-Veda Congress, and Deepak Chopra, of the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine.[46]

A subsequent article in JAMA alleged that the authors of the first article had not disclosed their financial ties with organizations that sell the products and services about which they wrote. The article also investigated the marketing practices surrounding Ayur-Veda products and services.[47] It was alleged that the media had been intentionally deceived for financial gain.[47] It also challenged the Sharma et al. claim that Maharishi Ayur-Veda was more cost effective than standard medical care.[47] Additionally, the article reported that in the late 1980s, herbal researcher Tony Nader, at the time a Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had been criticized for misrepresenting his research promoting Maharishi Ayurveda Products International (MAPI) herbal products as being sponsored by MIT and Harvard.[47] The article reported that Nader and David Orme-Johnson were criticized by the organizers of the Annual Meeting of the Society for Economic Botany, which was held at the University of Illinois in Chicago in June 1987. According to the organizers, Nader and Orme-Johnson submitted research abstracts for the conference, but the presentation that they made had little to do with the abstracts, but instead was a promotion for the herbal remedies of MAPI and for Transcendental Meditation.[47] The JAMA article quotes a former TM teacher and chair of the TM center in Washington, D.C., as saying that he had been told to deceive the media.[47][113]

A letter to the editor by Chopra and Sharma was published in JAMA in October, 1991. Chopra and Sharma wrote that many of the criticisms they had received in letters to the editor were inflammatory and had depended heavily on emotional and unfounded charges, without sound scientific backing and few references. They went on to say that the criticisms were directed largely at the TM organization, rather than to the approaches of Maharishi Ayur-Veda.[46] Andrew Skolnick, in letter to the editor of JAMA, says Chopra and Sharma did not deny and made no apology that they had concealed from JAMA their financial ties to organizations selling and marketing the products and services about which they had written.[114]

Flint

In 1994, Jonie Flint sued Chopra, the Maharishi Ayur-Veda Health Center in Palo Alto California and Brihaspati Dev Triguna over her husband David's death from leukemia. Two months following a visit to the center at which a primordial sound treatment was prescribed by Chopra, Triguna declared Flint cured of leukemia. Flint followed other Maharishi Ayur-Veda treatements at Triguna's directions over a period of nine months, at a cost of more than $10,000, but died of leukemia. Flint was assisted in filing her lawsuit by the National Council Against Health Fraud.[115] Chopra's attorneys said that the suit against him would be dismissed before trial. They said that David Flint was desperate and that Chopra saw him for 45 minutes for spiritual counsel and gave him a primordial sound technique. They also said that Flint signed a form saying that he understood that sound therapy wasn't a substitute for conventional therapies. The form Flint signed also absolved Chopra and his organization of responsibility in the event the treatment was unsuccessful.[citation needed]

Heavy metals

According to a 2008 study by Robert B. Saper, published in JAMA,[116] one-fifth of the US-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contained detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic.[117] Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association said that eliminating every trace of arsenic, mercury or lead from products would require "an entirely new food supply".[116] According to McGuffin the government and professional agencies set widely different safety standards for lead, mercury and arsenic and that while most of the products in Saper's article have lead levels that exceed California's standard, only two violate the World Health Organization's standard.[118]

More than 213 products were included in the study. Two Maharishi Ayurveda Products International Inc. USA (MAPI) products, "Vital Lady" and "Worry Free" were found to have detectable levels of lead, and seventeen other MAPI products tested had no detectable levels of lead, mercury, or arsenic.[116][118] Ted Wallace, president of MAPI, stated that the company tests its products before and after shipment from India to the US, and that its products are examined for purity, heavy metals, residual pesticides, and biological contaminants.[118]

In 2008, a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court against Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation ("MVED"), Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation and Maharishi Ayurveda Products Ltd. ("MAP Ltd"). The Plaintiff claims that she contracted lead poisoning from Garbhapal Ras, an herbal product she purchased in India. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, Garbhapal Ras contained nearly 3% lead. The product was manufactured by MAP Ltd. in India, and prescribed for her by a physician at the Maharishi Ayurveda Arogyadham clinic in Delhi.[117][119] A spokesperson said that MVED is not involved in the manufacturing, prescribing, or sale of products from the Indian clinic where the product was prescribed and purchased. The spokesperson said that products sold in the U.S. are subject to inspection, testing, and quality control.[119]

David Whitley, Director of Ayurveda Limited in the United Kingdom, writes that the Maharishi Ayurveda Council of Vaidyas approves of the use of arsenic, lead, and mercury under the supervision of trained and certified vaidyas, in accordance with ancient Ayurvedic texts. Whitley writes that the benefits of heavy metals are increased and the side effects are minimized when used properly. Whitley acknowledges that these compounds would be required to be licensed as medicines in the UK, but are unlicensed and thus cannot be sold there.[120]

Trademarks

Maharishi Ayur-Veda, Maharishi Ayurveda, Maharishi University of Management, Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health, Maharishi Vedic Astrology, Maharishi Vedic Medicine, Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology, and Transcendental Meditation are trademarks licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation.[121]

Notes

  1. ^ Wallace 1993, pp. 64–66
  2. ^ Sharma & Clark 1998
  3. ^ Reddy & Egenes 2002
  4. ^ Sharma & Clark 1998, Preface
  5. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 309
  6. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 326
  7. ^ a b Lonsdorf
  8. ^ Schneider & Fields 2006, p. 261
  9. ^ Fields
  10. ^ a b Schneider & Fields 2006, p. 5
  11. ^ Nader 2000
  12. ^ Schneider & Fields 2006, p. 64
  13. ^ a b Sharma 1995
  14. ^ Zysk 1998, pp. 8–9
  15. ^ a b c d e f g Barrett 1998, pp. 11–13
  16. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 309
  17. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 326
  18. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 292
  19. ^ O'Connell & Alexander 1995, p. 345
  20. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. p 318
  21. ^ Leslie & Young 1992, p. 213
  22. ^ Pettus, p 30
  23. ^ "Ayurveda" Complementary and Alternative Medicine Index University of Maryland Medical Center
  24. ^ Baer 2004, pp. 124–125
  25. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 326
  26. ^ Weil 2000, p. 296
  27. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 232
  28. ^ Sharma & Clark 1998, pp. 147–149
  29. ^ Orme-Johnson & Alexander 1988
  30. ^ a b Paul-Labrador 2007
  31. ^ a b Walton & Levitsky 1994
  32. ^ Eppley, Abrams & Shear 1989
  33. ^ Journal of Counseling and Development 64: 212–215, 1985
  34. ^ Cooper & Aygen 1979
  35. ^ Wilson et al. 1975
  36. ^ Wallace et al. 1982
  37. ^ a b Orme-Johnson & Herron 1997
  38. ^ Anonymous 2006 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFAnonymous2006 (help)
  39. ^ Hitti 2006
  40. ^ Jayadevappa 2007
  41. ^ Schneider 2002
  42. ^ Wallace 1993, pp. 76–79
  43. ^ a b Sharma & Clark 1998, pp. 54–56
  44. ^ http://74.125.95.132/u/maharishi?q=cache:XAVAKZUJspoJ:www.mum.edu/pdf/msvs/v02/glaser.pdf+research+ayurveda&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&ie=UTF-8[dead link]
  45. ^ Wallace 1993, p. 76-89
  46. ^ a b c Sharma & Chopra 1991
  47. ^ a b c d e f g h Skolnick 1991
  48. ^ Sharma & Clark 1998, pp. 145–146
  49. ^ Wallace 1993, pp. 107–109
  50. ^ a b Sharma & Clark 1998, p. 144-145
  51. ^ O'Connell & Alexander 1995, p. 419
  52. ^ Bonshek, Bonshek & Fergusson 2007, p. 155
  53. ^ Bonshek, Bonshek & Fergusson 2007, p. 156
  54. ^ O'Connell & Alexander 1995, p. 419
  55. ^ Schneider, Robert and Fields, Jeremy, Total Heart Health; How to Prevent and Reverse Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2006 ISBN 1591200873, 9781591200871 pp 208 ff
  56. ^ Bonshek, Bonshek & Fergusson 2007, p. 155
  57. ^ Wujastyk, p 304
  58. ^ "The Vedic Calendar for Maharishi Yagyas: Special Days and Highlights" MaharishiIndia.org website
  59. ^ a b Skolnick, Andrew A.. "The Maharishi Caper: Or How to Hoodwink Top Medical Journals", Science Writers (Fall, 1991)
  60. ^ MAV Europe web site [1]
  61. ^ a b Radford 2000
  62. ^ MAV official web site [2]
  63. ^ Ayurveda Ltd. 2009
  64. ^ a b [Goldman, Brian, "The selling of ayurvedic medicine", Canadian Medical Association Journal 1991; 144(1) pp 53-55)]
  65. ^ Effect of Maharishi 4 [MAK-4] and Maharishi 5 [MAK-5] on Inflammatory Mediators—With Special Reference to Their Free Radical Scavenging Effect, Indian Journal of Clinical Practice, Vol. 1, No. 8, pp. 23-27, January 1991, Yukie Niwa, Niwa Institute for Immunology, Japan
  66. ^ Protective Effects of MAK-4 and MAK-5 on Adriamycin-Induced Microsomal Lipid Peroxidation and Mortality, Biochemical Archives, Vol. 8, pp. 267-272, 1992, Ferzaan N. Engineer, Hari M. Sharma, and Chandradhar Dwivedi, College of Pharmacy, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD and College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
  67. ^ Effect of Herbal Mixtures MAK-4 and MAK-5 on Susceptibility of Human LDL to Oxidation, Complementary Medicine International, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 28-36, May/June 1996, Atef N. Hanna, PhD, Vidya Sundaram, MD, James M. Falko, MD, Ralph E. Stephens PhD and Hari M. Sharma MD FRCPC, Department of Pathology and Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  68. ^ Inhibition of Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation by Oral Herbal Mixtures Maharishi Amrit Kalash-4 (MAK-4) and Maharishi Amrit Kalash-5 (MAK-5) in Hyperlipidemic Patients, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 314, No. 5, pp. 303-310, 1997, Vidya Sundaram, M.D., Atef N. Hanna, Ph.D., Gary P. Lubow, M.D., Lata Koneru, M.D.,Ú James M. Falko, M.D. and Hari M. Sharma, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH ÚDepartment of Internal Medicine, Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, OH.
  69. ^ The Antioxidant and Antiatherogenic Effects of MAK-4 in WHHL Rabbits, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 463-478, 1996, Jae Y. Lee, PhD, Atef N. Hanna, PhD, John A. Lott, PhD, and Hari M. Sharma, MD, FRCPC, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  70. ^ Maharishi Amrit Kalash [MAK-4 and MAK-5] Rejuvenates Ageing Central Nervous System’s Antioxidant Defense System: An In Vivo Study, Pharmacological Research, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp 497-502, 1999, Bhupinder Pal Singh Vohra, Satya Prakash Sharma, Vinod Kumar Kansal, Laboratory of Nutritional Histopathology and Ageing, Department of Zoology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra—136 119, Haryana, India, Animal Biochemistry Division, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India
  71. ^ Effect of Maharishi Amrit Kalash, an Ayurvedic Herbal Mixture, on Lipid Peroxidation and Neuronal Lipofuscin Accumulation in Ageing Guinea Pig Brain, Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 355-359, 2001, B.P. Vohra, S.P. Sharma, V.K. Kansal, and S.K. Gupta, Conducted at Laboratory of Nutritional Histopathology, Kurukshetra University, India
  72. ^ Anti-Aging and Oxygen Free Radical (OFR) Scavenging Effects of an Anti-Carcinogenic Natural Product, Maharishi Amrit Kalash [MAK-4 and MAK-5], Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, Vol. 5, No. 6, p. A1735, 1991 (Abstract), J.Z. Fields, E. Eftekhari, J.F. Hagen, L.J. Wichlinski, and R.H. Schneider (SPON: A.H. Friedman), Research Service 151, VA Hosp., Hines, IL 60141, Dept. of Pharmacology, Loyola Univ. Med. Sch., Maywood IL, Dept. of Physiology, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, IA
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  74. ^ Horner, Christine. Waking the Warrior Goddess, 2003, Basic Health Publications Inc., ISBN 1-59120-155-1, pp 117-118
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  77. ^ Gelderloos et al. 1990
  78. ^ Hypoglycemic, Hypolipidemic and General Beneficial Effects of an Herbal Mixture MA-471, Alternative Therapies in Clinical Practice, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 26-31, September/October 1996, Amulya R. Sircar, MD, Ramesh C. Ahuja, MD,* Shankar M. Natu, PhD, Birendra Roy, MBBS, and Hari M. Sharma, MD, FRCPC, K.G. Medical College, Lucknow, India, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine, Columbus, OH
  79. ^ Hypoglycemic, Hypolipidemic and General Beneficial Effects of an Herbal Mixture MA-471, Alternative Therapies in Clinical Practice, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 26-31, September/October 1996, Amulya R. Sircar, MD, Ramesh C. Ahuja, MD,* Shankar M. Natu, PhD, Birendra Roy, MBBS, and Hari M. Sharma, MD, FRCPC, K.G. Medical College, Lucknow, India, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine, Columbus, OH
  80. ^ MAAA 2009
  81. ^ Maharishi College of Vedic Medicine web site [3]
  82. ^ http://www.mcvm.info/faculty.html
  83. ^ Wallace 1993, p. 105-107
  84. ^ Sharma & Clark 1998, p. 109
  85. ^ http://74.125.95.104/u/maharishi?q=cache:XAVAKZUJspoJ:www.mum.edu/pdf/msvs/v02/glaser.pdf+panchakarma+research&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&ie=UTF-8[dead link]
  86. ^ Waldschutz 1988
  87. ^ Fagan & Herron 2002
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  89. ^ Sharma H M, Nidich S, Sands D, Smith D E 1993 Improvements in cardiovascular risk factors through Panchakarma purification procedures, Journal of Research and Education in Indian Medicine 12(4):2-13
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  91. ^ Gilpin, Geoff, The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey Through the Movement that Transformed American Spirituality, J.P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2006 ISBN 1585425079, 9781585425075 p 21
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  93. ^ Global Good News staff writer 2009
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  95. ^ Scheider & Fields 2006, pp. 214–216
  96. ^ maharishimedical 2009
  97. ^ vedicvibration 2009
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  102. ^ Scheider & Fields 2006, p. 212
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  105. ^ Music 2009
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  108. ^ "Cult doctors investigated over herbal anti-AIDS pills", The Independent (August 19, 1990)
  109. ^ Anonymous 1991
  110. ^ Press Release : The General Medical Council, London, England (October 25, 1991).
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  112. ^ Wujastyk & Smith 2008, p. 274
  113. ^ A 1992 lawsuit brought against the article's author and the editor of JAMA was dismissed in 1993.(Perry 1994)(Anonymous 1996) A Newsweek article published four years later stating that there had been a monetary settlement of the case was later withdrawn as untrue."Correction", Newsweek (November 17, 1997)
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  120. ^ Whitley, David. "Maharishi Ayurveda Medicines and Heavy Elements". Maharishi Ayurveda Products. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  121. ^ TM 2009

References

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