Meditation: Evidence-Based Report Released
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a new evidence-based report, Meditation Practices for Health: State of the Research. The most recent in a series requested and funded by NCCAM, the report is based on 813 studies across five broad categories: mantra meditation, mindfulness meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. The study focuses on high blood pressure, other cardiovascular diseases, and substance abuse disorders, the conditions for which meditation has been most studied.
The authors, from the University of Alberta Evidence-Based Practice Center in Canada, conclude that because of problems with methods used in the studies (for example, insufficient detail, poor design, or variation between the patient groups studied), it cannot be determined whether meditation practices are effective therapies for these three conditions or which type of meditation is the most effective. The authors suggest more research of higher quality and provide specific recommendations.
You can download the report at www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/medittp.htm or request a printed copy at AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or 1-800-358-9295.
