TM and Cardiovascular Health: American Heart Association statements

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• 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines
  Daniel W. Jones, MD, FAHA, Chair, Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASPC, Vice Chair, Sandra J. Taler, MD, FAHA, Vice Chair, Heather M. Johnson, MD, MS, FAHA, FACC, FASPC, JC Liaison, Daichi Shimbo, MD, JC Liaison, Marwah Abdalla, MD, MPH, FAHA, FACC, M. Martine Altieri, PA-C, MHSc, … Show All … , and Jeff D. Williamson, MD, MHS, AGSF. Circulation Originally published 14 August 2025. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001356
  "The focus of this clinical practice guideline is to create a living, working document updating current knowledge in the field of high blood pressure aimed at all practicing primary care and specialty clinicians who manage patients with hypertension. . . .  There is consistent moderate- to high-level evidence from short-term clinical trials that transcendental meditation can lower BP in patients without and with hypertension, with mean reductions of approximately 5/2 mm Hg in SBP/DBP.14,40. . . . "
• Meditation and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction. A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association, Glenn N. Levine, Chair, Richard A. Lange, Vice Chair, et al., and the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; and Council on Hypertension. J Am Heart Assoc. 2017 Oct; 6(10)
   
• Beyond Medications and Diet: Alternative Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure. A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Robert D. Brook, et al., and on behalf of the American Heart Association Professional Education Committee of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research, Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing, Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, and Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism. Hypertension. 22 April 2013;61:1360-1383 (and supplementary materials):
  Summary and Clinical Recommendations:
  “The overall evidence supports that TM modestly lowers BP. It is not certain whether it is truly superior to other meditation techniques in terms of BP lowering because there are few head-to-head studies. As a result of the paucity of data, we are unable to recommend a specific method of practice when TM is used for the treatment of high BP. However, TM (or meditation techniques in general) does not appear to pose significant health risks.
  
  “Additional and higher-quality studies are required to provide conclusions on the BP-lowering efficacy of meditation forms other than TM. The writing group conferred to TM a Class IIB, Level of Evidence B recommendation in regard to BP-lowering efficacy. TM may be considered in clinical practice to lower BP.
  
  “Because of many negative studies or mixed results and a paucity of available trials, all other meditation techniques (including MBSR) received a Class III, no benefit, Level of Evidence C recommendation Thus, other meditation techniques are not recommended in clinical practice to lower BP at this time.”
   
• Interview with Robert D. Brook, MD Chair of the AHA Comittee that wrote the report “Beyond Medications and Diet—Alternative Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association”
  Includes 90-minute video of a presentation by Robert Brook, who chaired the American Heart Association committee.