Ian Gawler of Whatmeditationreallyis.com reports:
Results of a large 5 year study published last year in the American Journal of Health Promotion compared 142 meditators with 142 matched non-meditators.
The results? After the first year, the TM meditators’ expenditure on doctors had decreased by 11%. After 5 years, the regular meditators (about 20 mins twice daily) had reduced their cumulative health costs by nearly 30%. That is quite a reduction. As you might expect for people getting older, over the 5 years the non-meditating group’s expenditure rose.
But would doctors support meditation being used more widely? Based on the widespread acceptance of meditation by Family Physicians we can be reasonably confident they would. A survey of nearly 500 General Practitioners published in the Medical Journal of Australia (see link below – ref. 1) found that over 80% had referred patients for meditation and nearly half had considered using meditation personally. Furthermore, 34% of the GPs in the survey had actually trained in meditation.”
You can read the rest of his report “How Long Before You Are Paid to Meditate?” online.
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Rabbi Mark Sameth is the spiritual leader of Joyful Judaism: Pleasantville Community Synagogue an inclusive, progressive synagogue – with members from twenty towns, villages and cities all across Westchester and “A Hebrew School Your Kids Can Love.” Read The New York Times article. Follow Rabbi Mark on Twitter. Weekly meditation at the synagogue every Saturday morning at 9 am is open to the public; everyone – without exception - is welcome and warmly invited. OUR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS ON. See “Top Ten Reasons to Join PCS” at www.ShalomPCS.com.
