Study: Maharishi Ayur Veda Reduces Toxic Chemicals
Banned PCBs and agrochemicals in blood reduced 50 percent by centuries-old
detoxification procedure.
Study published in the Sept./Oct. 2002 issue of Alternative Therapies in
Health and Medicine, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 93-103.
- PRESS RELEASE -
Banned PCBs and Agrochemicals in Blood Reduced 50 Percent
By Centuries-Old Detoxification Procedure, Study Shows
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"The issue of possible human health effects of persistent organochlorine
substances is an ongoing concern and area of important scientific
investigation. This report has implications for the mobilization of and
clearance of persistent fat-soluble xenobiotics and could serve as a
stepping-stone towards randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of these
methods." - Laurence Fuortes, M.D., Professor, College of Public Health,
University of Iowa
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Toxic occupational and agricultural chemicals that are stored in the
body-and known to cause disease-can be significantly reduced by an Ayurvedic
detoxification procedure, according to a report released today.
The study, published in the Sept./Oct. 2002 issue of Alternative Therapies
in Health and Medicine, found that a centuries-old purification procedure
derived from the Ayurvedic medical system of India reduced several
fat-soluble toxicants by about 50 percent.
"This is the first published study on humans to demonstrate that a specific
detoxification regimen can significantly reduce levels of lipophilic
toxicants in the blood that are known to be associated with disease," says
Robert Herron, Ph.D., lead author of the study and Director of Research at
the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy at Maharishi
University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.
Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Comparisons
The study consisted of two parts: a cross-sectional comparison and a
longitudinal pre- and post-treatment.
Eighty-eight subjects, age 45 years and older, participated in the
cross-sectional study: 48 had previously undergone the detoxification
procedure an average of 18 times and 40 had not. Blood samples from both
groups were sent to the Analytical Laboratory in the Department of
Environmental Health at Colorado State University that was blind to the
treatment status of the subjects.
PCBs and Pesticides Found in Blood Samples
Blood samples from both cross-sectional groups were assayed for 17
lipophilic toxicants, including 9 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners
and 8 pesticides and metabolites, such as DDE, a by-product of DDT. The
specific PCBs and pesticides that were studied either had been previously
linked to major health problems or have been of high concern for their
potential toxicity.
The results showed blood levels of PCBs and several pesticides were
significantly lower in the detoxification group than in the controls.
Herron says that lipophilic toxicants are generally considered to be among
the most problematic environmental contaminants and many of them have been
banned in the U.S. for decades. Because of their fat-soluble nature and
their long half-lives, they tend to accumulate in plants and animals and
bio-magnify up the food chain, increasing in humans with age. Previous
studies show that these toxicants have been associated with hormone
disruption, immune system suppression, reproductive disorders, several types
of cancer, and other diseases.
Lipophil-mediated Detoxification Procedure
In the longitudinal study, blood samples from 15 subjects who participated
in the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (MVAH) Ayurvedic detoxification
procedure were assayed, pre- and post-treatment, by CSU's Analytical
Laboratory.
Ayurveda dates back thousands of years in India and is recognized by the
World Health Organization as a complete system of natural medicine. However,
due to several foreign invasions over the centuries, it has been slowly, but
substantially altered. Starting in 1984, Ayurveda was restored and
standardized in accordance with the classical texts of India under the
direction of a leading Vedic scholar, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of
Maharishi University of Management and world-renowned for introducing the
Transcendental Meditation® technique.
Striking Reductions in PCBs and Beta-HCH Levels
The results of the two-month longitudinal study showed that PCBs and
Beta-HCH levels were reduced by 46 percent and 58 percent respectively in
the MVAH detoxification group. Without this intervention, the expected drop
in PCBs and Beta-HCH over two months would be only a fraction of one
percent. Previously, no method had been scientifically verified to reduce
levels of these lipid-soluble toxicants in the human body without causing
negative side effects.
How Lipophil-mediated Detoxification May Work
Lipophilic toxicants are stored in lipids, or fats, in the body, and are
fat-soluble in nature. Several modalities in the Maharishi Vedic Approach to
Health detoxification procedure use non-toxic, lipophilic materials, such as
clarified butter in the oleation phase and herbalized sesame oil in the
massage and enema treatments. These traditional methods are believed to
sequentially loosen and remove lipid soluble toxicants from their deposited
sites and stimulate their excretion.
"Our findings were quite striking, given that the half-lives of these
toxicants are all several years in duration, and that this comprehensive
detoxification procedure removed them in just a few days." says Herron.
PCBs and Pesticide Levels Still High
Herron says an alarming finding of the study was that PCB and DDE levels
appear to be unexpectedly high in the general population, and may actually
be increasing.
"These toxicants were banned decades ago and were assumed to be declining to
negligible levels in the U.S. population. Our findings, however, suggest
that they are still entering the food chain and appear to be increasing in
humans. One possible explanation is that produce imported to the U.S. from
Mexico and Latin America may contain banned toxicants since these hazardous
chemicals are still widely used for agriculture in those countries," says
Herron.
Reference: Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, (Sept./Oct. 2002),
Vol. 8, No. 5: pp. 93-103.
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