| Alternative medicine | |
|---|---|
| Claims | Proponents claim that illnesses can be treated by reconnecting physiological functioning with the body's inner intelligence through reducing and eliminating impurities and imbalances. |
| Year proposed | mid-1980s |
| Original proponents | Maharishi Mahesh Yogi |
| Subsequent proponents | Organizations: Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Alternative medicine |
|---|
 |
Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (MVAH) (also known as Maharishi Ayurveda[1][2] or Maharishi Vedic Medicine[3]) is a form of alternative medicine founded in the mid-1980s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who developed the Transcendental Meditation technique (TM).[4] Distinct from traditional ayurveda, it emphasizes the role of consciousness, and gives importance to positive emotions.[5] Maharishi Ayur-Veda has been variously characterized as emerging from, and consistently reflecting, the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy, representing the entirety of the ayurvedic tradition.[6][7]
A 1991 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that promoters of MVAH failed to disclose financial incentives when they submitted a letter for publication and that their marketing practices were misleading. A 2008 study published in JAMA reported that two of the 19 Maharishi Ayurveda products tested contained heavy metals. A 1991 British case found two physicians guilty of "serious professional misconduct" for using MVAH in the unsuccessful treatment of HIV.
- ^ Wallace 1993, pp. 64–66
- ^ Sharma & Clark 1998
- ^ Reddy & Egenes 2002
- ^ Sharma & Clark 1998, Preface
- ^ For a brief history of traditional ayurveda, and selected translations from the original Sanskrit sources, see Wujastyk 2003
- ^ Cynthia Ann Humes, "Maharishi Ayur-Veda", chapter 17 in Wujastyk & Smith 2008, pp. 309 and 326
- ^ Sharma 1995