From: David Orme-Johnson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2007 3:34 PM To: 'David Orme-Johnson' Subject: Critique of AHRQ Reprort "Meditation Practices for Health: State of the Research" posted on Truth About TM.com
Dear Friends and Colleagues, I just added this critique to my website TruthAboutTM.com. It is about a controversial new government-funded study, which said that the research on meditation and health is inconclusive. The report was heavily criticized by leading researchers ask to peer-review the study. The reviewers’ major concerns were ignored, in violation of the peer-review process, and consequently the report is full of misinformation that may be used to guide public policy. On this website post you will find a summary of reviewers’ critiques, and links to the full texts of their reviews. Below are links and a summary. HYPERLINK "http://www.truthabouttm.org/truth/Research/AHRQReview2007/index.cfm"Click here to go to website. HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Documents%20and%20Settings\\David%20Orme-Johnson\\Desktop\\NCCA M%20review%20of%20meditation\\Top%20researchers%20criticize%20new%20meditati on%20and%20health%20study.htm"Click here for press article appearing in Physorg.com. HYPERLINK "http://www.mum.edu/pdf/inmp_pressrelease.pdf"; \nClick here for press release (PDF) Critique of AHRQ REPORT "Meditation Practices for Health: State of the Research" SUMMARY "Meditation Practices for Health: State of the Research" is a health technology assessment report by lead authors Maria B. Ospina and Kenneth Bond and their colleagues at the University of Alberta. It was sponsored by the U. S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the U. S. NIH-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The authors are to be commended for undertaking this ambitious review of the effects of a variety of meditation techniques on health, as are AHRQ, and the NCCAM for supporting it. The report stated: "Firm conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence." Some press coverage has distorted this conclusion to say that meditation does not improve health, which the authors of the study corrected (see below). More seriously, however, problems with the report were found by experts in the field who were invited to participate in the study process as peer reviewers. These problems were largely ignored by both the study authors and the study's sponsors at AHRQ and NCCAM. Reviewers independently found the study had so many methodological flaws and mistakes that they recommended the report be withdrawn until it was corrected. Standard peer review, fact checking, and editors are usually effective at correcting misinformation. Unfortunately, these safeguards were not honored in this report, and misinformation is now positioned to guide public policy on the use of meditation techniques for healthcare. David W. Orme-Johnson, Ph.D. HYPERLINK "mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]"[EMAIL PROTECTED] HYPERLINK "http://www.truthabouttm.com/"www.TruthAboutTM.com HYPERLINK "http://www.seagroveartist.com/"www.SeagroveArtist.com 191 Dalton Dr. Seagrove Beach, FL 32459 850-231-2866 850-231-5012 Fax No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.33/1036 - Release Date: 9/28/2007 3:40 PM
