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Treatment of fibromyalgia at the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre in Norway II—a 24-month follow-up pilot study

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Abstract

Treatments offered at the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre in Norway are based on Maharishi Vedic Medicine (MVM). MVM is a consciousness-based revival by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program of the ancient Ayurvedic medicine tradition in India. To extend from 6 to 24 months, a pilot study of the effects of the treatment program at the Health Centre on fibromyalgia. Retesting 2 years after a clinical trial. In this intention to treat study, 31 women with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia received an individually tailored program of (1) physiological purification therapy (Maharishi Panchakarma) and (2) Ayurvedic recommendations regarding daily routine and diet including a novel approach to food intolerance. Five subjects chose to learn TM for stress reduction, pain management and personal development. All were recommended Ayurvedic herbal products for follow-up treatment. A modified Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) that included seven dimensions. Scores at 24 months follow-up were compared with pre-treatment scores. At 24-months follow-up, there were significant reductions (26% to 44%) in six of the seven fibromyalgia dimensions: impairment of working ability, pain, tiredness, morning tiredness, stiffness and anxiety. The 7th, depression, decreased 32% (borderline significant). At 24 months, the four subjects who continued practising TM, had almost no symptoms and significantly lower FIQ change scores (−92% to 97%) than the non-meditators on all outcomes. This pilot study suggests that the treatments and health promotion programs offered at the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre in Norway lead to long-term reductions in symptoms of fibromyalgia, which is considered a treatment-resistant condition, and further studies are warranted.

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Acknowledgements

The study was financially supported by EXTRA funds from The Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation. We thank Helge Marthinussen, Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre, Mesnali for assistance in the collection of data.

Conflicts of interests

The first author is the administrative and medical director of the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre, Mesnali, Norway. Jeremy Z. Fields is Adjunct Research Professor at Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA. The rest of the authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre, Sjusjøvegen 1332, 2610, Mesnali, Norway

    Lars Bjørn Rasmussen

  2. Head of Department, Lillehammer Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Lillehammer, Norway

    Knut Mikkelsen

  3. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

    Margaretha Haugen

  4. Biostatistics Unit, Research Services Department, University Hospital of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Are H. Pripp

  5. Adjunct Research Professor, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, IA, USA

    Jeremy Z. Fields

  6. Department of rheumatology, University Hospital of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Øystein T. Førre

Authors
  1. Lars Bjørn Rasmussen
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  2. Knut Mikkelsen
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  3. Margaretha Haugen
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  4. Are H. Pripp
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  5. Jeremy Z. Fields
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  6. Øystein T. Førre
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Correspondence to Lars Bjørn Rasmussen.

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Rasmussen, L.B., Mikkelsen, K., Haugen, M. et al. Treatment of fibromyalgia at the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre in Norway II—a 24-month follow-up pilot study. Clin Rheumatol 31, 821–827 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-011-1907-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-011-1907-y

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