Older African Americans suffer from disproportionately high rates of morbidity, mortality, and disability compared to older white Americans. The largest contributor to this health disparity is cardiovascular disease (CVD) in this population. Therefore, in accordance with national research priority mandates, the overall goal of the Alexander Center for Research in CAM, Minority Aging and CVD is to evaluate the efficacy is to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of CAM approaches for the prevention of this epidemic disease in older African Americans. The Alexander Center is a unique interdisciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration of leading academic and clinical centers in CAM and conventional medicine. These partner institutions have an established record of collaborating together on NIH-supported randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness and mechanisms of CAM modalities, specifically in older African Americans at high risk for CVD. The participating institutions include: Maharishi University of Management- College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Preliminary studies conducted by the present team have found that approaches of traditional Vedic medicine, in particular meditation intervention, is associated with significant reductions in hypertension, psychosocial stress, surrogate endpoints for atherosclerotic CVD and hypertensive-heart disease, and mortality over long-term follow-up in this aging minority population. Therefore, the Center will conduct well-controlled basic and clinical research, developmental programs, research training, and establish core services, administrative structures and procedures to support this research program. Proposed research programs with older high risk African American populations and cores include: 1) a basic study of mechanisms of meditation on atherosclerotic CVD (arterial vasomotion, cardiac autonomic tone and psychosocial risk factors), 2) a clinical trial of effects of meditation on carotid atherosclerosis, CVD risk factors, physiological mechanisms, psychosocial risk factors and quality of life in older Black women with CVD, 3) a controlled study on mechanisms and clinical effects of a traditional herbal antioxidant compared to conventional vitamin supplementation on carotid atherosclerosis, endothelial function, oxidative stress, CVD risk factors, and quality of life, 4) an Administrative Core to provide organizational structure and procedures, an overall Advisory Council, training of graduate and postgraduate CAM researchers and future developmental studies, 5) a Biostatistical and Research Methods Core that will provide statistical and methodological support for research projects. In conclusion, the Alexander Center will provide a unique and well- established platform for evaluation and translation of CAM modalities for the prevention of CVD in high risk older African Americans.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
Type
Specialized Center (P50)
Project #
5P50AT000082-02
Application #
6171665
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SSS-9 (22))
Program Officer
Jackson, Morgan
Project Start
1999-09-30
Project End
2004-07-31
Budget Start
2000-08-01
Budget End
2001-09-23
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$1,537,038
Indirect Cost
Name
Maharishi University of Management
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
069623338
City
Fairfield
State
IA
Country
United States
Zip Code
52557
Nidich, Sanford I; Rainforth, Maxwell V; Haaga, David A F et al. (2009) A randomized controlled trial on effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on blood pressure, psychological distress, and coping in young adults. Am J Hypertens 22:1326-31
Jayadevappa, Ravishankar; Johnson, Jerry C; Bloom, Bernard S et al. (2007) Effectiveness of transcendental meditation on functional capacity and quality of life of African Americans with congestive heart failure: a randomized control study. Ethn Dis 17:72-7
Schneider, Robert H; Walton, Kenneth G; Salerno, John W et al. (2006) Cardiovascular disease prevention and health promotion with the transcendental meditation program and Maharishi consciousness-based health care. Ethn Dis 16:S4-15-26
Orme-Johnson, David W; Schneider, Robert H; Son, Young D et al. (2006) Neuroimaging of meditation's effect on brain reactivity to pain. Neuroreport 17:1359-63
Schneider, Robert H; Alexander, Charles N; Staggers, Frank et al. (2005) Long-term effects of stress reduction on mortality in persons > or = 55 years of age with systemic hypertension. Am J Cardiol 95:1060-4
Schneider, Robert H; Alexander, Charles N; Staggers, Frank et al. (2005) A randomized controlled trial of stress reduction in African Americans treated for hypertension for over one year. Am J Hypertens 18:88-98
Walton, Kenneth G; Schneider, Robert H; Salerno, John W et al. (2005) Psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease. Part 3: Clinical and policy implications of research on the transcendental meditation program. Behav Med 30:173-83
Walton, Kenneth G; Schneider, Robert H; Nidich, Sanford (2004) Review of controlled research on the transcendental meditation program and cardiovascular disease. Risk factors, morbidity, and mortality. Cardiol Rev 12:262-6
Walton, Kenneth G; Schneider, Robert H; Nidich, Sanford I et al. (2002) Psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease Part 2: effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in treatment and prevention. Behav Med 28:106-23
Schneider, Robert H; Alexander, Charles N; Salerno, John W et al. (2002) Disease prevention and health promotion in the aging with a traditional system of natural medicine: Maharishi Vedic Medicine. J Aging Health 14:57-78

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