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Alternative to ADHD Drugs

October 16, 2009

care2

Alternative to ADHD Drugs

 

posted by Mel, selected from Natural Solutions magazine Oct 15, 2009

care2photo

By Diana Reynolds Roome, Natural Solutions

Josh Goulding was diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in second grade, after his impulsive and disruptive behavior frequently landed him in the school principal’s office. “Over several years, I was put on a whole gamut of drugs, and nothing worked well,” says Goulding, now 24. By his second year at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, Goulding was still struggling to concentrate in classes and complete his work, and his medications were causing mood swings and irritability.

The Conventional Rx: Stimulant drugs, such as Ritalin and Adderall. Almost 4.5 million children between ages 4 and 17 are diagnosed with ADHD, and nearly half of them take prescription medications, often for years. Long term, these drugs may be physically and psychologically harmful, and side effects such as sleep disturbances, poor appetite, weight loss, and mood disorders can require further medication.

The Alternative Rx: Transcendental Meditation (TM). In the first study on ADHD and TM, middle-school-age children who did twice daily nonreligious meditations for 10 minutes reduced their stress levels by over 50 percent–resulting in fewer ADHD symptoms. “TM helps children focus on a special mantra or sound, which helps the child transcend mental busyness and stress,” says Sarina Grosswald, EdD, coauthor of the study. “This allows the child’s body to completely relax and his mind to stay fully awake without effort. The results are improved behavior, grades, creativity, and inner stability.”

The Outcome: Just before turning 21, Goulding attended a talk on TM and signed up to learn the technique. First, he started sleeping better. Then, finding it easier to focus and relate to others, his grades improved. When Goulding returned to his doctor, his blood pressure was lower (it had been borderline hypertensive before he started TM) and, even after he stopped taking ADHD medications, his grade-point average continued to rise.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/alternative-to-adhd-drugs.html

For more details on TM & ADHD visit: http://www.adhd-tm.org/

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Transcendental Meditation reduces stress, improves mental health among women with breast cancer

October 13, 2009

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 13-Oct-2009

Transcendental Meditation reduces stress, improves mental health among women with breast cancer

Chicago, Ill. (October 13, 2009) – Women with breast cancer reduced stress and improved their mental health and emotional well being through the Transcendental Meditation technique, according to a new study published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed Integrative Cancer Therapies (Vol. 8, No. 3: September 2009).

“A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Transcendental Meditation on Quality of Life in Older Breast Cancer Patients” was a collaboration between the Center for Healthy Aging at Saint Joseph Hospital; the Institute for Health Services, Research and Policy Studies at Northwestern University; the Department of Psychology at Indiana State University; and the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management.

“It is wonderful that physicians now have a range of interventions to use, including Transcendental Meditation, to benefit their patients with cancer,” said Rhoda Pomerantz, M.D., study co-author and chief of gerontology, Saint Joseph Hospital. “I believe this approach should be appreciated and utilized more widely.”

One hundred thirty women with breast cancer, 55 years and older, participated in the two-year study at Saint Joseph Hospital. The women were randomly assigned to either the Transcendental Meditation technique or to a usual care control group. Patients were administered quality of life measures, including the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B), every six months for two years. The average intervention period was 18 months.

Stress contributes to the onset and progression of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women—striking about 13% of women. Women over the age of 50 have four times the incidence of breast cancer compared to women below 50. Breast cancer remains a leading cause of death among women, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“Emotional and psychosocial stress contribute to the onset and progression of breast cancer and cancer mortality,” said Sanford Nidich, lead author of the study and senior researcher at the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management.

“The Transcendental Meditation technique reduces stress and improves emotional well-being and mental health in older breast cancer patients. The women in the study found their meditation practice easy to do at home and reported significant benefits in their overall quality of life,” Dr. Nidich said.

“Decades of research have shown that stress contributes to the cause and complications of cancer,” said Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., co-author and director of Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management. “The data from this well-designed clinical trial and related studies suggest that effective stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation program may be useful in the prevention and treatment and of breast cancer and its deleterious consequences.”

###

Maharishi University of Management

The study was supported by grants from the Retirement Research Foundation of Chicago and the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Facts on Breast Cancer

  • Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women—and remains a leading cause of death.
  • Breast cancer incidence in the United States is 1 in 8 (about 13%).
  • In 2008, an estimated 250,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women in the U.S.
  • Women above the age of 50 have nearly four times the incidence compared to women under 50
  • Newly diagnosed and long-term survivors are affected by impairment in quality of life (QOL), including emotional, physical, functional, social, and spiritual domains.
  • Psychosocial stress contributes to the onset, progression, and mortality from this disease.
  • Clinical diagnosis of breast cancer increases psychological distress, with sustained distress occurring during cancer treatment and continuing long-term.
  • There have been an increasing number of women using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for female-specific cancers. In terms of breast cancer, recent studies indicate that CAM use among women may be as high as 90 percent.

About Saint Joseph Hospital:

Founded in 1868, Saint Joseph Hospital has a long tradition of providing care to the community. The 335-bed full-service hospital on Chicago’s north side specializes in a full array of services, including cardiology, cancer, orthopedics, family medicine, diabetes and behavioral care. The hospital has more than 550 physicians on staff, representing more than 35 specialties. As a community-based teaching facility, Saint Joseph has six residency programs. Saint Joseph Hospital is a part of Resurrection Health Care.

In 2009, the hospital received for the sixth year in a row the Stroke Care HealthGrades Specialty Excellence Award, ranking it among the top 5 percent of U.S. hospitals for stroke care. The hospital is also a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care® and is five-star rated in six clinical areas, including cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (lung disease), heart failure, hip fracture repair, pneumonia and treatment of stroke. The Center for Cancer Care of Saint Joseph Hospital was recently designated the first accredited breast center in Chicago by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), one of only three in Illinois. For information, visit sjh.reshealth.org/proven.

Contact: Susan E. White
Susan.White2@reshealthcare.org
773-665-3445
Saint Joseph Hospital

http://bit.ly/1ffiTi

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RushPRNews: Meditation: Effective New Aid for Students with ADHD

September 26, 2009

RushPRNews: Meditation: Effective New Aid for Students with ADHD

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KTVO 3: M.U.M. Gets $1 Million Research Grant

September 26, 2009

MUM gets $1 million research grant

Friday, September 25, 2009 at 6:37 p.m.

FAIRFIELD, IOWA — University Receives $1 Million NIH Grant for Mind-Body Medicine Research

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a grant of $500,000 per year for two years for research on the Transcendental Meditation® technique in the treatment of coronary heart disease in African Americans.

The research is a collaboration between Maharishi University of Management Research Institute’s Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention and Columbia University Medical School in New York.

The funding comes from the American Recovery and Investment Act, via the NIH-National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

About 21,000 applications were submitted to NIH for these specific funds, with just 3% receiving grants.

“This recent achievement continues to place MUM Research Institute and its research on the Transcendental Meditation technique and Maharishi Vedic MedicineSM programs in an elite category in academic medicine,” said project director Robert Schneider, M.D., F.A.C.C., and dean of the Maharishi College of Perfect Health.

The research will compare the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation with and without the Transcendental Meditation program, especially after a heart attack. The study will utilize positron emission tomography (PET) to image and quantify changes in heart disease in the patients.

The Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention team includes Sanford Nidich, EdD, Carolyn King, PhD, Maxwell Rainforth, PhD, John Salerno, PhD, Marilyn Ungaro, Laura Alcorn, and Linda Heaton.

See video: http://bit.ly/13D7d4

KTVO Medical News

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Meditation: Effective New Aid for Students with ADHD

September 14, 2009

David Lynch Foundation
Office of ADHD and Other Learning Differences
714 19th St. S. • Arlington, VA • 703-823-6933 • ADHD-TM.org • sgrosswald@tm.org
Contact: Ken Chawkin, 641-470-1314, kchawkin@mum.edu

Meditation: Effective New Aid for Students with ADHD

National conference to showcase research and classroom experience during National ADHD Public Awareness Month

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 • 12:00 NOON (ET)
Webcast online at ADHD-TM.org http://adhd-tm.org

A panel of physicians and scientists will report on the benefits of a simple meditation practice for aiding students diagnosed with ADHD during a national medical webinar, which will be hosted by the David Lynch Foundation on Wednesday, September 30, 12 noon (ET).

The webinar, which comes on the final day of National ADHD Public Awareness Month, will report on published research on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique for improving academic achievement and executive brain function while reducing learning disorders, anxiety, depression, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease.

Conference panelists

Sarina Grosswald, Ed.D. George Washington University-trained cognitive learning specialist; lead researcher on a pioneering study on the Transcendental Meditation technique and ADHD; and Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation’s Office of ADHD and Other Learning Differences.

Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. Senior Researcher in Psychiatry and Psychobiology for 20 years at the National Institute of Mental Health; currently Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University; and Medical Director of Capital Clinical Research Associates in Bethesda, MD.

William Stixrud, Ph.D. Clinical Neuropsychologist and Director of William Stixrud and Associates, specializing in the evaluation and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with learning, attention, and/or social/emotional difficulties; Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center.

Over 50% reduction in stress and anxiety, and improvements in ADHD symptoms

One recent study, published in the December 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed Current Issues in Education followed a group of 10 middle school students with ADHD who were practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique twice a day in school. After three months, researchers found over 50% reduction in stress and anxiety, and improvements in ADHD symptoms.

“The effect was much greater than we expected,” said Sarina J. Grosswald, Ed.D., a George Washington University-trained cognitive learning specialist and lead researcher on the study. “The children also showed improvements in attention, working memory, organization, and behavior regulation.”

Grosswald said that after the in-school meditation routine began, “teachers reported they were able to teach more, and students were able to learn more because they were less stressed and anxious.”

Prior research shows ADHD children have slower brain development and a reduced ability to cope with stress.

Stress interferes with learning

“Stress interferes with the ability to learn—it shuts down the brain,” said William Stixrud, Ph.D., a Silver Spring, Maryland, clinical neuropsychologist and co-author of the study.

“Medication for ADHD can reduce the symptoms for some children, but it is marginally or not effective for others. Even for those children who show improved symptoms with the medication, the improvement is often insufficient,” Stixrud said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost 50% of the 4.5 million children (ages 4-17) in the United States diagnosed with ADHD are on ADHD medication—and the majority of those on medication stay on it in adulthood. Stixrud said there is growing concern about the health risks and side effects associated with the common ADHD medications, including mood swings, insomnia, slowed growth, and heart problems. In 2006 the FDA required manufacturers to place warning labels on ADHD medications, listing the potential serious health risks.

These high risks and growing concerns are fueling parents’ search for alternatives that may be safer for their kids.

“There is already substantial research showing the effectiveness of the TM technique for reducing stress and anxiety and improving cognitive functioning among the general population,” Dr. Grosswald said. “What’s significant about our findings is that among children who have difficulty with focus and attention, we see the same results. TM doesn’t require concentration, controlling the mind or disciplined focus. The fact that these children are able to do TM and do it easily shows us that this technique may be particularly well suited for children with ADHD.”

The David Lynch Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), which has provided more than $7 million in scholarships to teach Transcendental Meditation to over 100,000 at-risk students throughout the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

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Additional resources

1. Transcendental Meditation reduces ADHD symptoms among students: New study Dissatisfaction with medication spurs interest in meditation

2. Transcendental Meditation buffers students against college stress: Study Research at American University shows meditating students react better to stress, are less fatigued, have more ‘integrated’ brains

3. New study shows Transcendental Meditation improves brain functioning in ADHD students A non-drug approach to enhance students’ ability to learn

4. Girls with ADHD more prone to depression, anxiety than boys; meditation helps

5. TM improves brain function in ADHD students

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INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY: Sustainability quest: Tribes to gather for conference of meditation and renewal

September 11, 2009

Indian Country Today

Sustainability quest

Tribes to gather for conference of meditation and renewal

By Rob Capriccioso

Story Published: Sep 15, 2009

FAIRFIELD, Iowa – Organizers are preparing for a unique gathering of tribal elders, leaders and members to focus on building sustainable communities through meditation, renewable energy, organic agriculture and cultural preservation.

The event, billed as the “International Conference on Building Healthy, Sustainable American Indian Communities,” is largely being put together by the Hocak Elders Council, the Ho-Chunk Elders Advisory Council, the David Lynch Foundation and members of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

It will be held at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa Sept. 25 – 27. Planners expect hundreds of participants to attend.

“We are very excited to be able to help offer this one-of-a-kind experience,” said Bob Roth, vice president of the David Lynch Foundation, which focuses on spreading scientifically-proven stress-reduction Transcendental Meditation technique to at-risk youth.

The meditation techniques focus on regular, quiet reflection times aimed at reducing stress and its harmful health impacts.

Studies have shown the methods to have health benefits, such as curbing behavioral disorders in youth and reducing the need for insulin in those with Type 2 diabetes.

Planners with the foundation are using the conference as a platform to highlight their commitment for the past three years to a project called the “Model American Indian Community Initiative” on the Winnebago Reservation.

The project strives to help at-risk youth relieve stress through meditation. It has achieved some promising results which conference organizers are eager to share.

John Boncheff, an event organizer who co-directs the Winnebago project, said Indian youth in the program are not only doing better in school, they are absent less and have a better chance of graduating.

Esteemed Indian leaders have taken note. Joe A. Garcia, president of the National Congress of American Indians; Robert Cook, president of the National Indian Education Association; Lucille Echohawk, a strategic planner for Casey Family Programs; and Kevin Skenandore, acting director of the Bureau of Indian Education are scheduled to attend and present at the sustainability gathering.

The Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine have started similar projects, hoping for equally positive results. Planners said many more tribal leaders have requested information.

Roth said it has been an honor to see more tribes get involved and for Native Americans to teach each other the benefits of healthy meditation and its similarity to some traditional spiritual beliefs.

Prosper Waukon, a leader with the Hocak Elders Council and a citizen of the Winnebago Tribe, said the project has also attracted keen interest from his tribe’s elders.

In 2007, Waukon said several older tribal members took a trip to Maharishi University to learn about transcendental meditation, which the institution strongly promotes. Many were suffering from debilitating side effects of diabetes and wanted to understand ways to meditate to improve their well-being.

Some of the elders have since been able to dramatically better their health outcomes, and some rely much less on diabetes medications, Waukon said.

“Many elders found there was something missing with medication alone. Using meditation to relieve stress ended up helping them connect with traditional ways. It has been a win-win situation.”

As a part of studying the elders’ progress, IHS has contributed $560,000 to the project in in-kind testing services. They are hopeful that IHS may end up promoting the program to more tribes in the future upon seeing positive results.

Information about the elder diabetes program will also be highlighted at the conference.

Waukon said the event won’t just be about promoting sustainability through meditation. It will also feature sessions on organic farming, wind and solar energy development and cultural preservation.

“These are areas of sustainability that all connect to each other,” he said, adding that experts in the various fields will be in attendance.

Boncheff would like the conference to raise awareness of the Winnebago project’s success and to see what can be done to take it to the next level. He is hopeful that at least seven more tribes launch similar sustainability projects by next year.

For people who can’t afford to attend the conference, it will be Web cast online. Registration information and more details are also available online.

On February 1, 2012, Indian Country Today published an article, Transcendental Meditation Combating Diabetes in Indian Country, by Mary Annette Pember.

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David Lynch Foundation Honored

September 10, 2009

Picture 40

Naturalheroes

THE 
DAVID LYNCH 
FOUNDATION

Promotes a Peaceful World  For Our Children

By Tom Citrano

NATHEROSDavidLynch“In today’s world of fear and uncertainty, 
every child should have one class period a day to dive within himself and experience the field of silence – bliss – the enormous reservoir of energy and intelligence that is deep within all of us. This is the way to save the coming generation.” David Lynch, founder and chairman of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and 
World Peace.

This month’s Natural Heroes are Mr. Lynch and the people at the David Lynch Foundation. Director and Producer David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Elephant Man, Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive) started his foundation to provide funds for students to learn meditation through Transcendental Meditation centers, hospital-sponsored wellness programs, boys and girls clubs, before-and-after school programs and in schools when invited by the administration.

Instruction is voluntary and provided to children after parental permission has been granted and at no cost to the family, organization or school. This year the David Lynch Foundation granted millions of dollars guaranteeing thousands of students, teachers and families a chance to learn meditation.  The Foundation also funds independent research to study the effects of meditation on creativity, intelligence, brain function, academic performance, ADHD and additional learning disorders, substance abuse and depression.

Lynch believes that stress is taking a big toll on children today. He looks for a day when developing student’s creative potential is part of every school’s curriculum. David Lynch has been a TM practitioner for over 30 years and explains, “There are hundreds of schools, thousands of students, who are eager to relieve stress and bring out the full potential of every student by providing this Consciousness-based education.”

The David Lynch Foundation targets the benefits of TM for students in the following areas:

CLASSROOM STRESS
Children need to feel safe in school because pressure, stress and fear undermine learning. Dr. William Stixrud, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland, specializing in work with children and adolescents, has studied the effects of stress on the developing brain and had this to say about the David Lynch Foundations programs, “Educators have long known the optimal mind/body state of a student is one of relaxed alertness. The question has been how does the student get there? The answer is The Transcendental Meditation Program.”

CLINICAL DEPRESSION
Ten million children in America have been diagnosed as clinically depressed and take antidepressant medications. Most of these medications are categorized as having serious side effects. A study (funded in part by the Daimler/Chrysler Fund and the General Motors Foundation) on meditating children at an inner-city Detroit middle school confirms what previous gathered data and research has documented: The Transcendental Meditation program increases happiness, self-esteem, and self-worth, while also reducing anxiety and depression.

LEARNING 
DISORDERS
If left untreated, ADHD impacts the child in several ways – causing impulsivity, distractibility, hyperactivity and inattentiveness. ADHD is also associated with sleep disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and other disorders. Almost 90% of children diagnosed with ADHD are on medications. Linda Handy, Ph.D., educator and principal of The Waldorf School in Silver Spring, Maryland believes it’s easier for teachers to hold the attention of students who meditate, “Transcendental Meditation has a great effect on students’ learning ability. Teachers can teach more – so students can learn more.”

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
High blood pressure is no longer an adult disease. Studies show adolescence is a critical time for the development of hypertension and other coronary disease risk factors. Increasing rates of childhood obesity are further driving up the numbers of children and teens living with hypertension. Vernon Barnes, Ph.D., research scientist at the Georgia Prevention Institute of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta studied the effects of TM on a random sample selected from a group of 5,000 teens with hypertension. Barnes had this to say about the results, “Decreases in blood pressure observed in the present study have clinical significance. The decreases, if maintained into adulthood, are enough to potentially decrease a child’s long-term risk for heart disease and stroke.”

FULL BRAIN POTENTIAL
Science has confirmed that our brains are not fully developed at birth. As we grow and mature, the brain is being recreated to support all of our new and changing thoughts, decision and behavior. There are different areas of the brain for seeing, hearing, thinking, feeling, etc. The part of the brain that is most critical for evaluating all the information is the frontal lobes. Stressful experiences keep the frontal lobes from developing. Research verifies the TM technique is unique in its ability to exercise this critical part of the brain – to make the brain healthier and better able to work together as a whole.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
In his book, A Record of Excellence, Ashley Deans, Ph.D., director of The Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa recounts the achievements of his school, which is accredited by the State of Iowa and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, “Hundreds of scientific studies on Transcendental Meditation program and more than 30 years of classroom experience should be enough to convince anyone that Consciousness-Based education can make education complete, healthy, harmonious and productive.”

For more information about 
the David Lynch Foundation 
and its programs, visit davidlynchfoundation.org.

If you have a Natural Hero in 
your life, send an email to: heroes@nugreencity.com and tell us about that special someone who’s making our city and the planet a better place.

http://www.nugreencity.com/2009/09/naturalheroes-3/

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Beach Boy found life saving cure in Fairfield

September 8, 2009

Radio Iowa News

Beach Boy found life saving cure in Fairfield

Monday, September 7, 2009, 9:39 AM
By Darwin Danielson

Mike LoveThe Beach Boys will play their first-ever concert in Fairfield today but one of the men who founded the legendary band in 1961 says he’s been visiting the southeast Iowa community for decades.

Mike Love learned transcendental meditation in 1967 and says he steals away to Fairfield frequently for R-and-R, that’s rest and relaxation, not rock ‘n’ roll. The singer and songwriter says the community facility, known as the Raj, offers health treatments which he believes have helped prolong and greatly improve his life.

“Ayurveda is an ancient science of health from India,” Love says. “It has all kinds of aspects to it but they have fantastic treatments that reverse the clock biologically speaking, in other words, you can reverse the aging process through a combination of meditation and the Ayurveda, so it’s been really helpful to me.”

Love is 68 years old but when he inputs his vital information before a treadmill workout, he says he usually punches in 50, as that’s how young he says T-M allows him to feel. “It’s been really helpful to me to be able to meditate and get these treatments occasionally because the schedule we keep is pretty intense,” Love says, laughing. “We haven’t had a summer off in 47 years.” He says transcendental meditation helped prevent him from falling into the same traps that have caught and killed many other celebrities.

“That has helped me to stay away from too much drinking, I don’t smoke, all the lifestyle choices that can lead to disease and early death, I’m not interested in that path,” Love says. “I’ve seen plenty people go that way and it’s a drag because I’m sitting there thinking, gee, if they could only learn this technique and benefit by it, it’d be great.”

The concert will be held in the open fields beside Fairfield Middle School. The gates open at noon. For tickets, directions and parking information, call 641-472-2787.

AUDIO: AUDIO: Radio Iowa’s Matt Kelley reports on Mike Love. :46 MP3

Related article: Beach Boys’ Mike Love recharges at The Raj

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Beach Boys’ Mike Love recharges at The Raj

September 6, 2009

 

Picture 28WHITE_GROUP_8x10_lo-resSPECIAL TO THE REGISTER
The Beach Boys, from left: Christian Love, John Cowsill, Bruce Johnston,
Randell Kirsch, Mike Love, Scott Totten, Tim Bonhomme. Johnston and
Love have been members of the band since the 1960s.

By SOPHIA AHMAD
September 4, 2009
sahmad@dmreg.com

With its tight falsetto harmonies and sunny lyrics, the Beach Boys’ sound is immediately recognizable to both young fans – who consider it a retro band – and to older fans who grew up on hits such as “California Girls” and “Surfin’ USA.”

The legendary ensemble that has been entertaining audiences since 1961 will perform Monday in Fairfield – a quick return trip to Iowa after a recent show Aug. 14 at Meskwaki Bingo-Casino-Hotel in Tama. But Monday’s outdoor concert on Labor Day at a middle school in Fairfield also will deliver a different “vibration” for singer Mike Love. “My main place for rest and relaxation and recharging has been the Raj and meditating in the domes,” Love said last month during a stopover in Fairfield. The Raj is a Fairfield spa that integrates holistic practices into its treatments.

And Love routinely practices transcendental meditation (T.M.) inside the domes of Maharishi University of Management, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Love, one of the remaining 1960s members of the Beach Boys, will be named Energy Czar for the day by Fairfield Mayor Ed Malloy. He will also help unveil the city’s 40-point Green Sustainability Plan, funded by an $80,000 grant from Iowa’s Office of Energy Independence. The plan calls for energy conservation and support of local farms, among other initiatives. “Energy independence is something that is close to my children and grandchildren and their children’s heart,” Love said.

Proceeds from Monday’s concert also will benefit the David Lynch Foundation, which supports T.M. education, and the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center.

Love is a longtime fan of the eastern Iowa city.

“I’ve been going to Fairfield for a few decades,” he said. “One time I came here for three weeks and did treatments every day, and that was fantastic. I never felt better. “Transcendental meditation is so important to Love that he wrote a song about its founder: “Cool Head, Warm Heart.”

“Maharishi said once in a meeting, ‘You need a cool head and a warm heart,’ so I made a little sound out of it,” Love said about his inspiration for the song.

Love, who performs nearly 150 concerts per year, said he has a special connection to Iowa and its “small-town environment.” He recalled a recent memory of the “little gem in the heartland” when he landed at a Tucson airport. “This woman that drove me from the airport said she heard us at the Dance-land Ballroom in Cedar Rapids … Now how ironic is that?”

Additional Facts
The Beach Boys with The Nadas

WHEN: Monday, gates open at noon.

WHERE: Fairfield Middle School Outdoor Field, 404 West Fillmore

TICKETS: $12-$37.50 through Iowatix. Proceeds benefit the David Lynch Foundation and the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center

INFORMATION: www.fairfieldacc.com

http://bit.ly/4swpoN

Also see Mike Love, Not War | Ireland’s Edwin McGreal interviews Mike Love for The Mayo News | Mike Love of the Beach Boys on Stories of Success | Beach Boys concert ‘fun, fun, fun’ for all | Beach Boys bringing green concert to tiny Fairfield

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Extreme City: Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa

September 3, 2009

Associated Content | Travel
Extreme City: Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
August 29, 2009 by Sherri Granato

Capital of the Global Country of World Peace

Iowa is often referred to as the American Heartland so it comes as no surprise that a vast amount of people would find a peaceful refuge within its borders, or at least within one of the cities located within the state. The city of Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa named for the famed yogi Maharishi, Maharishi Vedic City is the fastest-growing city in all of Iowa. So the question is why are people suddenly flocking to this small community in leaps and bounds, and is it worthy of sharing?

The Travel Channel decided to investigate what they dub an “Extreme Town” for themselves and share their discoveries with anyone who cares to know the hidden secrets and vast treasures that are luring citizens into relocating to the Midwest region of the United States. So pull up a chair and learn a little bit about Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa, and “Welcome to the Capital of the Global Country of World Peace”.

The city itself is spectacular in the fact that it is squeaky clean and virtually crime free. The Travel Channel was so enamored by their findings that they included the city on their list of most unique zip codes and brought it to television for viewers to catch a glimpse of something you wouldn’t otherwise believe.

The unbelievable part is that every person that lives within the city limits of Maharishi Vedic City happens to practice Vedic Natural Law, which is in layman’s terms an ancient Indian science focusing on transcendental meditation. The ultimate goal in this practice is nothing more than a deep mental cleansing and physical peace that is practiced for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. The ending result leads to revitalization and happy thoughts that are free and clear of stressful situations.

From the beginning the original idea of the city was the master plan of San Francisco real estate developer Chris Johnson. In 1991 his idea evolved into a working municipality centered on the principles and teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, including his views on architectural design.

Due to his vision the town offers homes all facing toward the east, clean cut lines, beautiful in nature, and all offer a gold colored kalash on the roof. Since 2001, the population has grown ten times its original size with 1,200 residents now calling it home.

The significance of the kalash on top of the house is that it completes the desired form. The mental peace one finds in the heart of a temple whose top is a dome-shaped kalash and having a kalash placed on the peak most obviously testifies the importance of the roof-component of Vedic architecture. All homes built in the city must face the east simply because the design promotes health, happiness, and good fortune.

Maharishi Vedic City is made up of a ring of ten circles covering slightly more than one square mile, the town has its own observatory with ancient astrological and astronomical instruments to orient itself within the cosmos. City leaders and educators recognize that the solution too many problems with today’s youths is a lack of proper education that develops the total brain potential in every child.

With this in mind the city developed an ordinance on January 28, 2004, to establish Maharishi Vedic University to provide a public university, colleges, and primary and secondary schools for the city’s residents. Just a few miles south of the city is Fairfield, Iowa, the home of Maharishi University of Management, formerly known as Maharishi International University.

Many residents moved to Fairfield to participate in the practice of Transcendental Meditation. The university campus, located on the north side of Fairfield, is home to two large golden domes used for the group practice of TM-Sidhi program. The other technique, referred to as the Yogic Flying technique consists of sitting in the cross-legged lotus position on a foam mat while the body lifts up and the subject moves forward in short jumps.

Living in Maharishi Vedic City is for anyone that wishes to live the remainder of their life on Earth stress free. The whole city enforces this notion by the way that the citizens do things day to day. Everything from the local businesses to the schools and restaurants are geared to maintain inner peace throughout a life style that is the choice of the people living there.

Everyone including school children stop what they are doing to meditate 15-20 minutes per day, everyday, twice a day. The mind is then cleared of lack luster debris, replaced by positive thoughts that promote all things good and wholesome.

The Raj Ayurveda Health Center offers comfortable lovely rooms, organic vegetarian food, and is simply one of a kind as it sits in the middle of a cornfield is this oasis. The health center explains everything you ever wanted to know about ayurvedic and transcendental meditation.

Visitors learn how individual factors in their make-up affect physical tendencies, moods, cravings, motivation, and behavior. The ultimate lesson from visiting the center is simple shifts in diet, exercise, and daily and seasonal routines can enhance their progress toward increased strength, stability and vitality. Contact the Raj for individual and group rates. Call: (641) 472-9580, ext. 0, or email: theraj@lisco.net.

As for the dietary plan of the good citizens of Maharishi Vedic City, Organic is in, and synthetic chemicals are out! Even the restaurants support the beliefs of the residents by only cooking with the purist of ingredients. City officials recognize the importance of healthy food for the citizens and have banned the sale of all non-organic food from its city. Construction has begun on the first of a planned 100 acres of greenhouses at Maharishi Vedic City Organic Farms which will grow organic produce for residents of the City and Midwest.

The city has been featured in various media venues from newspapers, magazines, radio, and news and most recently on the Travel Channel under Extreme Cities. For more information on the traditions being practiced in the American Heartland, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mo2326.

Places of Interest to Visit: the Rukmapura Hotel, a large Stapatyavedic, log-built hotel and see the nearby Pandit Campus, where nearly 1000 Pandits from India help create peace and harmony in the world.

http://tinyurl.com/msvfwr

Extreme City: Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Neighborhood: American Heartland
Maharishi Vedic City, IA 52556
United States of America

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