People who practice TM spend 15-20 minutes each day, twice a day in deep meditation. The physiological effect of TM is measured by skin tests, blood pressure, respiration rate, as well as the levels of lactate in the blood. Orme-Johnson showed, statistics from several clinical and university studies showing the effectiveness of TM against other types of meditation in reducing stress and anxiety. The results from several studies have consistently shown TM to be more effective in reducing stress than other forms of meditation. TM has also been used successfully, he said, in reducing drug abuse.
People take drugs because they're trying to produce an optimal level in their physiology.
We feel too anxious, we take something to calm us down. We feel too lethargic and dull, we take something to pick us up. Coffee and cigarettes, he said, are as much an example of this as illicit drugs. TM, he added, helps bring the body into balance and reduces the need for drugs. Persons who are taking medications for conditions, however, whether physical or mental, should not discontinue their treatment without consulting their doctors, he said.