RT Journal Article
T1 Levels of immune cells in transcendental meditation practitioners.
A1 Infante, Jose R
A1 Peran, Fernando
A1 Rayo, Juan I
A1 Serrano, Justo
A1 Domínguez, Maria L
A1 Garcia, Lucia
A1 Duran, Carmen
A1 Roldan, Ana
K1 Immune system
K1 psychoneuroimmunology
K1 stress
K1 transcendental meditation
K1 Yoga
K1 Sistema Inmunológico
K1 Meditación
K1 Catecolaminas
K1 Psiconeuroinmunología
K1 Estrés Psicológico
K1 Hormonas Hipofisarias
AB CONTEXTRelationships between mind and body have gradually become accepted. Yogic practices cause modulation of the immune system. Transcendental meditation (TM) is a specific form of mantra meditation. We reported previously different plasma levels of catecholamines and pituitary hormones in TM practitioners comparing with a control group, and patterns of the daytime secretion of these hormones different from those normally described.AIMSThe aim of the following study is to evaluate the immune system in these meditation practitioners, by determining leukocytes and lymphocytes subsets.METHODSTM group consisted of 19 subjects who regularly practice either TM or the more advanced Sidhi-TM technique. A control group consisted of 16 healthy subjects who had not previously used any relaxation technique. Total leukocytes, granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes were counted by an automated quantitative hematology analyzer, whereas lymphocytes subsets were determined by flow cytometry. Samples were taken from each subject at 0900 h after an overnight fast.RESULTSThe results indicated that the TM group had higher values than the control group in CD3+CD4-CD8+ lymphocytes (P < 0.05), B lymphocytes (P < 0.01) and natural killer cells (P < 0.01), whereas CD3+CD4+CD8- lymphocytes showed low levels in meditation practitioners (P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in total leukocytes, granulocytes, monocytes, total lymphocytes or CD3+ lymphocytes comparing both groups.CONCLUSIONSThe technique of meditation studied seems to have a significant effect on immune cells, manifesting in the different circulating levels of lymphocyte subsets analyzed. The significant effect of TM on the neuroendocrine axis and its relationship with the immune system may partly explain our results.
PB Medknow Publications
YR 2014
FD 2014-07
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/1855
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/1855
LA en
NO Infante JR, Peran F, Rayo JI, Serrano J, Domínguez ML, Garcia L, et al. Levels of immune cells in transcendental meditation practitioners. Int J Yoga. 2014                         ; 7(2):147-51
NO Journal Article;
DS RISalud
RD Apr 19, 2025