accompanied these claims, the basic idea
that man can consciously regulate involuntary and unseen physiolo-
gical processes came to be accepted as a fact by the medical
community.
Various meditation techniques like Transcendental Meditation, Zen,
Yoga were becoming popular in the West in those days. Apart from
the spiritual benefits, (In Transcendental Meditation, the existence of
a fourth major state of Consciousness called Transcendental
Consciousness was proved by Dr Keith Wallace in his Phd Thesis )
practical Yoga teachers showed that Meditation also produced other
beneficial effects such as reduction of tension, lowering of BP,
relaxation of muscles, increase of concentration & work efficiency
& even increase of immunological resistance to diseases. As a
result, some form of Meditation has become an essential part of
most holistic health programmes.( Dr Harold Bloomfied says that
TM can be used as an adjunct to psychiatric practice.)
The success of Acupuncture, herbology etc which came to be
recognised as ‘ Alternative Medicine ” , lent much support to
the holistic health position. Two great discoveries strengthened
this position. One was the discovery of ‘biological clocks’ in
nature and the existence of biorhythms in the human body. The
other discovery was that the brain produced certain neuro-
modulators called endorphins which have the property of
reducing pain. The production of these natural painkillers is
influenced by our thoughts and endorphins are