ABSTRACT
This study is the first of its kind to systematically investigate the relationship between the clinical practice of Maharishi á¾¹yurVeda pulse assessment and cardiovascular health. Given that cardiovascular disease is a major threat to the health of people in many countries, the question of diagnostic validity of a traditional, non-invasive method of health assessment is an important one for prevention and therapeutics. For this reason, we investigated the diagnostic validity of examining the pulse of patients using the technique of Maharishi Nadi-Vigyan compared to an objective measure of blood pressure and to self-reports of other cardiovascular risk factors. The study sample consisted of 160 participants at a Maharishi á¾¹yurVeda clinic in the United States and assessed consistency of diagnoses between Maharishi Nadi-Vigyan and hypertension as measured by blood pressure using a standard sphygmomanometer, and patient self-reports of elevated cholesterol, insomnia, and psychological stress (operationalised in this study as 'state of mind'). Our findings showed diagnostic validity of 95% for hypertension by Maharishi Nadi-Vigyan compared to objectively measured hypertension. For elevated cholesterol, insomnia, and psychological stress, the agreement was 76%. Previous studies assessed the reliability of conventional forms of pulse examination in á¾¹yurVeda and found relatively low levels of both inter-rater and within-rater reliability, whereas the present study of Maharishi Nadi-Vigyan found generally higher levels. These findings have implications for the use of Maharishi Nadi-Vigyan as a diagnostic approach in the context of holistic, integrated, and preventive healthcare offered by Maharishi á¾¹yurVeda. We conclude the study with a discussion of key theoretical domains which underpin the findings, namely the traditional forms of á¾¹yurVeda and Nadi-Vigyan, and the introduction of next generation Maharishi á¾¹yurVeda and Maharishi Nadi-Vigyan. Finally, we consider the influence pulse assessment might have on the future of cardiovascular healthcare.
