Dr Ramesh Manocha talks about the quantity of serious research exploring meditation published on MEDLINE in this excerpt from his thesis.
The maximum yearly output for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of meditation was in 2000–2001 when 12 RCTs were reported in MEDLINE. In the same time period 106 RCTs for fluoxetine, as an example of a mainstream medication, and 98 RCTs for acupuncture, as an example of a complementary medicine, were published. The rate of publication of RCTs on meditation is poor in comparison to other therapeutic modalities in either the mental health or complementary and alternative medicine genres.
The maximum yearly output was in 2000–2001 when 12 RCTs were reported in MEDLINE. In the same time period 106 RCTs for fluoxetine, as an example of a mainstream medication, and 98 RCTs for acupuncture, as an example of a complementary medicine, were published. The rate of publication of RCTs on meditation is poor in comparison to other therapeutic modalities in either the mental health or complementary and alternative medicine genres.