Meditation is not a fitting member of a list of "treatments that many regard as having unproven efficacy at best" ("No 'magic bullet': try this amulet", 18 November).
The mental-health benefits that meditation can offer are widely accepted by professionals. Meditation has been supported by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines since 2004 (in the form of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) and there are numerous academic studies showing its benefits.
Meditation is also the subject of a major campaign spearheaded by the Mental Health Foundation, and a high proportion of universities now run meditation sessions for their students. It has, in one form or another, become a mainstream way of supporting general wellbeing.
Edward Pinkney, Associate member of staff, Leeds Metropolitan University; Director of Mental Wealth UK.