Scientific research has shown that modification of behaviour and perceptions can be achieved without surgical or pharmaceutical intervention. This goes by the name of psychotherapy. In particular, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been shown to work in randomized controlled trials [1].
As such therapies involve only guiding and helping people to think differently, it demonstrates that such guidance has have scientifically measurable effects on the mind and body.
It follows from the above that the likelihood that practices such as meditation could have non-zero effects is high. Whether Vipassana itself does so could therefore be tested in the same manner as CBT was, and perhaps that is what should be done...
As such therapies involve only guiding and helping people to think differently, it demonstrates that such guidance has have scientifically measurable effects on the mind and body.
It follows from the above that the likelihood that practices such as meditation could have non-zero effects is high. Whether Vipassana itself does so could therefore be tested in the same manner as CBT was, and perhaps that is what should be done...
[1]https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=randomized+contro...