Treatment for High Blood Pressure – Qigong, Yoga, Meditation, Biofeedback

In a study conducted in Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, a group of 62 older people who have high blood pressure were engaged in either a brisk walking program or a less strenuous tai chi class. The results have shown that both groups have a dramatic improvement in lowering their high blood pressures even if the program engaged in tai chi seemed to be at less strenuous workout. So if you were not that outgoing kind of person, tai chi would be good for you.

YOGA

Indian researchers tested a group of high blood pressure sufferers. They were encouraged to practice a yoga routine for two to three times a day. The results have shown that after 6 months in the program, the average blood pressure went down from 153/103 mm Hg to 139/90 mm Hg.

MEDITATION

As mentioned, stress constricts our blood vessels and simultaneously makes our heart beat faster and harder. This combination shoots our blood pressures to high levels. Relaxation has been found to dilate or open up our blood vessels, calms our heart and decrease our stress hormones. Through relaxation blood pressure goes down.

A Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson, M.D. has proven that transcendental meditation (TM) can lower the blood pressure. He has developed his own version of meditation called the relaxation response. The relaxation response involves 20 minutes of deep breathing, during which you close your eyes, empty your mind, and focus on a single word or phrase. By practicing his relaxation response he established that stress-related high blood pressures could actually be controlled through deep relaxation.

VISUALIZATION

See your high blood pressure falling by visualization technique. Visualization exercises are another relaxation technique than can lower blood pressure. Try this visualization technique designed by Dr. Epstein of the Academy of Integrative Medicine and Mental Imagery. Close your eyes and breath deeply. Imagine that you are opening your freezer and removing several ice cubes. Imagine that you slowly rub it to your head, face and neck. Feel the coolness seeping through your skin and into your blood stream. Envision an icy feeling tumbling from your head to your toes. Open your eyes. Practice this exercise two to three time a day and you will see an improvement in your blood pressure.

BIOFEEDBACK

Through the use of Biofeedback, you will teach your body to lower your blood pressure quickly and easily in a few months. The biofeedback trainer attaches electrodes to various parts of your body and hooks them up to a visual meter. As you tense your muscles, the meter dial moves in one direction; as you relax your muscles, the dial moves the other way. You breathe deeply and focus on moving the needle into the deep relaxation zone.

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