The new research was conducted by doctors at Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
The technique developed by Dr. Herbert Benson is called “the relaxation response” and indicated that 32 per cent of those who volunteered to experiment with it were able to eliminate one blood pressure medication and still keep their blood pressure under control, compared with 14 per cent in another group that focused on lifestyle changes to help reduce blood pressure.
Blood pressure is the force that a wave of blood propelled from the heart exerts on the arteries.
It is measured at two points; each measurement is recorded in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Systolic pressure gauges the pressure in the arteries at systole, the instant when the heart contracts and pushes a wave of blood along the arterial tree. It is the top number of a blood pressure reading.
On its part, the diastolic pressure reflects the pressure during diastole, the brief period of relaxation between beats. It is the bottom number of a blood pressure reading. The report, titled “Relax your way to lower blood pressure”, is contained in the latest edition of Health beat, a publication of the Harvard Medical School.
The report reads: “The easiest way to lower blood pressure is by popping a pill. It takes just a few seconds and you are finished.
But pills cost money and often have side effects. Fully relaxing your body and your mind for a few minutes a day could lower your systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure reading) by 10 points or more—at no cost, and with no side effects.”
0 Comments