Relax your way to Lower Blood Pressure
Relax your way to Lower Blood Pressure
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.
Researchers with the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital compared a stress management technique called the relaxation response with education about lifestyle changes such as sodium reduction, weight loss, and exercise. They found:
• Blood pressure decreased more in the relaxation response group
• 32% of the volunteers in that group were able to eliminate one blood pressure medication and still keep their blood pressure under control, compared with 14% of the lifestyle group.
The relaxation response, developed by Harvard's Dr. Herbert Benson, has been shown to reduce heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle tension. Here's how to do it:
• Select a word (such as "one" or "peace"), a short phrase, or a prayer to focus on.
• Sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
• Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, and so on, up to your neck and face.
• Breathe slowly through your nose, silently saying your focus word, phrase, or prayer to yourself as you exhale.
• When other thoughts come to mind, don't worry. Simply return your attention to your focus word, phrase, or prayer.
• Do this for 10–20 minutes.
• Sit quietly for a minute or so, then open your eyes.
• Practice the relaxation response once or twice a day. more
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.
Researchers with the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital compared a stress management technique called the relaxation response with education about lifestyle changes such as sodium reduction, weight loss, and exercise. They found:
• Blood pressure decreased more in the relaxation response group
• 32% of the volunteers in that group were able to eliminate one blood pressure medication and still keep their blood pressure under control, compared with 14% of the lifestyle group.
The relaxation response, developed by Harvard's Dr. Herbert Benson, has been shown to reduce heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle tension. Here's how to do it:
• Select a word (such as "one" or "peace"), a short phrase, or a prayer to focus on.
• Sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
• Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, and so on, up to your neck and face.
• Breathe slowly through your nose, silently saying your focus word, phrase, or prayer to yourself as you exhale.
• When other thoughts come to mind, don't worry. Simply return your attention to your focus word, phrase, or prayer.
• Do this for 10–20 minutes.
• Sit quietly for a minute or so, then open your eyes.
• Practice the relaxation response once or twice a day. more
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Mukesh. You do not need a Doctor to do this: The relaxation response, developed by Harvard's Dr. Herbert Benson, has been shown to reduce heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle tension. Here's how to do it: • Select a word (such as "one" or "peace"), a short phrase, or a prayer to focus on. • Sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes. • Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, and so on, up to your neck and face. • Breathe slowly through your nose, silently saying your focus word, phrase, or prayer to yourself as you exhale. • When other thoughts come to mind, don't worry. Simply return your attention to your focus word, phrase, or prayer. • Do this for 10–20 minutes. • Sit quietly for a minute or so, then open your eyes. • Practice the relaxation response once or twice a day. more
Nov 04
WORTH A MILLION ! IS IT NOT SHAVAASANA ? VERY EFFECTIVE-- IT TUNES YOUR MUSCLES AS WELL AND MAKE TO AGILE. more
Nov 04
I wish to share. Yesterday when I was about to sit in my car for my way back home in the evening something triggered my blood pressure up. I ignored it and started driving my car. I had no medicine with me. And soon I found that mild angina pain developed and I thought that I am in trouble. Traffic was so congested that i found no place to stop my car and decided to continue driving. Pain increased. I thought that on the way I will stop in a market and buy my medicine and after taking my medicine I will complete my journey to home. But in anxiety I missed the turn to the market and now I faced the real danger. Pain and stiffness was increasing and my anxiety further worsened the problem. I was still more than halfway from my home. (about twenty minutes driving still remaining.) I felt that in few minutes driving will be quite difficult for me. Finding myself completely helpless I started chanting "Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaye". As my car windows were completely shut, I could afford to chant quite loud also. And I was greatly relieved to notice that in five minutes or so my pain started subsiding and stiffness in the chest vanished. I did not stop chanting and reached home safely. I reached for my medicine and relaxed myself with 20 minute meditation. It worked well. Dr Raja Chandra I am really grateful to you for your tips which come so handy. But the way we human beings are made we tend to forget and do what should we not do and do not do what we should do for good health. You know I had indulged in sweets in the festive season and on the particular day of the event I had eaten two bread pakoras. This all knowing fully well that I am not supposed to do all this. Please keep on repeating your tips. I need them frequently. Thank You. more
Oct 30
