Hypertension
Research
Alternative
& Complementary Therapies
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Aromatherapy
& Hypertension
Work carried out
by Dr. Gary Schwartz, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Yale University, found
that the aromas of some essential oils by themselves reduced blood pressure. The scent of
spice apple, for example, was found to reduce blood pressure by an average of 3 to 5
points in healthy volunteers.(2) The following essential oils are also beneficial in the
treatment of hypertension.
Chamomile - relaxant and calmative
Clary Sage - antispasmodic
Cypress - anti-spasmodic
Lavender - relaxant and calmative
Marjarom - emotional balancer
Rose - anti depressant
Rosewood - calmative
Ylang Ylang - sedative and antidepressant
The therapeutic massage combined with selected essential
oils makes aromatherapy an excellent aid in countering the effects of stress and inducing
relaxation.
Guidelines for using aromatherapy essential oils: -
Essential oils can be used at home in one of the following ways:-
Massage - mix 5 -10 drops to 10 ml of a vegetable base oil.
Baths - add 5 -10 drops to a pre-run bath and swish.
Inhalation - add 2 - 3 drops to a bowl of steaming water, cover head with a towel.
Tissue - put one drop on a tissue and inhale when required.
Room - put between 1 - 10 drops in a humidifier filled with water or on a piece of cotton
wool and place on a radiator.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not take any oils internally or use on
babies under 18 months. Always consult a qualified aromatherapist before using any
essential oils to treat a health problem, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
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Yoga
& Hypertension
Yoga is a complete science, focusing on breathing, movement, posture and meditation.
Specific exercises are taught consisting mainly of simple stretching, breathing and
relaxation. There is a wealth of scientific research available confirming that advanced
yogis have remarkable control over the functioning of their nervous system, heart and
lungs. Subjects have demonstrated their ability to drastically reduce their heart beat and
respiration for hours at a time under clinical studies. In one study involving 3,000 yoga
students carried out by the Yoga Bio-Medical Trust (Cambridge, England), 84% of those
people who were suffering from hyper-tension (and there were 150 in number), claimed that
they had benefited from the practice of yoga. Controlled trials have confirmed that yoga
promotes vitality and is effective in management of heart conditions, including high blood
pressure (3)
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Meditation &
Relaxation
& Hypertension
It is commonly accepted that people who are chronically tense
and who cannot relax are prime candidates for all cardio-vascular disorders, including
hypertension.
Researchers have shown that relaxation techniques are
demonstrably effective in stress control and in the treatment of high blood pressure. For
example, Dr Chandra Patel, author of 'The Complete Guide to Stress Management' (Optima
1992) reported several controlled studies in which patients with high blood pressure had
significantly improved (4). Other investigators reported that relaxation techniques
including yoga, transcendental meditation and biofeedback have all been effective in
helping reduce high blood pressure. (5)
Medical journalist, Audry Carli also described research in
the American journal 'Bestways' in which 21 Hypertensive patients were divided into two
groups; one group was given drugs and the other received drugs plus relaxation lessons.
Interestingly the former group had an average reduction in systolic blood pressure of 1.1
whereas the group who did relaxation exercises had an average reduction of 13.6 points!
This suggests that relaxation can make other treatments and therapies as much as 12 times
more effective.
Added weight was given in two reports in the Lancet (6)
which stated that transcendental meditation was effective in lowering high blood pressure,
and other researchers have demonstrated that Biofeedback helps control high blood pressure
(7)
Adequate rest and relaxation are therefore essential in all
cases of hypertension. Researchers using a variety of relaxation techniques including
yoga, transcendental meditation and bio feedback, have observed a blood pressure reduction
in many patients. Relaxation is therefore, along with diet, one of the most important
factors in helping lower high blood pressure.
Footnotes
(1) Nalda Gosling FNIMH - Successful Herbal Remedies
(Thorsons 1985)
(2) The Complete Book of Massage - Clare Maxwell Hudson Dorling Kindersley 1988 p.18
(3) The Natural Doctor - Dr Andrew Stanway, Centaury 1987
(4) A Holistic Approach to cardiovascular disease Dr C Patel - BJ Holistic Med 1984 1, 30
- 41 & Trial of Relaxation in reducing coronary risk BMJ 1985 290, 1103-6.
(5) New England Journal of Medicine 8/1/76
(6) 23/2/74 & 21/1/76
(7) Learning Visceral and Glandular responses - Science 163, 434-5 N.E.Miller ;
Insturmental conditioning of autonomically mediated behaviour- Psychological Bulletin 67,
337
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Autogenic
training
& Hypertension
Autogenic training can achieve significant benefits for patient
suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure) according to a recent
study conducted at Tokyo’s women’s medical college, Daini Hospital,
Japan.
Ten patients with
hypertension were monitored every 30 minutes for a week immediately prior to
the autogenic training, and again for a further period of one week at one or
two months following the start of the autogenic training (which was
practised three times, daily).
The results revealed that
statistically significant reductions of 7-17mm Hg were seen in five patients
and the overall group reduction in systolic blood pressure was 8mm Hg.
Diastolic blood pressure was also reduced, however the amount of the
reduction was not significant.
The researchers concluded
that the beneficial effects of autogenic training on systolic blood pressure
indicates that it is a useful ‘first-line treatment for patients with an
excessive circadian blood pressure amplitude (a condition which, even in the
absence of high blood pressure, is associated with increased risk of
developing ischaemic stroke or nephropathy.
Watanabe Y et Al.
Chronobiometric assessment of autogenic training effects upon blood pressure
and heart rate. Percept Motor Skills 83(3/2)Dec 1996; 1395-410.
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Vegetarianism & Hypertension
Hypertension, or high blood
pressure, can contribute to heart disease, strokes and kidney failure. A
number of studies have shown vegetarians to have lower blood pressures
than non-vegetarians (Sacks, 1974, Armstrong, 1977).
A vegetarian diet has also been shown to reduce blood pressure in
hypertensive patients (Margetts, 1986).
The reason-for the low blood pressure associated with vegetarian diets
is unclear. The relative leanness of vegetarians is one suggestion, as is
the effect of reduced sodium or increased potassium or calcium in the
diets of vegetarians.
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Biofeedback
& Hypertension
Researchers at the Department of Behavioural Sciences, Ben-Gurion University
of the Negev, Beers heva, Israel evaluated the long term effect of a program
of biofeedback-assisted relaxation on hypertensive patients.
Twenty mild hypertensive patients were subjected to a mental arithmetic
stress test before and six months after completing biofeedback-assisted
relaxation therapy. The therapy consisted of 10 sessions of
biofeedback-assisted relaxation instruction and continuous home practise.
The study group was compared to a control group. The biofeedback-assisted
relaxation treatment produced a mild improvement in blood pressure control
and also led to a decrease in the dose of drugs used as well as a decrease
in state-anxiety. The stress-induced increases in systolic blood pressure,
diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, galvanic skin response and skin
temperature were all significantly alleviated six months after completion of
biofeedback-assisted relaxation treatment.
Paran E.;Amir M.; Yaniv N. Evaluating the response of mild hypertensives
to biofeedback-assisted relaxa-tion using a mental stress test. Journal of
Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry (United King-dom),1996, 27/2
(157-167)
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