Some Alternatives May Cut Blood Pressure

Some alternative treatments may slightly lower blood pressure, a new report says. But the only non-drug treatment with strong, proven benefit is aerobic exercise. Those are the conclusions of an American Heart Association (AHA) review of research. It found that transcendental meditation (TM), biofeedback and guided breathing may help some people. But the effects on blood pressure were small. Other types of meditation did not lower blood pressure. Neither did yoga or acupuncture. Aerobic exercise had the strongest research support. It also lowered blood pressure more than any treatment other than medicine. The AHA recommends aerobic exercise for most people with pre-hypertension or high blood pressure. Resistance exercise that involves movement also may lower blood pressure, the report says. People should follow their doctors' advice about whether to take medicine for blood pressure. Alternative treatments can be a supplement, not a substitute. The journal Hypertension published the report. HealthDay News wrote about it April 22.

By Howard LeWine, M.D.
Harvard Medical School

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

Sixty million Americans know they have high blood pressure (hypertension). But fewer than half have it under control. Why is that? High blood pressure alone rarely causes symptoms. And taking pills for something that doesn't make you feel bad can be hard to swallow.

So many people with high blood pressure seek alternative means to help lower their blood pressure. Methods include relaxation exercises, meditation, biofeedback, yoga and acupuncture. How much can any of these lower your blood pressure readings?

A large group of researchers has tried to answer that question. They did an exhaustive review of studies that looked at alternative therapies. They also included studies that looked at the impact of regular exercise on blood pressure.

Many studies have looked at exercise and high blood pressure. Of the different types of exercise, the researchers found that regular aerobic exercise lowered blood pressure the most. And aerobic exercise was better than any of the alternative therapies.

Interestingly, dynamic resistance training also helped lower blood pressure. You can do dynamic resistance exercises with free weights or resistance machines. Your muscles and joints are moving during these exercises. On the other hand, isometric exercises do not appear to improve blood pressure. These exercises put stress on your muscles without any movement. Using a hand grip is one example.

The authors found fewer well-done studies on alternative therapies. Their analysis suggests that deep meditation, biofeedback and some relaxation techniques lowered blood pressure a little. The few studies available on yoga and acupuncture suggested no benefit.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

Most importantly, get your blood pressure checked. Normal blood pressure is a reading of no higher than 120/80. Readings between 120/80 and 139/89 show pre-hypertension. And high blood pressure is defined as multiple readings of 140/90 and higher.

Lifestyle changes might help prevent you from needing medicines. And even if you need to take drugs to lower blood pressure, you likely will need fewer pills and lower doses.

Regular aerobic exercise has been a standard recommendation to help lower blood pressure. Your goal is to work up to moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. Ideally, strive for 45 to 60 minutes at each session. But even 20 to 30 minutes makes a difference.

In addition:

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Choose low-fat dairy foods.
• Eat less salt.
• Include foods rich in potassium in your diet, unless you have kidney disease.
• If you are a man who drinks alcohol, have no more than two drinks per day. Women should have no more than one drink per day.
• Don't smoke.

What Can I Expect Looking to the Future?

Similar to most medical studies, this one looked at average benefits for each alternative therapy. Many people did not see lower blood pressures from one or more of these methods. But some did. So you might find that stress reduction, meditation or some other technique works for you.