Dr Herbert Benson, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, has been researching and promoting what he calls the “relaxation response” for years. The latest piece of research from his group is Stress Management Versus Lifestyle Modification on Systolic Hypertension and Medication Elimination: A Randomized Trial in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine (that second link goes to the article abstract, because it looks like the current issue is only free to look at online until the next issue comes out).
The study looked at elderly people with high systolic blood pressure (that is, the maximum pressure as the heart contracts; the diastolic pressure is the minimum pressure as it relaxes). Hypertension or high blood pressure is very common in the elderly, and as the study notes costs billions of dollars a year to treat.
What the researchers did was compare a group who received lifestyle advice alone with a group who received lifestyle advice and training in the “relaxation response”, a simple practice which, incidentally, I recommend to all my clients (see my Relaxation Response Practice page). They found that a significantly greater percentage of the people in the relaxation group met the criteria to successfully stop taking a blood pressure medication while retaining blood pressure control. (This was assessed independently by nurses and physicians who were blind to which group the participants were in.)
This is important because drugs, besides being expensive, can have unwanted side effects, especially for elderly people who take a number of different medications which may interact.
The trial was relatively small (122 participants in total, half each in the control and treatment groups) and only ran for 16 weeks, so, as the researchers note, the results have their limitations. However, they certainly indicate that this simple, non-drug, non-surgical and extremely inexpensive treatment is worth further investigation. Learning to relax is not going to harm anyone, and this and numerous other studies by the Benson-Henry Institute seem to show clear health benefits.
Related posts:
- Relaxation Response PracticeThe relaxation response practice recording is for people who like...
- Non-drug alternatives to the top 20 prescription drugsBecause I’m currently doing a series on positive psychology, when...
- Healthy Lifestyle: Therapeutic RelaxationTherapeutic Relaxation Enjoy therapeutic relaxation and benefit your mental, emotional...
- Compassion meditation and the stress responseMedical News Today reports a study in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology...
- The Blue Prescription: “Relax”For over 10 years now, New Zealand general practitioners and...