Health Tip: 20 Minutes to Lower Blood Pressure

This is is a case of mind over medicine.  In a study of 122 people who had high blood pressure despite taking two or more drugs, those who practiced the relaxation response (RR) for 20 minutes a day for eight weeks were over four times  more likely to get off one of their medications than a comparable group who received only health counseling. 

RR consists of focusing on a word, sound, or prayer to help the body enter a resting state with lower heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.  What was string about this research was that participants all had elevated systolic pressure (the upper number), “which is often hard to get under control,” notes study leader Randal Zusman, M.D., of Massachussets General Hospital  Heart Center.  “I was very skeptical going in – but the outcome was impressinve,” he says, adding that the response is “inexpensive, effective, and free of side effects.”