Foundation study looks at yoga and meditation for lowering blood pressure

Dr. Sheldon Tobe, executive for the Canadian Hypertension Education Program, is being funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation to study how effectively stress-relief techniques such as yoga and meditation can reduce blood pressure.

According to the earlier InterHeart study, stress was the one modifiable risk factor that accounted for 90% of first heart attacks. This may be because stress is linked to high blood pressure – a condition affecting five million Canadians.

The symptoms are often silent and most people require medication to control their blood pressure. Hopefully, Dr. Tobe’s study will discover whether or not patients can reduce the need for medication by using mindfulness based stress relaxation therapy (MBSR).

MBSR is a stress reduction program that takes place over an eight-to-12 week period and is designed to teach people to reduce stress in their lives. At the end of the 12 weeks of the MBSR program, the team will compare the blood pressure of those who participated in the program to those who did not. Results may be known within the next two years.

Lifestyle modifications such as physical activity, diet, and reducing salt are also important therapies to reduce blood pressure and potentially help lower the necessary doses of blood-pressure lowering drugs.

Find out more about stress-reduction techniques.

Learn more about the prevention of modifiable risk factors.

To help fund the Foundation’s 900 researchers and research teams such as Dr. Tobe's across Canada, please make a donation today.

Posted: October, 2008

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is provided for reference and education only. This Web article is not intended to be a substitute for a physician’s advice, diagnosis or treatment. The contents do not necessarily represent the Foundation’s opinion or policies and the Heart and Stroke Foundation assumes no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or omission of information or from the use of any information or advice in this article.