Non-Traditional Therapies Can Be Helpful in High Blood Pressure Treatment
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — New research finds that some non-traditional approaches can lend a helping hand to standard medical practice.
One in three Americans suffers from hypertension — better known as high blood pressure — according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While millions take medications to the condition under control, a new study by the American Heart Association, published in the journal Hypertension, finds that alternative approaches can also be helpful.
Researchers reviewed the effects of such techniques as yoga, acupuncture, exercise and relaxation. They found that aerobic exercise, resistance or strength training and even isometric hand-grip exercises can help people reduce blood pressure.
There’s one important caution, however: The study authors warn that the effects of these activities are modest, and they are not replacements for such standard treatments as medications, weight loss and quitting smoking, which have been proven successful.
Additionally, the study found that yoga and acupuncture alone were not sufficiently effective against high blood pressure.
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