Editor's Choice Main Category: Hypertension Also Included In: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine;Sports Medicine / Fitness;Cardiovascular / Cardiology Article Date: 19 May 2013 - 1:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Yoga Can Help Lower Blood Pressure

Desirable or normal blood pressure is generally considered to be below 120/80 (one-twenty over eighty). Where 120 represents the systolic measurement and 80 represents the diastolic measurement.

However, high blood pressure, also known as the "silent killer", affects approximately one billion people worldwide, with nearly 1 in three adults in the U.S suffering from the condition. Many patients with mild hypertension would prefer alternative methods of lowering their blood pressure than chronic lifelong treatment with medication. Yoga is becoming increasingly popular and is viewed as a possible alternative.

In this study, Dr. Debbie Cohen of the University of Pennsylvania, led a team of researchers to evaluate exactly the effect yoga had on blood pressure among a total of 58 women and men, aged 38 to 62.

The researchers said:

The 58 participants were divided into three different groups:

Patients who followed a specialized diet but didn't participate in the yoga program also experienced a drop in blood pressure, although it was smaller compared to those in the yoga group.

The yoga group experienced an average of three points for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, from 133/80 to 130/77, whereas the controlled diet group - who did not practice yoga - saw only a decrease of one point, from 134/83 to 132/82.

Surprisingly, those who followed both a special diet as well as the yoga program didn't experience a greater drop in blood pressure compared to those who were part of the yoga group alone.

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Yoga Can Help Lower Blood Pressure