- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- Overweight Moms More Likely to Have Asthmatic Kids
- Climate Change Could Sting Allergy, Asthma Sufferers
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Relaxation Tapes or Mozart Lower Blood Pressure
- Should Your Child Be Seeing a Chiropractor?
- Quit Smoking the Holistic Way
- ANIMAL CARE
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- BONES & JOINTS
- Autumn Sees More Women With Bunion Problems
- Vitamin K Doesn't Slow Bone Loss
- Backpack Safety Should Be on Back-to-School Lists
- CANCER
- Ginger Can Ease Nausea From Chemotherapy Treatments
- Meditation May Reduce Stress in Breast Cancer Patients
- HPV Vaccine Has Higher Allergic Reaction Rate
- CAREGIVING
- Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Help 'Preemie' Girls' Brains
- Mild Flu Season Coming to a Close
- Newborn Screenings Now Required Across U.S.
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good
- Firefighters Have Narrower-Than-Normal Arteries, Study Finds
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- COSMETIC
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease
- Study Links Osteoporosis Drugs to Jaw Trouble
- Gum Care Helps Control Type 2 Diabetes and Its Complications
- DIABETES
- Patients' Photos Help Boost Radiologists' Accuracy
- Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Updated
- Brown Rice Bests White for Diabetes Prevention
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Meat Additives May Be Dangerous for Kidney Patients
- Even in 'Last Supper,' Portion Sizes Have Grown
- Is Your Refrigerator Getting Enough Attention For Your Raw Food Success?
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Arsenic in Drinking Water Raises Diabetes Risk
- Rainy Areas in U.S. Show Higher Autism Rates
- Pilots May Face Greater Cancer Risk
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Clues Found to Brain Mechanism Behind Migraines
- 'Blind' Man Navigates Obstacle Course Without Error
- Eye Test Could Spot Diabetes Vision Trouble Early
- FITNESS
- Marathoners Go the Distance on Heart Health
- Exercise Key Player in Knee Replacement Recovery
- Almost Two-Thirds of Americans Meet Exercise Guidelines
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Life Expectancy in U.S. Hits New High
- Be Healthy, Spend Less
- Living With Less TV, More Sweat Boosts Weight Loss
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Risk Factor for Stroke More Common Among Whites
- Quitting Smoking Doubles Survival in Early Stage Lung Cancer
- Fatty Fish May Cut Heart Failure Risk in Men
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Poor Restroom Cleaning Causes Cruise-Ship Sickness
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- Chinese 'Devil Dung' Plant Could Be a Swine Flu Fighter
- KID'S HEALTH
- Older People at Greater Risk of Swine Flu Death
- School Phys. Ed. Injuries Up 150 Percent
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- MEN'S HEALTH
- The Dark Side of Vegetarianism
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- Drinking Green Tea May Slow Prostate Cancer
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Fear Response May Stem From Protein in Brain
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- Vitamin C Protects Some Elderly Men From Bone Loss
- PREGNANCY
- Heart Defects in Newborns Linked to Antidepressants
- Before Conceiving, Take Folic Acid for One Full Year
- Woman in America Are Delaying Motherhood, Study Says
- SENIORS
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- 15-Point Test Gauges Alzheimer's Risk
- Healthy Diet Could Cut Alzheimer's Disease Risk
Relaxation Tapes or Mozart Lower Blood Pressure
By eHolistic.com Published: 09/17/2008
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Listening to relaxation tapes or classical music by Mozart might reduce your blood pressure if you listen for three times a week or more.
In a study of 41 seniors living in retirement communities, researchers found that regularly listening to relaxation tapes reduced average systolic (the top number) blood pressure readings by 9 mm/Hg, while those who regularly listened to Mozart saw a 7 mm/Hg reduction in their blood pressure.
"This is a simple program that's very easy to do, and blood pressure did decrease," said the study's lead author, Jean Tang, an assistant professor at the College of Nursing at Seattle University in Washington. But, she added, "It won't replace medicine. It can only reduce blood pressure to a certain point -- it's like making lifestyle changes."
What the researchers couldn't investigate was if the drop in blood pressure was enough to make a significant difference in the study volunteers' health.
Tang was expected to present the findings Sept. 17 at the American Heart Association's annual fall conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research, in Atlanta.
"High blood pressure is clearly a very significant and common problem. Approximately one in four people have hypertension, and about two-thirds of people with hypertension aren't adequately controlled," said cardiologist Dr. Robert Ostfeld, of Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
"This is a small, but very interesting study on a very safe and doable intervention," he added, but noted, "It's not clear if the reduction is sustained over time."
Tang's study included two randomly assigned groups of seniors. The first group listened to a 12-minute relaxation tape with the sound of ocean waves along with a man's voice guiding the participants through breathing and relaxation exercises. The second group listened to a 12-minute Mozart sonata. Each group was asked to participate three times a week for four months.
During this time, the researchers took blood pressure readings before the intervention and after. Once the active part of the study was done, the researchers asked the study participants to continue listening to the relaxation tape or to Mozart for three times a week, if possible. The researchers took follow-up blood pressure readings at one month and three months after the active period of the study had ended.
Before the intervention, the average blood pressure for the relaxation tape group was 141/73 mm/Hg; after the intervention, it was 132/70 mm/Hg. For the Mozart group, the average pre-intervention blood pressure was 141/71 mm/Hg; after the intervention, the average was 134/69 mm/Hg.
The differences in systolic blood pressure readings reached statistical significance in both groups. The drop in diastolic pressure (the bottom number) didn't reach statistical significance for either group.
After three months, the researchers found that only about half of the seniors had continued listening to the relaxation tapes or to Mozart three times a week. Tang said the reduction in blood pressure only persisted for those who continued with the intervention program.
Tang said using a relaxation tape with instruction is likely a good supplementary treatment for lowering blood pressure. Eating right and exercising are also important, said both Tang and Ostfeld. "Exercise is the fountain of youth," added Ostfeld.
Both experts cautioned that no one should think that relaxation exercises can replace blood pressure medication. Relaxation or listening to classical music is an additional way to help lower your blood pressure further but isn't an intervention that replaces any others.
-Serena Gordon
More information
The American Academy of Family Physician's FamilyDoctor Web site has more information on getting your blood pressure under control.
SOURCES: Jean Tang, Ph.D., assistant professor, College of Nursing at Seattle University, Seattle, Wash.; Robert Ostfeld, M.D., cardiologist, associate professor of clinical medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City; Sept. 17, 2008, presentation, the American Heart Association's annual fall conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research, Atlanta
Last Updated: Sept. 17, 2008
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