Pages

Labels

12th anniversary 21st Amendment Monk's Blood Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien abhyasa abuse abyss active vs. passive poses acute pain agility agitated depression ahimsa Al-Aksir alasya ale alesmith alignment Allagash anatomy Anchor Brewing Anchor Brewing Company anchor steam Anchor Steam Brewing and moderation Andrea Gilats Angel's Share anger ankle circles ankle injuries ankle joint ankle problems ankle sprains anti-aging solution anxiety aparigraha appetite arm pain arm strength arms arthralgia arthritis arthritis (menopause) arthritis of shoulder joint atrial fibrillation avery avery maharaja award winning beer store ayurveda B.K. Bose baba back care back extensor muscles back pain balance Ballast Point baltic thunder bandhas bandwagon of healthy eating baroreceptors basque cider Baxter Baxter Bell bay area beer beer beer advocate beer castro beer club beer club san francisco beer list Beer of the Month beer of the month club beer pong beer shop san francisco beer store Belgian beer belgian beer glasses belgian beer san francisco Belgium. Japanese best beer store in the world BFM Bhagavad Gita Bhramari Bikram Choudhury biological clock Birra Troll Birrifio bitches brew Bittersweet Lenny black butte black lager blood lactate blood pressure body image bone strength Bonnie Maeda bottle bag bourbon Brad Gibson brain strength Brasserie Caracole breath breath practices Brettanomyces Beer Brewing Bridge pose Bridget Frederick Bruery Coton Bruery Mischief Bruery Saison De Lente bruising Brussels Bruton beer bursitis bypass surgery California beer Callifornia beer caloric restriction Cantillon cantillon san francisco Carol Krucoff cascade apricot cascade sang rouge cask strength sake Castro Cat pose Cat-Cow pose cataracts central nervous system cervical nerves Chair Cat pose Chair Downward-Facing Dog pose Chair Purvottansana chair yoga chair yoga sequence challenging pose charlie papazian chatoe rogue cheese Child's pose children Chimay chimay san francisco chocolate indulgence chondromalacia christmas beer chronic illness chronic inflammation chronic pain chronic stress cognitive decline cognitive health collapsed lung commenting comments community community yoga compassion compression of joints connective tissue conscious relaxation contacting writers contentment cortisol counter-poses Cow pose craft beer craft beer san francisco craft beer store craft brew creaky knees Cucapa Barley wine Cuvee de Tomme Cuvee des Champions Damnation dave hauslein david hausein David Hauslein Dayna Macy De Dolle De Proef De Ranke Dead Guy Ale Decadence Pomegranite Saison Decadent Evil degenerative disc disease dementia dental disease depression Depuceleuse san francisco DFH Faithful Ale DFH Twenty dharana dhyana dhyanam diabetes diet digestion digestive disorders digestive system dogfish head Dogfish Head Theobroma Dolphin pose dominus vibiscum doshas double ipa Downward-Facing Dog pose Downward-Facing Dog pose (variations) drake's denogginizer Drie Fontinen duck feet Eagle pose Easy Inverted Pose eating habits eating healthy Einbecker El Camino (un) real emotional wellbeing endorphins endurance training enteric brain equanimity eric's ale European Society of Cardiology exercise extensor muscles eye floaters eye problems facebook beer Fantome fatigue feet felt real happiness fifty fifty brewing company Firestone Walker first growth first trimester fizzy yoga Flanders flat feet Flemish Primitive flemish sour ale flexibility Food pyramid guide forehead skin forward bends fred echardt front body frozen shoulder full sail topsail fun gait Gandhi ganglion cysts Garudasana genetics Georg Feuerstein George Gale ginjo Gonzo goose island goose island san francisco Goouden Carolus gouden carolus Grand Cru greed grief grow your own Gueuze gueuze girardin Haandbryggeriet hakutsuru Halasana (supported) hands Handstand Hanssens lambic happiness hard cider head position head rush headaches health care professionals healthy aging healthy eating Healthy Eating Ideas healthy spirits healthy spirits Mikkeller 1000 IBU healthy spirits san francisco healthy spirits. Deschutes Jubel Ale 2010 healthy spirits. san francisco healthy spirits. san francisco beer healthy spriits healthy style of eating heart problems Hedonist Beer Jive herbs hernias high blood pressure himsa Hinduism hip arthritis hip dysplasia hip replacements history of yoga Hitachino Nest Hitachino XH hoarding home brew home practice home yoga practice hop wallop Howe Sound Hugh Malone hummus hypertension hypotension ida immune system inflammation inguinal hernias injuries insomnia Inverted Lake pose Irritable Bowel Syndrome Jalandara Bandha Japanese beer jatharagni jay hinman jizake John John joint health joint pain joint replacement joints Jolly Pumpkin Jon Kabat-Zinn Judith Lasater kampai karma yoga karuna Kausthub Desikachar kidney kleshas knee alignment knee joint knee pain knee replacement Koningshoeven Krishnamacharya Krishnmacharya kundalini lactic acid lager Lambic large women leg cramps leg length discrepancy (LLD) Legs Up the Wall pose life coaching Life Coaching Executives Life coaching problems ligaments lips of faith longevity Lost Abbey Lost Abbey Brewing Company low back low back pain low blood pressure Luciernaga Lucifer lying male hormones male menopause malnutrition Man Bites Downward-Facing Dog marijuana marin brewing barrel aged old dipsea massage medical advice medical conditions (informing teacher of) medical conditions (yoga for) meditation Melina Meza Melitta Rorty men menopause mental health Mephistopholes micro brew micro-brew middle-eastern Midnight Sessions Lager Midnight sun brewing midnight sun hop dog midnight sun san francisco migraines Mikkeller Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Mikkeller Black Mikkeller chipotle porter mind-body connection mindful yoga mindfulness mini office yoga sequence mini yoga practices miracle mission statement mood Morton's Neuroma motivation Mountain pose Multiple Sclerosis Muriel Zimmerman music nadis napa smith nate breed neck anatomy neck pain neuroma neuropsychiatric disorders new arrivals new belgium new releases nigori Nina Zolotow Niroga Institute noble pils nocturnal leg cramps Nogne-O non-hoarding non-violence Norwegian beer nutrient-dense foods oak aged oak aged ale oatmeal stout Odonata Rorie's Ale odonata saison office yoga Old Inventory Barleywine ommegang Ommegeddon oral hygiene Orval osteoarthritis osteopenia osteoporosis Oyster Stout pain pain management parabola partner yoga Paschima Namaskarana Paschimottanasana passive vs. active poses Patricia Walden Paul Grilley peanuts Pearl Jam Pearl Jam Beer pelvis perimenopause pes planus philosophy physio-yoga pigeon toes pingula pinto plantar fascitis Pliny the Elder Pliny the Younger Plow pose (supported) pneumothorax Port Brewing postural control posture Powerful pose practice practice (changing your) prana prana vayu pranayama pratipaksha bhavanam pregnancy private lessons proprioception psoas Puppy pose purusathas Purvottanasana Purvottansansa quadruppel questions R. Sriram Ram Rao rami barqawi Rami's Mommy's range of motion (ROM) rate beer ratebeer real ale Reclined Cobbler's pose red lentils Redemption relaxation Relaxation pose relaxation response religion (and yoga) resistance training resting restless leg syndrome restorative backbend restorative yoga retreats Reverse Prayer pose Richard Rosen Rodenbach barrel 230 Rogue Brewery Russian River Russian River Sanctification sacroiliac joint sacrum sacrum (anatomy of) safety saint somewhere saison Saison Du BUFF sake Salvation samana vayu samaranth san francisco san francisco Beer San Francisco beer store San Francisco Beer Week san francisco bottle shop san francisco craft brew san francisco fantome san francisco odonata santosha Sarah Powers Sarvangasana (supported) satya saucha Savasana scalene muscles scar tissue Schaerbeekse Kriek Schlenkerla Ur-Bock Schneider scientific studies Sculpin sedentary behavior Seedstore seniors sequencing Setu Bandha Shari Ser shochu shoulder blades shoulder joint (arthritis of) shoulder joint replacement shoulders shoulders. sequences Shoulderstand (supported) sierra nevada sierra nevada 30th anniversary Signature Ale sitting-rising sleep smiling soy speedway stout spiritual health spiritual wellness split peas squatting steenbrugge stem cell regeneration stillwater Stone stone brewing company stopping yoga practice store hours beer strength stress stress management stress response Stretching stroke strong cheese styana suffering Sukasana supplements Supplication Supported Child's Pose Supported Forward Bend Supta Badha Konasana surgery sushumna nadi Swiss beer Table pose tabouli Tadasana teacher (choosing) teachers teaching seniors Temptation testosterone Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day Schedule The abyys san francisco The Bruery Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Thoreau tilting the pelvis timing poses Timothy McCall top sail toronado total knee replacement towards healing and finding the solution transferring transitions trappist trauma trial run coaching session truth tucking the pelvis TV Twilight and Life Coaching ujjayi breath unfiltered sake unibroue Upavista Konasana upper body flexibility upper body strength Upward Plank pose Upward-Facing Plank pose urthel Utkatasana val dieu Valley Brewing Company variety vata vayu vegetarian way vertical epic vestibular system victory Victory at Sea viloma breath vintage beer violence Viparita Karani vyana vayu Warrior 1 Warrior 2 pose Warrior 3 wedge weight loss weight management wild ale wild devil will power William Broad workshops wrist problems wrists wu tang clan xyauyu yamas Yin Yoga yoga history Yoga Journal conference yoga nidra yoga philosophy yoga sutras yoga therapy yogic breathing yogic phases of life yulesmith summer

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) and Yoga: An Overview

by Baxter

On these hallowed blog pages, we have previously addressed several conditions that involve our cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels), such as arrhythmias, strokes, hypotension and hypertension (also referred to as High Blood Pressure and Hypertension, or HTN). We even have at least six posts that at least mention HTN. However, due to the large percentage of adults who will develop HTN over the course of their lifetimes, I thought it worth revisiting. In 1999-2002, 28.6% of the U.S. population had hypertension. And this number seems to be on the rise. Plus, there is yet another study that demonstrates yoga’s beneficial effect on lowering blood pressure in those with mild to moderate hypertension! (For background information about what blood pressure is, see So, what is blood pressure, anyway?)

Why all the hype about HTN or high blood pressure, anyway?  Well, if you have HTN, you are at an increased risk of developing other more serious health problems, including heart attacks, strokes, rupture of your largest blood vessel (the aorta), chronic kidney disease, congestive heart failure, decreased blood supply to your legs, and problems with your vision. Some people develop HTN secondary to the presence of some other health condition that leads to high blood pressure, such as chronic kidney disease (hey, wasn’t that just mentioned?!), diseases of the adrenal and parathyroid glands (part of our endocrine system), pregnancy, and medications such as birth control pills, diet pills, some cold meds, just to mention a few. 

And some people are at a higher risk of developing HTN, if any of the following factors are present for you: obesity, chronic stress and anxiety, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive salt in diet, family history of HTN, diabetes, smokers, and African American ancestry. Part of the frustration for people who are diagnosed with HTN is that they often don’t have any really noticeable symptoms. I can’t tell you how many times I diagnosed a patient in my family practice with high blood pressure when they came in for a routine annual exam with no real complaints, or were in the office for some unrelated complaint, like a cold or headaches. This is why HTN is often referred to as the “silent killer,” as you may not know you have it until one of its complications like stroke or heart attack strike you.
Complexity in Nature by Brad Gibson
It’s been known now for at least 40 years that yoga practices can help lower blood pressure in people with HTN, starting back in the 60s and 70s with the work of Herbert Benson, MD, a cardiologist who used a particular kind of yogic meditation popular at the time (TM or transcendental meditation) to help lower the blood pressure in his patients who were not responding as expected to the newest medications of that era. Since then, other studies have shown similar results, including the newest study from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, still in progress, which is following 120 patients with mild to moderate elevations in their blood pressure. Already, with 58 people completing the study so far, there is small but significant decreases in blood pressure readings in the yoga group. This could be of greatest importance to patients who are labeled with “pre-hypertension,” where the blood pressure readings fall between 120/80 and 140/90.  This group of people is at much higher risk of going on to develop full HTN and is at higher risk than the general population of serious situations such as stroke and heart attack. However, if treated with yoga, they could drop their numbers low enough to avoid the need for medications to do the job.  In previous posts, Nina and Shari have talked about kinds of asana practices that have been shown to lower blood pressure, such as forward bends and certain inversions, as well as the effect on the baroreceptors that monitor and influence blood pressure moment by moment.  See Blood Pressure: Talking About Baroreceptors and Yoga and Just in Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses.

As to how you might incorporate yoga practices into your efforts to lower your own rising blood pressure, you would likely want to add it to a broader approach to treatment, instead of substituting yoga for medications, for instance. Usually, a combination of aerobic activity, dietary changes, appropriate salt restriction, stopping tobacco use, lowering stress, and achieving an optimal body weight are the first line actions recommended when you are diagnosed with HTN. As we have shown before, yoga can help with many of those goals, such as weight management and stress, as well as improving will power, which could help with establishing all of those changes suggested from your usual dietary and lifestyle habits. But, independent of that, as this newest study again points out, yoga helps lower blood pressure on its own. It can do it via a balanced asana practice, via meditation practices and via breathing techniques. It is, of course, frustrating for those of us familiar with this data, that mainstream medicine has not embraced this cost-effective modality to any significant degree. If it were a pill, I suppose, it would be a no-brainer. 

And for those interested in developing a home practice for hypertension, due to the multiple factors that could influence your unique situation, I highly recommend you work one-on-one with an experienced yoga instructor to create the optimal practice for you. Yoga for high blood pressure? You bet!  
Posted by
Labels: , ,
 

Sample text

Sample Text

Sample Text