Webinar Forum: Hypertension: An Integral, Bodymind Healing Approach

Natural Standard is offering a series of upcoming complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. Natural Standard offers these impartial webinars as an informational public service. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.naturalstandard.com/webinars.

This month, Michael Mayer, PhD, discusses body-mind techniques for the treatment and control of hypertension. Dr. Mayer is a licensed psychologist, hypnotherapist and qi gong/tai chi teacher who specializes in giving his patients self-healing methods for health problems. He is also a co-founder and practitioner of The Health Medicine Center, a multi-disciplinary medical clinic practicing integrative healthcare.

His latest book, Bodymind Healing Psychotherapy (2007), received a number of endorsements from top leaders in mind-body medicine, as well as from the journal PsycCritiques. It was released as a trade paperback called Energy Psychology by North Atlantic/Random House in 2009.

To listen to the webinar, please click here. Complimentary access to the webinar is available February 1-28, 2010.

Comments

[James Miller]

Just finished the webinar. Definitely some interesting food for thought. The comment about the mind-body link to the placebo effect really puts the concept of placebo controls into question. I just wish there was some more numerical data on the effect of qi gong or tai chi on hypertension. Has anyone tried this as a treatment for high blood pressure?

[debra r.]

I’m glad people are starting to pay more attention to the the power of the mind and the effects that it can have on the body. I hope that more clinicians become aware of the body-mind healing approach, as well as other modalities, such as tai chi and yoga, for the treatment (or as an adjunct) of many common health problems. Integrative healthcare is a wonderful concept. I believe that it may help with the problem of over-medication in our society and also offer a more holistic approach to well-being.

[Dr. Michael Mayer]

Regarding your wish for data, there are numerical data available. For example, in the article I did for Natural Standard, which accompanies this Webinar (Mayer, 2010), I discuss the Kuang (1991) and Wang (1994) studies, where data are reported on the Qigong versus the control group over 20 and 30 years. (See p. 3-4). I report the numerical data from these studies on reduction of BP for Qigong vs control group, both of which started off with medication (P<0.01), reduction in mortality rate( P<0.01), incidence of stroke and death due to stroke (P<0.01), reduced cardiovascular lesions (P<0.05).

I discuss research methodology critiques of Qigong studies in the accompanying Natural Standard article, and in two other peer-reviewed articles (Mayer 1999, 2003) and three books (Mayer 2004, 2007, 2009). www.bodymindhealing.com

In response to your question, "has anyone tried to use this?" In this NS article, I also give clinical examples from my work with patients at an integrative medical clinic where I work. For example, one patient with whom I worked lowered his systolic BP from 168 to 128 in less than 10 minutes (as was measured by a hospital researcher with a BP monitor). I discuss this case on page 5 of the aforementioned Natural Standard article. I also mention other authors who have done meta-analyses and systematic reviews of studies on Qigong and hypertension (Guo, 2008; Lee 2007).

[anti-drug]

Wow! That is amazing that Qigong worked to lower a patient’s blood pressure from 168 to 128 in less than 10 minutes. This technique may be useful in patients with hypertensive urgency since, when done correctly, it can lower blood pressure about as fast as many medications. This technique should be integrated into a common medicine as a first step when hypertension is diagnosed. If we can prevent people from needing medications by simply giving them the tools to control it themselves, money would be saved and potential medical emergencies may be avoided.

[smart lipo]

When a patient is diagnosed with hypertension (HTN), he or she should consider some lifestyle modifications (a treatment option that is completely non-pharmacologic).

For example, studies have shown that patients with elevated blood pressure benefit from regular exercise (aerobics, jogging, and so on) and from weight reduction. Furthermore, most physicians are known to recommend these measures as the first steps of the therapy for the mild to moderate form of HTN. Patients with this medical condition are also advised to reduce their daily intake of salt, as a low-salt diet is able to decrease the elevated blood pressure levels in more than half of the cases.

[Sara Z]

My mom had boarderline HTN, and her blood pressure has gone back to normal since she started tai chi several years ago. She now does tai chi for 30 minutes a day. It also leaves her feeling relaxed and less fatigued.

Tai chi definitely works to achieve a mind-body balance that can improve one's overall state of health. I would recommend it as an exercise routine for people of all ages.

[Chris N]

Dr. Mayer et al,

Do you think that this mind-body healing will catch on in our society? I feel as though Americans will not accept this type of alternative medicine no matter how effective it may be. I feel as though it is easier for most to just pop a pill and pay a small fee ($4 for a month nowadays). How hard will it be to keep people compliant with a regimen like this if some cannot even take a prescribed medication every day?

[got2b]

I think the idea of mind-body healing works best as a preventative measure. In other words, people should be doing these things before getting struck with disease. However, I agree with Chris in the sense that many are winding up with these conditions because of the inability to restrain themselves from bad habits such as fatty diets and not exercising. It would be hard to get people like this to practice mind-body healing. Conventional therapies generally don't fix the root of the problem, they only relieve symptoms, so even when you take a pill and your blood pressure goes down, your body hasn't necessarily "healed," and it's likely that you'll be on medications for life.

[Dr. Michael Mayer]

Chris: Thanks for your insightful question about whether the bodymind approach I'm suggesting will catch on in our society. Our culture is hypnotized through mass media, etc., to be outer oriented, looking for solutions in pills, etc. It does take a reorientation to recognize that we have many healing powers within us.

First, one needs to take an inner look and see what is the inner root of one's hypertension. Introspection isn't our Western society's strong point. Likewise, taking our power back to learn energy cultivation methods (from Qigong) takes a commitment to a practice. These inner solutions often help to avoid the side effects of pharmaceuticals, dependence on outside agents, etc.

With the current healthcare debate, there has been little media time devoted to inner-oriented and lifestyle solutions. There aren't the lobbyists and corporate profits behind promoting these solutions. But luckily, there are places like Natural Standard that are at least getting such treatment modalities on the map.

In my Bodymind Healing Psychotherapy book (Mayer, 2007), the first two chapters are devoted to a discussion of the "corporatization of healthcare," and how various mind-body healing approaches could provide an efficacious alternative to many conditions. The key for our healthcare system would be a true integrative medicine paradigm where the best of each tradition would be used when appropriate for the benefit of people's health, without the the profit motive being in the forefront.

[Chris N]

Dr. Mayer:

Yeah, that would be a great thing if we could use integrative medicine like body-mind healing instead of prescription medications with unwanted side effects. I guess I just don't see people accepting this type of approach. I agree with "got2b" about the fact that this would work best as a preventative measure. What is an extremely obese (one for whom walking is even difficult) person to do to improve their blood pressure? Also, if this extremely obese person has high blood pressure due to years of plaque build-up, are breathing techniques going to help them?

I know you mention how a patient lowered their systolic blood pressure by some 30-40mmHg after performing your approach - does this technique only affect patients in the short-term, or are there long-term benefits?

[Dr. Michael Mayer]

Chris N:

You're right. The key to hypertension is an integrative approach, using appropriately all dimensions: diet, exercise, psychology, energy etc. These are not mutually exclusive; they are complementary. Remember that Qigong and the River of Life method I suggest are not one-time fixes; they are practices. In the short term, they can bring down blood pressure; but if the underlying issues aren't dealt with, the BP will rise again. Even with the extremely obese people you mention, a good differential diagnosis would reveal just how much the dietary, genetic, psychological and constitutional reasons contribute to the obesity.

The psychological, breathing and energetic dimensions, to which I refer in my Natural Standard article, are part of the whole. Further research would be useful to see how, even in cases of extreme obesity or years of plaque buildup due to dietary or other reasons, the methods I suggest (psychological and energetic) can contribute to lowering BP as part of a multidisciplinary approach. In our integrative medical clinic, it is exactly this approach that is taken (i.e., an integrative one).

So, in terms of your and got2b's suggestion that the methods I suggest are best as a preventative measure, I partly agree. Certainly, it is best to use these methods before problems begin; however, many times at our clinic it takes a doctor saying "your BP is so high that there is imminent danger," to wake a person up to making a commitment to changing lifestyle issues. This "healing crises" is precisely the time that many are willing to look at the psychological issues that may be involved in creating their hypertension: unhealthy food choices, lack of exercise, etc., oftentimes involve psychological components.

And when there is a "healing crises" and a person really is afraid for his/her life, this is the time many are willing to take the time to self-examine and do the breathing and Qigong practices that are part of life-saving changes in behavior.

[shiatsu sue]

How fascinating that qigong can help people gain control of their blood pressure. If you are interested in learning more about qigong, I just found out about the National Qigong Association’s national conference. The members I have met all seem like a fun, yet low-key, bunch! The conference will be in August of 2010. Here’s the Web site if you’re curious: http://www.nqa.org/conference.html.

[Meredith L]

I agree with 'smart lipo.' Not all doctors, but the good ones at least, should be recommending TLC (therapeutic lifestyle changes) before starting (or in combination with, if hypertension is severely elevated) drug therapy. Exercise, a healthy diet, and stress reduction are things every patient should start with. I guess in my mind, these things are mind-body therapies. I agree that some good can come of mind-body techniques; I just don't like to see conventional medicine viewed in a negative light. I think the key here is balance.

[Jack Sparrow]

It is unfortunate that many doctors skip over therapeutic lifestyle changes such as qi gong or yoga. I have gone through a couple doctors who were just interested in prescribing something for my ailments rather than discussing the root of the problem. In my search, I have found a couple of doctors who were willing to discuss alternate therapies for me. I recommend others search for a doctor that will help you be the healthiest individual that you can be. There are still some great practitioners out there!