Yoga may help reduce blood pressure

Dr Debbie Cohen of University of Pennsylvania said that ‘So far it looks very promising that yoga might be useful therapy for patients with mild to moderate hypertension who want to avoid using medication.’

The study included 120 people with an average age of 58.

The participants were divided in 3 groups:

• One group did yoga in a studio 2 or 3 times per week for 24 weeks
• The second group did walking, nutrition and weight counseling
• The third group did both – yoga and counseling

Blood pressure was analyzed at beginning, then at 12 weeks and then at 24 weeks.

It was found that the group that did only yoga had decreased blood pressure at 12 and 24 weeks.

However, a fall in blood pressure was also found in the other two groups.

Yoga may help reduce blood pressure – give it a try!