A study done by Christine M. Olney, MSN, RN for the University of South Florida in Tampa, titled “The Effect of Therapeutic Back Massage in Hypertensive Persons: A Preliminary Study”  was published in Biological Research For Nursing, Vol. 7, No. 2. According to the study, hypertension is one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States and it is also very dangerous since it can cause damage to vital organs. No single primary cause has been identified for hypertension but one of the main factors is long term or chronic stress response that goes unchecked. Since massage therapists have long maintained that massage therapy can decrease blood pressure and mitigate hypertension by producing the relaxation response in patients, the study tested the effects of applying regular back massage on patients who have clinically diagnosed hypertension.

The study covered 14 patients. Eight patients were in the massage group. They were given 10 sessions of 10 minute back massage done three times a week. Six patients were in the control group. They were given 10 sessions of 10 minute relaxation also done three times a week. By the end of the study, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of patients in the massage group showed a significant decrease.

Another study of the Touch Research Institute in the University of Miami’s School of Medicine and the Nova Southeastern University in Florida, done in May 1999, showed similar findings. It involved a group of thirty adults with hypertension whose blood pressure levels were under control in the previous six months. The participants were divided randomly into two groups – a massage therapy group and a progressive relaxation group.

Patients in the massage therapy group were given massages for thirty minutes in the afternoon or early evening two times a week for five consecutive weeks. Patients in the progressive relaxation group were taught progressive muscle relaxation exercises thy could do by themselves and were instructed to perform these for thirty minutes in the afternoon or early evening two times a week for five consecutive weeks.

Assessments and evaluations on the patients were done before and after the treatment period. The State Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to measure their emotions. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) questionnaire was used to rate any symptoms of depression. The Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) Self-report Symptom Inventory was used to check other symptoms of anxiety, depression and hostility. Saliva samples were taken to measure levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Urine samples were taken to measure levels of cortisol and catecholamines which are biologically active amines that impact the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The patients’ blood pressures were also monitored.     

By the end of the five week study, both the massage group patients and progressive relaxation patients showed lower levels of anxiety and depression. Only the patients in the massage group, however, showed lowered levels of sitting blood pressure, lowered levels of stress hormones in both urinary and salivary tests, and lowered scores in tests for anxiety, depression and hostility.

You can surprise your family and friends with hypertension with massage gift cards so that they could relax and enjoy various therapeutic body massage services, including back massage therapy, foot massage therapy, reflexology massage therapy, Swedish massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy and sports massage therapy from professional massage therapists in Charlotte NC while lowering their blood pressure in the process.

When cholesterol levels are high, it means you have too much yellow, mushy fat substance circulating in your blood stream, which can clog your arteries and restrict blood flow leading to heart attack, stroke or angina pain.

Another problem with cholesterol, is all the terms that come with it; such as, dietary cholesterol, serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Here is how to keep them all straight.

Dietary cholesterol is what is contained in food (mostly of animal origin). The American Heart Association recommends limiting your daily intake to 300 milligrams.

Serum cholesterol is what is in your bloodstream and what the doctor measures with a cholesterol test. (A reading less than 200 is desirable, a reading between 200 – 240 is borderline high risk, and a reading greater than 240 is high risk.)

HDL cholesterol (“High” Density Lipoprotein) is a distinct part of serum cholesterol that is considered “good” because of its artery cleansing ability. The “higher” the HDL level, the better.

LDL cholesterol (“Low” Density Lipoprotein) is considered to be HDL’s evil twin because of its artery clogging ability. The “lower” the LDL level, the better.

Here are 13 natural remedies that lower your cholesterol.

1. Watch your weight. Studies have shown that the more overweight you are, the more cholesterol your body produces. Every 2.2 pound rise in body weight elevates your cholesterol 2 points. Aim for a diet composed of two-thirds fruit, vegetables, cereals and whole grains. Only one-third of your calories should come from meat and dairy products. (Which are often high in fat and calories.)

2. Watch your fats. Saturated fat elevates blood cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fat lowers blood cholesterol. So, it would be wise to cut back on such sources of saturated fat as meat, butter, cheese and hydrogenated oil. Replace these sources with fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products and polyunsaturated oils like corn, safflower and soybean.

3. Eat less eggs. You don’t have to cut them out completely. Just limit yourself to three whole eggs per week. Since only the yolk contains cholesterol, use the egg whites freely. You can substitute two egg whites for every whole egg. Even when baking. You can make scrambled eggs or an omelet using one whole egg with two to four egg whites.

4. Eat more beans. Beans, and other legumes contain pectin, which surrounds cholesterol and escorts it right out of the body. One cup of beans; navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, lima beans, soybeans, black-eyed peas and lentils, will all perform this cholesterol lowering activity.

5. Eat more fruit. Fruit also contains pectin. Try to eat a variety of fruit. For instance, a half a grapefruit at breakfast, an apple at lunch and some orange sections at dinner, could probably lower your cholesterol quite nicely.

6. Eat your oats, brans and barley. Oat bran, corn bran and barley appears to lower serum cholesterol in the same fashion as pectin rich fruits and does as good a job as beans. Oatmeal can also reduce cholesterol.

7. Eat carrots. Carrots also have pectin content. Studies have shown that eating just 2 carrots a day can lower high cholesterol 10 to 20%. That could be enough to bring levels into a safe range.

8. Drink skim milk. A compound in the nonfat portion of skim milk inhibits cholesterol production in the liver.

9. Take garlic. Large quantities of raw garlic can reduce harmful blood fats. Unfortunately, it can also reduce your number of friends. One gram daily of liquid garlic extract, however, can reduce your cholesterol level an average of 44 points in six months.

10. Fiber rich psyllium seeds. Psyllium seeds are the main ingredient of the bowel regulator Metamucil. Metamucil and other psyllium seed products may be a good alternative treatment when diet alone does not bring blood cholesterol levels down.

11. Exercise. One of the best ways to lower your levels of LDL cholesterol is through vigorous exercise. It also increases the body’s ability to clear fat from the blood after meals.

12. Do not smoke. A Swedish study showed that smokers tend to suffer from low levels of HDL cholesterol. But when a group of habitual smokers kicked the habit, they all experienced rapid and noticeable increases in HDL concentrations.

13. Drink Tea. The tannins found in tea may also help lower cholesterol. A study found that people on a high cholesterol diet that habitually drank tea had blood cholesterol levels within a normal range.

Some nutritional supplements that may help to counter cholesterol are Vitamin C, E and calcium. Studies have shown that when Vitamin C is added to a pectin rich diet, cholesterol drops even lower than with pectin alone. Another study showed that Vitamin E can significantly increase HDL levels. And yet another study showed that 2 grams of calcium carbonate taken daily, reduced cholesterol by 25% in 12 months.

Herbal supplements that are beneficial in lowering LDL levels include alfalfa, black cohosh, cayenne and ginseng. Skullcap may be beneficial for increasing HDL levels.