Reducing heart rate and diastolic and systolic blood pressure using nonpharmacological methods in the treatment of essential hypertension

• Main Author: Pfaff, Jon James, 1964-
• Other Authors: Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dept. of Psychology
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Hypertension > Alternative treatment; Newfoundland studies; University of Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses2/id/229803

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1993. Psychology Bibliography: leaves 60-67. Hypertension affects 20% of our population and can lead to heart and kidney failure, stroke, and blindness. Heightened sympathetic nervous system activity may be responsible for this disease in young patients. Eight subjects (medicated and unmedicated), 45 years of age or younger, diagnosed with essential hypertension were placed into one of two groups, one receiving four weeks of hypnosis training followed by four weeks of thermal biofeedback, or a group receiving four weeks of thermal biofeedback followed by four weeks of hypnosis training. Heart rate, diastolic and systolic blood pressures were recorded for each subject during every session of four study phases (baseline, treatment 1, treatment 2, and posttreatment). The goal of this study was to lower heart rate, diastolic and systolic blood pressures in essential hypertensive patients, aged 45 years of age or younger, by reducing peripheral sympathetic nervous system activity through the use of hypnosis and thermal biofeedback, thereby facilitating vasodilation in the periphery. Since both of these treatment strategies concentrated on the same physiological process, an examination of the effectiveness of the two interventions was performed. Both treatment modalities were found to be equally effective in significantly reducing diastolic and systolic blood pressures, however heart rate was found to increase significantly during a brief posttreatment period. The results suggest that blood pressure can be controlled using noninvasive treatment procedures alone or as an adjunct to pharmacological therapies.