Nonpharmacological Therapy & Hypertension

Nonpharmacological therapy is recognized as the essential first step in the prevention and treatment of hypertension. This therapy involves behavioral (life-style) modifications. The following are major behavioral areas of intervention in the hypertension regimen: weight reduction, sodium restriction in the diet, aerobic exercise, relation and biofeedback, alcohol consumption moderation, and the elimination of cigarette smoking. Not only are lifestyle modifications effective in preventing or treating hypertension, they can reduce the risk factors associated with premature cardiovascular disease as well. The nonpharmacological approach to hypertension offers numerous benefits at low cost and with minimal risk.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, affects about 50 million Americans, or about one in every four of the adult population. Although anyone can develop hypertension, it is more prevalent among special populations. These groups include the elderly, African Americans, residents of the Southeastern portion of the United States, and the less educated segment of society (Young, 1995, p 302). Hypertension is rare or unknown among primitive human cultures (Dubbert, 1995, p. 188). After menopause, women are more likely to have high blood pressure than men, reversing a gender trend that exists during the early and middle adult years.

The precise cause of hypertension is often difficult to determine. A person with secondary hypertension has a reversible caus

Related Essays

Music Therapy and Stress .... 3 - 4), music therapy provides opportunities for: Memory recall which .... and stress reduction for older adult and caregiver Nonpharmacological management of pain .... (2151 9 )

Impact of Meditation on Pain in Cancer Patients .... of medical care personnel's knowledge of alternative, nonpharmacological treatment for .... with autogenic training, operant conditioning, and cognitive therapy. .... (5415 22 )

rograms" (U.S. Department of Health, 1990, p. 9). Aerobic activities include swimming, brisk walking, running, and jumping rope. These types of activities condition the heart and lungs by making the body use oxygen to make energy. The main benefits of exercise in the hypertension regimen comes from its efficacy in weight reduction, as opposed to its role as an independent behavioral treatment. According to Dubbert (1995) the results of most studies on the independent value of increased physical activity have been conflicting. No large-scale trials have been performed; the smaller studies on the subject have left many important questions unanswered. In general, exercise may contribute to a sense of well-being, which is a focus of stress management, stress being a contributing factor to elevated levels of blood pressure. Since the early 1970s, behavioral therapy has been used in the treatment of hypertension, with mixed results. The employment of stress management techniques such as transcendental meditation, relaxation training, biofeedback, hatha yoga, and hypnosis is based on the assumption that a person can control the central nervous system response to stress. Biofeedback, in particular, uses visual or auditory signals

Category: Medical - N