Advanced Biofeedback Center

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Assessment of condition

Overview

Your family doctor or internist may suspect any number of different causes for your high blood pressure. Frequently, your physician may prescribe "blood pressure pills," diuretics ("water pills"), and other medications to help you lower your blood pressure.

High blood pressure --- or the technical term hypertension --- is associated with serious medical problems like heart attack (myocardial infarction --- literally destruction of heart muscle) or stroke (cerebrovascular accident [CVA], "brain attack" --- literally destruction of brain tissue or neurons ). By lowering your blood pressure, you can decrease the probability of suffering from a heart attack or brain attack (stroke) by eliminating one risk factor associated with these debilitating diseases.

Essential hypertension implies that your doctor may not be entirely certain what causes your high blood pressure, however, he or she can tell you some of the behavioral changes you can make to keep your blood pressure normal (being "normotensive"). Psychological stress and certain behaviors certainly can increase your blood pressure. Conversely, appropriate breathing patterns, deep muscle relaxation, voluntary hand and foot warming, and other techniques can lower your blood pressure.

Sensors

A multimodal biofeedback approach can be helpful in teaching you to become normotensive. Therefore, a thermistor, EMG sensors, photoplethysmograph, and possibly EDR sensors may be used for feedback. A blood pressure cuff --- either manual or automatically inflatable --- would be used to monitor your blood pressure.

Where sensors are placed

Skin surface temperature biofeedback using a thermistor taped to your index finger may be used. EMG sensors measuring muscle activity may also be used. Heart rate variability biofeedback using a photoplethysmograph attached to your index finger or thumb may be used. A blood pressure cuff on your arm may be used to periodically check the changes in your blood pressure.

Behavioral intervention

Learning and behavioral change

To insure success at voluntarily lowering blood pressure, you must begin with the belief and expectation that you can learn techniques and behavioral changes to become normotensive. Such an attitude and approach will allow you to be much more relaxed, "open" to suggestion, and receptive to the changes you are capable of making. You may listen to a relaxation CD or MP3 while being simultaneously monitored for skin temperature, muscle tension, heart rate, and/or sweat gland activity with simultaneous blood pressure monitoring.

Number of sessions

You will probably be able to learn the techniques involved in lowering blood pressure in approximately 10 sessions.

Change in behavior

Goals

Although you may need to remain on a "blood pressure pill" ("antihypertensive" medication), you may demonstrate to your doctor such skill in lowering your blood pressure that he or she may suggest that you can lower the dosage. Remember, however, that the medical complications of high blood pressure are so dangerous that you should never take yourself off of medication or make any decisions regarding medication without first consulting with your doctor.  Sometimes patients do so well in changing their diets, losing weight, increasing reasonable exercise, learning coping methods to decrease stressful responses, and regularly practicing relaxation that their doctors insist upon lowering the dosages of antihypertensive medication because their blood pressure becomes too low!