Several scientific studies started in the recent past have shown that meditation does have a positive influence in reducing blood pressure, he said.
While providing a talk on ‘Hypertension: New Guidelines for Management’, organised by Medically Aware and Responsible Citizens of Hyderabad (MARCH) on Sunday, Dr. Bhargava outlined that TM has additional benefits too. “It has also been proven that meditation assists avoid side-effects that could be caused to patients who are on regular anti-blood pressure medicines,” he said.
Any kind of meditative exercise is beneficial, the doctor explained. “Pranayama is another kind of respiration exercise that has a very positive impact in controlling blood pressure. I also noticed that patients who take up meditative exercise such as regular reading of religious scriptures have their hypertension under control,” Dr. Bhargava said. In his talk, the Dr. Bhargava pointed out that preferably consumption of salt among hypertensive patients in India should not surpass 5 grams per day. “It is difficult to maintain this level. But, I would advise the hypertensive to completely avoid consuming chutneys, pickles and papad. In turn, they can take more vegetables and fruits which includes potassium needed for blood pressure patients,” he said.
Potassium helps in getting rid of sodium (salt) from one's body. “More potassium means less sodium or salt but patients should only take naturally occurring potassium in vegetables and fruits. A dish of fruit per day is enough to replenish potassium levels,” he said. Ideally, young people above 18 years should check for their BP levels a minimum of once in three years and those above 30 years need to do the same once a year. “Those above 35 years should check their blood pressure levels at least once in six months. More than 60 per cent of hypertension patients do not have signs and symptoms and for this reason, persons above 35 years, should be vigilant,” he suggested.
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