LETTER IN THE NEW YORK
TIMES 5/19/03
You report
that millions of people who in the past would have been told
that their pressure was normal or "high normal" should now be
told that they actually have a condition called prehypertension
that threatens their health.
There is a
powerful tool to prevent and treat high blood pressure without
cost or side effects: stress management.
A few deep
breaths, muscle relaxation, visualization, mediatation, yoga,
and cognitive techniques are effective whether used along with
medication and lifestyle changes or alone.
Since blood
pressure is increased by stress, there is nothing to lose and
much to gain by trying stress management.
Carol Goldberg
The writer is a clinical psychologist.
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