Hypertension or High blood pressure can affect anyone at any age, so regular medical check-ups are important. Solution-focused hypnotherapy can help over 90% of people diagnosed with hypertension to get it under control and even significantly reduce it.
The Solution focused approach could help you tackle lifestyle factors that cause hypertension, and even a small reduction can slash the odds of you dying from a stroke or heart disease.
While blood pressure is vital to life, high blood pressure can be a threat to it. Today, one in three adults in the UK is affected by high blood pressure and half of those people are unaware of it. Over 90% of these have no clear medical cause, which means doctors can only work to manage the symptoms, rather than addressing the underlying issue(s).
Hypertension and strokes
High blood pressure and hypertension cause 62% of all strokes but almost half of all people with high blood pressure don’t realise they suffer from the condition and are thus at greater risk for stroke. In 2012 I took part in a new and unique programme, Hypnotension, that aimed to help anyone lower their blood pressure naturally and cut their risk of stroke in half.
80% of all strokes are preventable and controlling blood pressure is a key to cutting the risk of stroke. The Hypertension program was developed for those with high blood pressure in mind. It carefully determines the individual needs of each client and a treatment is devised for that client that provides the most effective method of controlling high blood pressure.
We look at how your lifestyle choices are affecting your physical health and help by
- Cutting down stress
- Looking at diet
- Assessing exercise
- How much alcohol a client drinks
- Determining how overweight a client is
Medication for high blood pressure can cost up to £40/month, especially if you are on a combination of drugs. Consequently, over the years this can add up – 10 years it could cost you over £4800. By changing your lifestyle it will only cost you the initial price of treatment – anything between £420 – £800 and your life will change for the better in many other ways.
Two types of Hypertension
There are two different kinds of Hypertension, one is caused by lifestyle, the other is caused by physical problems, these are often caused by a problem in the brain that controls blood pressure, or in the kidneys. Neither can be helped by hypnotherapy, so please make sure you know which type you have before progressing with therapy, as medication is the only treatment for this type.
Case Study 1 – A more mindful approach
Kathy had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and had been put on statins. These did not agree with her so she stopped. She decided to take a more holistic approach. Carrying out some research she realised that her eating habits needed changing and finding ways of dealing with stress. She worked in admin at the university, which could be stressful at times. We went through what she was eating and then we looked at exercise. I suggested she purchase a blood pressure machine, so she could keep tabs on it.
Major shift in thinking
Cutting out salt was initially hard for her to do as her lunch consisted of a sandwich and crisps. Over a few weeks, she increased the number of salads she ate. She cut back on caffeine as she found it made her feel jittery. At lunchtime, instead of sitting and eating her lunch at her desk, she went for a walk around the park. She often caught the bus to work. So walked further to the bus stop at either end as a quick easy way of increasing her steps.
Over a total of 6 months, she managed to change her poor habits and replace them with healthier options. Mindfulness became her new best friend. Although the hypnotherapy was helpful, the solution-focused aspect helped her identify what she needed to change. It was the being present in the moment that really helped calm everything down.
References:
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17135064 Gay, Marie-Claire. (Jan 2007), Effectiveness of Hypnosis in Reducing Mild Essential Hypertension: A One-Year Follow-Up. International Joumal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, Vol 55(0,67-83, Borckardt, Jeffery J. (Apr 2002).
- Case Study Examining the Efficacy of a Multimodal Psychotherapeutic Intervention for Hypertension. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, Vol50(2), 189-201. Raskin, Richard; Raps, Charles; Luskin, Frederic; Carlson, Rosemarie; Cristal, Robert. (Oct 1999).
- Pilot Study of the Effect of Self-hypnosis on the Medical Management of Essential Hypertension. Stress Medicine, Vol 15(4),