It was widely known that, when measured in a doctor’s
office, a patient’s blood pressure was often higher than when it was measured
by the patient himself or herself at home or in other settings.
They—the trained monkeys—regulated their blood pressure
levels with brainpower alone.
A passive attitude—not worrying about how well one is
performing the technique and simply putting aside distracting thoughts to
return to one’s focus.
…to maintain a mental focus and be able to return to her
focus when distracting thoughts interfered.
…the Relaxation Response could be evoked with any number of techniques—Yoga
or qigong, walking or swimming, even knitting or rowing. The person
evoking it could sit or stand, sing or remain silent.
1. Repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular
activity.
2. Passively disregarding everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and
returning to your repetition.
When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, “Oh
well,” and gently return to your
repetition.
…the three-legged stool model would be incorporated; drugs,
surgeries, and self-care would be used equally and appropriately.
…when a person focused his or her mind and returned to the
focus when interrupting thoughts occurred, a set of measurable, reproducible,
and predictable changes occurred in the body, meeting the standards of
scientific medicine.
Guilt is not necessary.
…when not used appropriately, which is most of the time,
the fight-or-flight response repeatedly elicited may ultimately lead to the
dire diseases of heart attack and stroke.
…(1) a quiet environment; (2) a mental device such as a word
or a phrase which should be repeated in a specific fashion over and over again;
(3) the adoption of a passive attitude, which is perhaps the most important of
the elements; and (4) a comfortable position.
Atherosclerosis is the deposition of blood clots, fats, and
calcium within the walls of the arteries, causing the normally soft, elastic,
open arteries to become hard, inelastic, and partly or completely blocked…
Tissues are simply a specialized group of cells with a
common function. Different groups of tissues with a special function are
organs.
Our blood is part of that hypothetical sea. The circulation
of the blood carries food particles from the digestive organs, such as the
small intestines, and oxygen from the lungs to the cells. Special organs such
as the kidneys developed to eliminate waste products, carried to them by the
blood, which could no longer be eliminated by diffusion directly into the sea.
In this circulatory system, the vessels that carry the nutrients from the heart
to the tissue are the arteries; the veins, on the other hand, return the blood
to the heart and lungs. The tiny vessels connecting the arteries and veins are
the capillaries…The capillaries are very thin-walled. It is through the
thin-walled capillaries that the blood and the cells exchange nutrients and
waste products…The capillaries and the rest of the circulatory system transmit
the “sea” to the cells so that they can maintain life.
…it is believed that the lower the blood pressure, provided
there are no adverse symptoms such as marked dizziness and fainting, the better
off and the more protected you are from the ultimate development of
atherosclerosis. The risk of developing atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries is
directly related to the level of blood pressure.
…there remains the well-established direct relation between
high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.
…the lower your cholesterol, the lower the risk of
developing atherosclerosis…as the amount of cholesterol increases, the risk of
developing atherosclerosis is also greater.
With high cholesterol levels, there tends to be more
movement in than out of the arteries. Since atherosclerosis is in part the
deposition of fat and blood clots within the arteries, and cholesterol is one
of these fats, the ground is laid for the development of atherosclerosis.
…one should avoid foods such as eggs, because the yolk has
exceedingly high cholesterol; fatty steaks, which contain saturated animal
fats, help raise cholesterol. Butter and rich desserts also have relatively high
cholesterol levels or too much saturated fat.
It also required the heart to pump blood at higher
pressures, thus making the heart work harder. Pumping at higher pressures
places an excessive strain on the heart and the heart grows larger, as would
any muscle that is worked excessively.
The enlarged heart is then more prone to have a heart
attack, where heart muscle cells die because the nutrient demands of the heart
are not met. Why did it not get sufficient nutrients? At the same time that
the heart, because of high blood pressure, enlarges and needs more blood flow
to bring nutrients, the coronary arteries become progressively less able to
carry larger quantities of blood, because of their inability to enlarge and
also because of the increased development of atherosclerosis within these
arteries.
High blood pressure affects the brain either directly, through high pressure
that leads to bursting of blood vessels, a brain hemorrhage…of indirectly,
through the blockage of arteries by atherosclerosis. These events lead to
temporary or permanent damage of brain functions called stroke or shock.
In the normal kidney, if blood pressure decreases to very
low levels the kidneys secrete hormone substances that increase blood pressure.
The kidneys therefore act as sensors to maintain adequate blood pressure. If a
minimal amount of atherosclerosis develops in the blood vessels of the kidney,
it will decrease the amount of blood flow to these organs, and the kidney will
become shrunken…The blocked kidney vessel leads to lower pressure within the
kidney, and this organ responds in turn by secreting hormones that raise blood
pressure through the body.
Borderline high blood pressure is considered to be either
between 140 and 159 systolic or between 90 and 94 diastolic. Normal blood
pressure is defined at lower than 140 systolic and 90 diastolic.
The degree of high blood pressure among blacks is not simply
genetic but probably is related to the living standards and stress under which
black people exist.
…hypertensive individuals are persons who do not deal with
their emotions well or who cannot let out their emotions.
…the chronic elicitation of the fight-or-flight response
leads from the transient elevations in blood pressure to a permanent state of
hypertension.
When the fight-or-flight response is evoked, it brings into
play the sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the autonomic, or
involuntary, nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system acts by secreting
specific hormones: adrenalin or epinephrine and noradrenalin or norepinephrine.
These hormones, epinephrine and its related substances, bring about the
physiologic changes of increased blood pressure, heart rate, and body
metabolism.
Since we cannot easily change the nature of modern life,
perhaps better prevention and therapy of hypertension and other diseases
related to the fight-or-flight response might be achieved by actively bringing
forth the Relaxation Response.
…he was able to slow his oxygen consumption, or metabolism,
an involuntary mechanism partly related to the sympathetic nervous system.
…Zen monks who meditated with their eyes half open developed
a predominance of alpha waves, brain waves usually associated with feelings of
well-being.
Meditators are told to assume a passive attitude and if
other thoughts come into mind to disregard them, going back to the mantra. Practitioners
are advised to meditate twenty minutes in the morning, usually before
breakfast, and twenty minutes in the evening, usually before dinner.
…each cell makers use of the energy in foods by slowly “burning”
the nutrients. In order to “burn” the nutrients the cell usually utilizes
oxygen brought to it through the bloodstream. The sum of the individual metabolism
of each of the cells utilizing oxygen constitutes the total oxygen consumption,
or metabolism, of the body. The major physiologic change associated with
meditation is a decrease in the rate of metabolism…
…if you hold your breath, your tissues will continue to
utilize the available oxygen at the same rate and there will be no change in
the amount of oxygen you consume.
Alpha waves, slow brain waves, increase in intensity and
frequency during the practice of meditation but are not commonly found in
sleep.
Meditation is…not a form of sleep, nor can it be used as a substitute
for sleep. Meditation evokes some of the physiologic changes that are found
in sleep, but the two are not in any way interchangeable, nor is one a substitute
for the other.
If increased lactate is instrumental in producing regular
attacks of anxiety, the finding of low levels of lactate in meditators is consistent
with their reports of significantly more relaxed, less anxious feelings.
The subject’s attitude toward the exercise, and this is
absolutely essential, must not be intense and compulsive, but of a “let it
happen” nature called “passive concentration.”
The first element is a quiet environment. One must “turn
off” not only internal stimuli but also external distractions…
The second element is an object to dwell upon. This object may be a word
or sound repetition; gazing at a symbol; concentrating on a particular feeling.
For example, directing one’s attention to the repetition of a syllable will
help clear the mind. When distracting thoughts do occur, one can return to this
repetition of the syllable to help eliminate other thoughts.
The third element is a passive attitude. It is an emptying of all thoughts
and distractions from one’s mind. A passive attitude appears to be the most
essential factor in eliciting the Relaxation Response. Thoughts, imagery,
and feelings may drift into one’s awareness. One should not concentrate on
these perceptions but allow them to pass one. A person should not be concerned with
how well he or she is doing.
The fourth element is a comfortable position. One should be in a
comfortable posture that will allow an individual to remain in the same position
for at least twenty minutes. Usually a sitting position is recommended.
Because the mind is a wanderer, you know. Thoughts never
stop following each other through your head, buzzing, preventing concentration,
while in order to pray you need a great emptiness in your mind.
The essence of Yoga meditation is concentration on a single
point—for example, a physical object of a thought. By dwelling upon an object
one may cancel out all distractions that are associated with one’s everyday life
and thus achieve a passive attitude.
The practice of checking vain thoughts is accomplished through
a quite environment, a proper posture, and a passive attitude.
Nor must one follow the mind in its excursions to
everything outside itself and then chase that thought away. If the mind wanders
far away, it must be brought back into its proper state.
In sum, there appear to be certain common elements in almost
all cultures which enable individuals to periodically change their everyday
mode of thinking. We believe this mental process is accompanied by the previously
described physiologic change of the Relaxation Response. Our usual thinking is
concerned with events outside ourselves. Through our emotional attachments, our
social feelings, our ideological beliefs, our sensory contracts, we are
constantly diverting our thinking toward external factors. Any attempt to
redirect this outwardly directed consciousness requires a different mental
process.
…the meditation had not cured them. The subjects’
lower blood pressure readings lasted only as long as they practiced the
Relaxation Response regularly.
…the Relaxation Response decreases and counteracts the increased sympathetic nervous system activity that accompanies the arousal
of the fight-or-flight response. This sympathetic nervous system activity is
reflected in the measures…of oxygen consumption, heart rate, respiratory rate,
and blood pressure, which increase with the fight-or-flight response and
decrease with the elicitation of the Relaxation Response.
It is unlikely that the regular elicitation of the
Relaxation Response by itself will prove to be adequate therapy for severe or
moderate high blood pressure. Probably it would act to enhance the lowering of
blood pressure along with antihypertensive drugs, and thus lead to the use of
fewer drugs or a lesser dosage. In the case of mild hypertension, the regular evocation
of the Relaxation Response may be of great value, since it has none of the
pharmacologic side effects often present with drugs and might possibly supplant
their use.
If high blood pressure can be alleviated by behavioral means
alone, its cause may also lie in a behavioral mechanism.
(2) A Mental Device
To shift the mind from logical, externally oriented thought, there should be a
constant stimulus: a sound, word, or phrase repeated silently or aloud; or
fixed gazing at an object. Since one of the major difficulties in the
elicitation of the Relaxation Response is “mind wandering,” the repetition of
the word or phrase is a way to help break the train of distracting thoughts.
Your eyes are usually closed if you are using a repeated sound or word; of
course, your eyes are open if you are gazing. Attention to the normal rhythm of
breathing is also useful and enhances the repetition of the sound or the word.
(3) A Passive Attitude
When distracting thoughts occur, they are to be disregarded and attention redirected
to the repetition or gazing; you should not worry about how well you are
performing the technique, because this may well prevent the Relaxation
Response from occurring. Adopt a “let it happen” attitude. The passive
attitude is perhaps the most important element in eliciting the Relaxation
Response. Distracting thoughts will occur. Do not worry about them. When these thoughts
do present themselves and you become aware of them, simply return to the
repetition of the mental device. These other thoughts do not mean you are
performing the technique incorrectly. They are to be expected.
(4)… If you are lying down, there is a tendency to fall asleep.
Practice the technique once or twice daily, but not within
two hours after any meal, since the digestive processes seem to interface with
the elicitation of the Relaxation Response.
…when you fall asleep using the technique, you are not
experiencing the Relaxation Response, you are asleep.
From our personal observations, many people who meditate for
several hours every day for weeks at a time tend to hallucinate.
The fight-or-flight response is often appropriate and
should not be thought of as always harmful. It is a necessary part of our
physiologic and psychological makeup, a useful reaction to many situations in
our current world.