Q: Can you please comment on the studies about squeezing a hard ball (or stress ball) to reduce systolic bp? Thank you!
A: There have been some studies to suggest that isometric hand exercises can help control blood pressure. However the studies were small so it is not clear how effective this technique will be for the general population. You can read an abstract of a summary of the studies that have been done on the subject at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20009767
Further Reading:
http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/K/3/pub3165.html
(14 votes, average: 3.43 out of 5)
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I use a Zona Plus which may be similar and it definitely works! Five days a week. I’ve been using it for three years and have kept my blood pressure under control with minimum medication.
I had read an article this year that claimed you could use hand atheletic hand grips (cost about $10.00 at Wall mart) to lower blood pressure. There is also a company that sells a device that guides you through the process using their electronic hand grips that sell for $300.00. I tried the cheaper ones for 3 months for the recommended 12 minutes each day and noticed no difference in my blood pressure.
Greetings, Jerry Cooke– Thank you for your posting! For many months (after reading a similar report about isometric exercise benefits) I have been faithfully doing the touted exercise–without being sure of benefits, if any. I shall take a break for a while and see what changes, if anything. JJA
Do you think the expensive 300 bucks one will work?
I imagine the more expensive will prove no benefits more quickly. 🙂
Can you please tell me what natural remedies can I use to
lower my blood pressure.
There is a program called “BP Down” that uses a combination of breathing with squeezing sponge balls. I have used this program and find it also to be helpful to lower both blood pressure and heart rate. As a result, for breathing exercises, I now utilize both BP Down and Resperate every day.