Thursday, May 30, 2013

Massage for High Blood Pressure

 By K McCarty, Student

High blood pressure; hypertension

Benefits of massage include reducing hypertension and lowering blood pressure.
The cause of high blood pressure is divided into two large categories as essential hypertension and secondary hypertension. The cause of essential hypertension is unknown, but a person's lifestyle and genetic factors have been said to be involved. Secondary hypertension, on the other hand, is known to be caused by kidney diseases and diseases of the vascular system

Symptoms: Most people do not notice problems with their blood pressure. Numbness, headache, and stiff neck, hands, and feet are common signs.

It is possible that blood pressure can increase due to tension. It is necessary to warm up before therapeutic massages by massaging softly first. Avoid applying intense pressure.


Vascular massage is a way to help to lower blood pressure.
     For example, a 15 minute vascular massage would look like the following:
Fingers: Grip each finger and twist to the left and right.
Arms: Using the whole palm, twist the forearm between the wrist and shoulder.
Legs: Twist the legs from the toes to the thighs in the same manner in which the fingers and arms are massaged.
Head: Use the palm of the hand  and massage in a circular motion, between the forehead and the temple.


1 comment:

Cynthia McMullen said...

Kazuyo, the author, performed this massage style on me to demonstrate. It was gentle and smooth - extremely relaxing and very nice to receive! I can see how the relaxation response would directly benefit lowering blood pressure. I'll see if we can get a video of her demonstrating to add to this site soon.