Efficacy of relaxation techniques in hypertensive patients

We examined 117 outpatients (20- to 45-year-old men) with mild essential hypertension before treatment, after the main treatment course (6 weeks), and at 12-month follow-up. The patients were randomized into two major groups: (a) a treatment group that received autogenic training (23 patients), biofeedback (24 patients), or breathing-relaxation training (23 patients) and (b) a control group that consisted of 24 patients who did not receive any intervention and 23 patients who were treated with a "psychological placebo." Clinical, psychological, and psychophysiological data from all patients who were offered relaxation therapy were analyzed. By the end of follow-up, and compared to the control group, the treatment group demonstrated a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, peripheral vascular resistance, and hypertensive response to emotional stress, and an improvement in psychological adaptation, quality of life, and capacity for work. Comparative analysis of the efficacy of different relaxation methods revealed that biofeedback and breathing-relaxation training resulted in the greatest reduction in blood pressure. The antihypertensive effect of relaxation therapy correlated positively with pretreatment blood pressure levels and negatively with the duration of illness and certain psychological features.