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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Darla Carballo, BSN, Adult Health NP Program, U North Carolina at Charlotte, TBD, Charlotte, NC 00000, 000-000-0000, dulcinea667@yahoo.com and Victoria Rommel, MD, Anson Family Medicine, 510 Morven Road, Wadesboro, NC 28170.
A current challenge in public health is encouraging the public to take responsibility to practice life style modifications that lead to improved well being. Exercise and diet have been the major focus of many efforts to reduce elevated blood pressure. They are associated with varying degrees of failure and discouragement for both provider and the public she is trying to treat. Breathing exercises enable the patient to experience a desired goal - the lowering of blood pressure - with a lifestyle modification that is easily achievable - a simple breathing pattern that can be used at any time to lower blood pressure. A study was designed to test the practicality of such a method by determining if the breathing exercise can be quickly taught to patients of normal mental status, and effect a measurable lowering of blood pressure. A percent of the study population are minority subjects to determine if this exercise is effective in hypertension in Afro-Americans. Some of the subjects have minimal formal education to evaluate if patients with minimal educational opportunities can easily learn this exercise. Patients were enrolled who presented to the family practice office for routine visits with elevated blood pressures and who agreed to participate in the study. Blood pressure was reevaluated in each arm at the end of the visit. Patients were then instructed in a breathing exercise. Blood pressure was then repeated in each arm. Preliminary data demonstrates that this is an easily learned, effective method to lower acutely elevated blood pressure.
This presentation is of interest to health care practitioners who work with patient with hypertension in preventive care, acute care and chronic care, especially those working with patients with limited incomes.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.