Sometime ago, I had written a post exploring the role of alternative herbal medications in the treatment of chronic kidney disease . That post had evoked strong reactions, both for and against, from the readers! Which set me thinking...is there a role of alternative therapies in the treatment of high blood pressure? If yes, is it based on hearsay, or solid medical evidence? Luckily, to make my job easier, the American Heart Association came out with an official statement addressing this issue early this year. This was published in the journal Hypertension . I will try to summarize this statement's conclusion's addressing the efficacy of approaches like acupuncture, yoga, meditation, etc in treating high blood pressure. Please note that these conclusions apply only to treatment of high blood pressure, and not to other health/psychological benefits that may be derived from doing these activities .
