800-year-old Chinese exercise baduanjin rivals blood pressure medication
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Researchers have shed new light on how a simple, centuries-old Chinese practice may be nearly as effective as some medications in lowering blood pressure.
Baduanjin is a form of exercise that has been widely practiced in China for at least 800 years. It involves a series of eight slow movements, gentle breathing and meditation, and usually takes just 10 minutes to complete.
In a clinical study, researchers studied 216 adults aged 40 and older with Stage 1 hypertension. For a year, participants either performed baduanjin, or self-directed exercise, or brisk walking.
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Researchers found that participants who practiced baduanjin five times a week had lower blood pressure within three months.
The results were “comparable to reductions seen with some first-line medications,” the researchers wrote. American College of Cardiology.
If high blood pressure is left untreated, it can lead to heart attack and stroke. Now researchers have shed new light on how a simple, centuries-old Chinese practice may be nearly as effective as some medications in lowering blood pressure. (andreswd/Getty Images)
The researchers also reported that Baduanjin showed “comparable results and safety profile for brisk walking at one year.”
“Baduanjin can be implemented as an effective, accessible, and scalable lifestyle intervention for individuals seeking to reduce lifestyle, given its simplicity, safety, and ease of maintaining long-term adherence. [blood pressure],” said study senior author Jing Li, MD, Ph.D.
Dr., medical director of the Structural Heart Disease Program at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Matthew Saybolt said he was surprised by one aspect of the study’s results.
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“I was biased and expected that more intense exercise, such as brisk walking, would provide greater improvements in blood pressure than baduanjin, but the effects were the same,” Saybolt told Fox News Digital. (He was not affiliated with the study.)
D., a clinical assistant professor at Brown University’s Warren Alpert School of Medicine. Antony Chu was born and raised in the United States to immigrant parents; His mother is from Hong Kong and his father is from Taiwan.
Baduanjin practitioners, such as those in this class, combine slow movements with mindful breathing. (Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images)
Chu, who spent numerous summers in Asia, told Fox News that he experienced the “best of both worlds” regarding Eastern and Western medicine, including reaping the benefits of baduanjin.
“[These researchers] You can sort of take a lot of things that have been commonplace for centuries or millennia and then just apply mathematical modeling and statistical analysis. [them] Some credibility,” Chu said.
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Chu also said, “Western medicine is reactionary.”
He compared the philosophies to a burning house: Eastern medicine practitioners are more invested in preventing fire, while Western medicine is more focused on “everything it has to do to put out the fire,” he shared his opinion.
A new study shows how people with high blood pressure can lower it without medication. (FG Trading/Getty Images)
Saybolt said high blood pressure poses “too numerous” dangers if left untreated. Risks include increased risks of stroke, heart attack, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure.
Chu said Baduanjin is effective in lowering blood pressure by calming the nervous system and reducing stress, which he likened to “the water pressure and pipes in your home.”
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“People are totally stressed,” Chu said. “And the stress reduction is huge.”
Saybolt said the study offers hope for people with hypertension, and “that hope doesn’t necessarily have to include drugs right away.”
Baduanjin is easily incorporated into most lifestyles and can be done without equipment almost anywhere and anytime. (Getty Images)
Saybolt added that he has always advocated for lifestyle changes, including healthy eating and exercise, “as essential therapies for treating disease and increasing longevity.”
With the Baduanjin data, Saybold said he is now “more optimistic than ever,” saying “we have evidence that very low-impact exercise with mindfulness can provide benefits.”
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Chu said translating very challenging medical manuals is a big part of his job.
“This isn’t about telling someone, ‘Hey, your blood pressure is too high, take a pill,'” he said.
Baduanjin has been a preventive health practice that the Chinese have incorporated into their routines for centuries. (Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images)
“Lifestyle changes” can be daunting for many people, he added.
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“They always talk about it as if you have to live on a mountain somewhere in Tibet for seven years, but it’s not like that.”
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His simple translation for the Baduanjin practice is: “Close the door in your office and just say ‘I cannot be disturbed for 10 minutes and just focus on slow breathing and moving your arms or legs.’
