be calm for your health
High blood pressure is not something you’d expect to see in kids, but the incidence has risen dramatically in the last few years along with their obesity rates. And there’s plenty of reason to be alarmed, since the condition can lead to heart disease later in life.
Luckily, there’s an easy way to treat it that doesn’t involve nagging kids to get up and exercise (not that being active is a bad thing, of course). Meditation, a proven blood pressure-reducer for adults, turns out to be useful for hypertensive children as well.
In a recent study at a middle school in Augusta, Georgia, 73 11- and 12-year olds were randomly assigned to either a meditation group or a health class where they learned about exercise and nutrition. After three months, the meditators, who practiced for 20 minutes twice a day, saw a significant drop in their blood pressure. The other group got no such benefit.
“If they keep it up, the meditators could substantially reduce their risk of dying from heart disease or stroke,” says Vernon Barnes, coauthor of the study. Some kids also got relief from headaches and asthma attacks, he adds.
A safe, and free, solution to some serious health problems: What more could you ask for?
adapted from Natural Solutions Magazine
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