By Bruce C. Wilson, MD and Doc Childre
Hypertension – high blood pressure – is a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. It affects one in four Americans and is called the "silent killer" because many people have hypertension and don’t know it. They’re unaware of their higher risk for heart disease, stroke and other life-threatening problems. Many forms of cardiovascular disease are preventable, so it’s time to get to the underlying cause of the problem and make the necessary changes to reset the body toward health.
The Institute of HeartMath has researched techniques for managing stress and hypertension for 18 years and Dr. Bruce Wilson and Doc Childre’s new book offers proven ways to manage them. Recognizing stressful situations and taking a quick timeout to begin a simple HeartMath technique to shift your emotional attitude has a profound effect on the nervous system. It changes your physiology from a "fight-or-flight" stimulated state to one of calm and clarity. The result is lower stress-hormone production, blood pressure and heart rate. These are highly effective strategies for regulating blood pressure safely and effectively.
Introduction
Prevention and Control, The HeartMath Approach
Chapter 1
What Is Blood Pressure? Problems with Blood Pressure, Measuring Blood Pressure, A Closed System
Chapter 2
Causes of High Blood Pressure Genetics, Hypertension in African-Americans, Obesity, Lack of Physical Activity, Excess Salt in the Diet, Age, People at Increased Risk for Development of Hypertension, Secondary Hypertension, The Kidneys, The Adrenal Glands, Other Problems
Chapter 3
Dangers of High Blood Pressure: Why Should You Treat It? The Heart, The Brain, Kidney Disease, Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), The Eyes
Chapter 4
Drug Treatments of HypertensionDiuretics, Beta-Blockers, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers, Other Types of Drugs Used to Treat Hypertension, An Important Comment on Drugs
Chapter 5
Lifestyle Changes That Help Lower Blood Pressure Diet, Exercise, Smoking, Stress
Chapter 6
Stress and Hypertension Our View of Stress, The Human Stress Response, A Slower Set of Change-The Hormonal System, the World in the Twenty-first Century, When the Stress Button Gets Stuck
Chapter 7
Resetting Your Thermostat Stories of Resetting Pressure Levels, When Stress Becomes an Addiction, The Power to Change
Chapter 8
The Big ConnectionThe HeartMath Story, as Told by Founder Doc Childre, Understanding the Power of the Heart, A New Research Tool-HRV, The Three Levels of the Human Brain, The Heart-Brain Connection
Chapter 9
The HeartMath Tools, How Controlling HRV Can Reverse Stress, First Things First – Recognizing That Your Stress Button Has Been Pushed, Neutral – The Most Basic Tool - Quick Coherence
Chapter 10
Rewriting Your Patterns, Writing New Patterns, Heart Lock-In
Chapter 11
HeartMath Studies, Early Results, Correlating Mood and Blood Pressure, Beyond the Corporate World, HeartMath in Health Care, HRV Feedback Tools, Creative Stress
Chapter 12
The End Is Just the Beginning