Ancient Chinese movement being used to lower blood pressure
- Ask Medicaid Florida
- May 17
- 3 min read
Still struggling to lower your blood pressure with traditional medications? Clinical trial found results comparable to reductions seen with some first-line medications. Researchers have shed fresh light on how a simple, centuries-old Chinese practice could be almost as effective as some medications in lowering blood pressure.
Baduanjin is a form of exercise that’s been widely practiced in China for at least 800 years. It involves a series of eight slow movements, gentle breathing and meditation — and typically takes only about 10 minutes to complete.
In a clinical trial, researchers studied 216 adults age 40 and older with Stage 1 hypertension. Over the course of a year, participants performed either Baduanjin, self-directed exercise or brisk walking.
High blood pressure, if left untreated, can lead to heart attack and stroke. Now, researchers have shed new light on how a simple, centuries-old Chinese practice could be almost as effective as some medications in lowering blood pressure. (andreswd/Getty Images)
Researchers found that participants who practiced Baduanjin five times per week experienced lower blood pressure within three months.
The results were "comparable to reductions seen with some first-line medications," they wrote in their report published by the American College of Cardiology.
"Given its simplicity, safety and ease at which one can maintain long-term adherence, Baduanjin can be implemented as an effective, accessible and scalable lifestyle intervention for individuals trying to reduce their [blood pressure]," said the senior author of the study, Jing Li, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Matthew Saybolt, medical director of the Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s Structural Heart Disease Program, said he was surprised by an aspect of the study’s results.
"I was biased and expected that higher intensity exercise like brisk walking would have resulted in greater improvement in blood pressure than Baduanjin, but the effects were the same," Saybolt told Fox News Digital. (He was not affiliated with the study.)
Dr. Antony Chu, clinical assistant professor at Brown University’s Warren Alpert School of Medicine, was born and raised in the U.S. to immigrant parents — his mother is from Hong Kong and his father is from Taiwan.
Having spent a lot of summers in Asia, Chu told Fox News he experienced "the best of both worlds" concerning Eastern and Western medicine, including exposure to the benefits of Baduanjin.
"[These researchers] are taking a lot of things that have been commonplace for many, many centuries or millennia and then just applying mathematical modeling and statistical analysis to sort of give [them] some credibility," Chu said.
"Western medicine is reactionary," Chu also said.
He compared the philosophies to a house on fire: Eastern medicine practitioners are more invested in preventing the fire, whereas Western medicine is more focused on "all those things that it would need to do to try to put that fire out," he said, sharing his opinion.
A new study shows how people with high blood pressure can reduce it without medicine.
Saybolt added that he’s always advocated for lifestyle modifications, including healthy diet and exercise, "as key therapies for treatment of diseases and to improve longevity."
With the Baduanjin data, Saybold said he is now "more optimistic than ever," as "we have evidence that a very low impact exercise with mindfulness can yield a benefit."
Chu said that translating overwhelming medical guidelines is a big part of his job.
"It’s not to just tell somebody, ‘Hey, your blood pressure's too high, pick a pill," he said.
Baduanjin has been a preventative health practice the Chinese have been incorporating into their routines for centuries.
"Lifestyle changes" can be daunting for many people, he added.
"They always make it sound like you have to live for seven years in Tibet on a mountain somewhere, and it’s really not that."
His simple translation for the Baduanjin study is this: "Close the door in your office and just say, ‘I can't be bothered for 10 minutes,’ and just focus on breathing slowly and moving your arms or legs around."
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I think I might actually try this😆