October 30, 2006
Machine Offers Alternative To Blood Pressure Drugs
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
Boston - One in three American adults has high blood pressure. It is a serious condition that often requires a lifetime of medication. Now, some patients are giving up their prescriptions all together and are treating their hypertension with a simple breathing device.
Terry Moser successfully treated her high blood pressure problems without medication.Click here to watch Terri’s full story. |
It’s called Resperate. It looks like a portable CD player complete with headphones and soothing music.
The patient wears the headphones and the music prompts them when to inhale and exhale.
The manufacturer says the slower breathing relaxes the muscles surrounding the blood vessels, allowing blood to
flow more freely. Doctors don’t really understand why, but the effect appears to last long after the exercise is
over.
For Terry Moser of Holliston, it was a dream come true. When she was diagnosed with high blood pressure, she was
troubled by some of the side effects from the medication prescribed to treat the condition.
“I was sad and angry all the time on the medication," Terry said.
But going off the medication was not an option for her or most other patients. Untreated hypertension can increase
the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. That’s why Terry decided to give the Resperate machine a try.
“I used it for 2 months," she explained, “and my blood pressure was down enough that my doctors agreed I could cut
my medicine in half.”
A few months later Terry went to Washington, DC to visit her daughter and her grandkids. When she realized she
forgot her medication, she called her doctor to ask him to call in a prescription to a local pharmacy. Her doctor
told her as long as she had the Resperate machine with her, she should be fine. Shortly after that trip, Terry was
able to stop her medication completely.
Cambridge internist Dr. Guy Pugh says it’s a viable alternative for those who don’t like to take drugs and he
says it’s easy to use.
“It’s virtually fool proof," he said.
Patients usually need to use the machine for about 20 minutes three or four days a week. Dr. Pugh warns this is
not going to work for everyone.
"For a person with no time or no self-discipline, that's not going to work as well as taking a pill,” he said.
The Resperate machine is available online and it costs about $300. While it was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it is not covered by most insurance plans.
It’s important to note that patients should not stop taking their medication without talking to their doctor.
Click here to watch CBS4 Boston’s story on RESPeRATE.
SOURCE: CBS Broadcasting Inc , October 30, 2006.
