Reality TV Raises Our Blood Pressure

Bad manners and reality TV raise our blood pressure and increase the risk of stroke, according to a new survey.

The remedy, says the Daily Mail, could be Transcendental Meditation.

Queue jumping, reality TV shows and poor driving are just a few of the everyday things that make our blood boil in Britain but, according to a new survey reported in the Daily Mail (13 April 2010), most of us do not realise just how much these day-to-day stresses are affecting our bodies.

The survey of over 2000 people was carried out for the Stroke Association, Rotary International and ambulance services to highlight the dangers of having high blood pressure.

Although it is the biggest risk factor for having a stroke, it is estimated that a quarter of adults have high blood pressure and are completely unaware of it.

The Stroke Association say 40% of the 150,000 strokes suffered by people in the UK each year could be prevented by controlling high blood pressure.

Medical experts, the Daily Mail adds, believe Transcendental Meditation could be used to treat high blood pressure as well as psychological problems.

Two new studies have found that it worked significantly better than good diet and exercise in tackling the stresses of modern life. The studies, at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles and the University of Hawaii, looked at more than 100 people aged 55 and older who were at risk from cardiovascular disease. Those who practised Transcendental Meditation showed a 48 percent reduction in symptoms of depression - compared to those given dietary and exercise advice.