The effects of Chow qigong training on borderline hypertensive male subjects

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effects of Chow Qi Gong training on blood pressure in diet controlled borderline hypertensive subjects. Status of hypertension was determined by measuring blood pressure on three separate occasions with the group mean value of 142/92 mm Hg. The study included eighteen untrained males, selected from the patients at the Sport Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics (age range between 50-55). The intervention was implemented biweekly over a two months period. Each session included 20 min. meditation and three consecutive 10 min Chow Qi Gong exercise periods. Blood pressure was measured before, during and at the end of each one-hour Chow Qi Gong session. There was no significant change in blood pressure levels recorded either over the course of each session or after the two months training. However, there was a tendency of slight reduction in blood pressure levels following the two months training period, with the mean value of 139/90 mm Hg (mean results of last two sessions of Chow Qi Gong training). Furthermore, since the reduction in blood pressure was observed in 14 (78%) out of 18 subjects, this may indicate potential benefit in long term Chow Qi Gong training on the male hypertensive subjects.