Thermal biofeedback treatment of mild hypertension. A comparison of effects on conventional and ambulatory blood pressure measures.

Several studies have produced results suggesting that thermal biofeedback treatment is effective in lowering the blood pressure (BP) of individuals with both mild and moderate essential hypertension. This study used thermal biofeedback to treat 9 unmedicated individuals with mild hypertension. Subjects underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring both prior to and following the thermal biofeedback treatment regimen. Four of the subjects were considered treatment successes using standard office blood pressure assessments as the success-fail criteria. However, 24-hour ambulatory BP measures showed a markedly different pattern of results, with several subjects who were considered successes under conventional assessment techniques showing an increase in 24-hour ambulatory BP from pre- to posttreatment. There was a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure for all subjects as measured by the ambulatory method. There was also a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic standing home blood pressure. The implications of these results are discussed.