Blood pressure pills (Coreg, Norvascor), changing diet (get rid of salt, fat), walking for two miles per day…these are among the things my cardiologist, one of the most respected in the country, prescribed to lower my high blood pressure.  I asked my cardiologist if there was any other way, long term, to bring blood pressure under control.  He said that he had seen some studies that indicated Pranayama Yoga (that focuses on breathing exercises) lowered high blood pressure. 

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Recently, in Central Texas,  the life of football player Matt Nader was saved with the use of an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator: A device that can be used by anyone with a minimal amount of training to defibrillate someone whose heart has stopped).  Matt collapsed on the sidelines during a football game.  Quick action by his parents and a cardiologist in the stands who used an AED saved Matt’s life.  Matt has now started a campaign to make sure that every Texas sports team has an AED on the sideline.

Each year, about 250,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest, which can result from heart attacks, underlying heart disease or accidents, among other causes. Most such deaths happen in the home, roughly 70 percent, and 95 percent of victims die even before reaching the hospital. Paramedics can shock victims’ hearts back to a normal beat with defibrillators, but they rarely arrive in time. For defibrillation to be effective, the shock must be delivered within the first few minutes of collapse. In fact, for every minute that goes by without defibrillation, a victim’s chance of survival decreases by 7-10%. And after 10 minutes, it is unlikely that the person will survive. Recent studies have shown easily accessible defibrillators will double survival.

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