Interactive breathing device found effective in lowering high systolic blood pressure

With fewer than 1 in 3 Americans with hypertension successfully controlling his or her blood pressure, medication, diet and exercise might not be enough. Now, a promising new non-drug treatment offers an additional approach.

High blood pressure was significantly decreased using a new interactive breathing device, RESPeRATE®, according to a study published in this month’s edition of the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

The multi-center randomized controlled study of 149 patients, led by Dr. William J. Elliott of Rush University Medical Center, demonstrated that as little as 45 minutes of weekly self-treatment with the RESPeRATE® device significantly reduces systolic blood pressure in both medicated and non-medicated patients. The reductions were significantly greater than those observed in patients in the control group. Patients in both groups self-monitored their blood pressure with data-logging digital blood pressure monitors.

“Interestingly, the level of blood pressure reduction was correlated with the total amount of time spent in slow breathing, guided by RESPeRATE,” said Dr. Elliott. “In addition, patients reported that RESPeRATE was very easy to use, making it more likely that this product could be used by most people, at home without the guidance of a health professional.”

“Well over 10,000 patients and physicians have already taken advantage of RESPeRATE to lower blood pressure” said Erez Gavish, President & CEO of InterCure, the developer of RESPeRATE. “We are confident that this validation from a large US-based study, together with the successful results from 6 previous European RESPeRATE clinical trials, will expedite the integration of RESPeRATE into the standard of care for hypertension.”