Health FAQs

Question: I have hypertension/high blood pressure. What research do you have on this and what help can you offer me?

Answer: The following pages have links to HeartMath research on hypertension/high blood pressure and information about managing it:

This article, What You and Your Doctor Need to Know About High Blood Pressure: A New Drug-Free Approach targets an important, but often overlooked, factor in hypertension.

Research study: Impact of a Workplace Stress Reduction Program on Blood Pressure and Emotional Health in Hypertensive Employees.

Learn what cardiologist Dr. Bruce C. Wilson and HeartMath founder Doc Childre say about the causes and management of hypertension/high blood pressure in their co-authored e-book, The HeartMath Approach to Managing Hypertension: The Proven, Natural Way to Lower Your Blood Pressure.

Question: Is there any research related to HeartMath interventions with congestive heart failure?

Answer: Stanford University conducted a study on the effects of the HeartMath program on patients with congestive heart failure. Researchers found significant improvements in functional capacity and significant reductions in stress and depression among other improvements. Read a summary here: Stanford Study.

Question: What can you offer to help me with stress and anxiety?

Answer: The HeartMath Institute has been developing strategies to reduce and manage stress and anxiety for more than 23 years and has many free resources for you. Go to the Resources of our website where you will be directed to a variety of possible solutions for Personal Stress Relief.

Here are some possibilities:

– Try our Personal Well-Being Survey and recommendations. They are designed for a range stress-related conditions.

– Visit our Solution pages to read about specific stress topics such as, stress, sleeplessness, burnout and fatigue, job stress and others. Each contains an overview, HeartMath’s perspective relative research, a tool tip and recommendations.

– The HeartMath books Transforming Stress and Transforming Anxiety focus specifically on these subjects and offer numerous solutions.

– Visit our Research Library to review numerous research papers related to stress and anxiety.

– Search our Articles of the Heart blog for stress- and anxiety-related articles.

Question: Do you offer something for people with emotional issues such as anger and panic attacks, depression, etc.?

Answer: Yes. HeartMath’s Solution for Stress Anxiety page offers information and help. The books in the HeartMath Transforming Series by Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman, Ph.D., give a great deal of information about anger, anxiety and panic attacks, depression and other debilitating conditions, especially stress, which health-care providers and researchers cite as a primary cause of many of today’s health problems:

Additional information can be found here: Analysis of Twenty-Four Hour Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Panic Disorder.

Question: I have trouble sleeping. What would you suggest?

Answer: Sleeplessness, or insomnia, is more common than many people realize. The National Sleep Foundation reports that sleep disorders stem most commonly from stress. Go to the Solution for Sleeplessness page for information and help. HeartMath’s Solving Sleeplessness e-booklet and the emWave 2 with the HeartMath Solution for Better Sleep book are scientifically based 5-Step Program that can provide immediate help with your sleep problems.

Question: Do you have anything for weight loss?

Answer: Yes. Visit the Articles of the Heart blog and these articles for helpful information: Childhood Obesity and Emotional Eating and Weight-loss Program Participants Learn Self-Management Techniques For Success. You can view detailed information about HeartMath’s new Stopping Emotional Eating e-Book and the the highly acclaimed, award-winning emWave®2 (handheld device) or emWave Pro for desktop. Thousands of people worldwide are using these to improve the quality of their lives.

Question: Have HeartMath techniques been shown to help people improve their immune systems?

Answer: Yes. Check out the HeartMath research paper, A Pilot Intervention Program that Reduces Psychological Symptomatology in Individuals with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Also, there are several articles in the Articles of Heart blog. Search for “immune system.”

Question: I am fatigued, tired and burned out. What do you have to help me?

Answer: For fast information and solutions, go to our Solution for Burnout and Fatigue page.

Question: I have a personal stress issue. Can you recommend a personal coach who teaches the HeartMath techniques?

Answer: For information about HeartMath programs, people who offer them and where they are offered, visit HeartMath’s Coach Directory.

HeartMath’s emWave® technology also has helped many thousands of people to personally reduce stress and improve their relationships and overall health and well-being.

Question: Do you offer any help for people who have been diagnosed with diabetes?

Answer: For information related to diabetes, read this HeartMath study: Emotional Self-Regulation Program Enhances Psychological Health and Quality of Life in Patients with Diabetes.

Question: Do you have any products or training that can help me with post-traumatic stress disorder?

Answer: Yes. The free H.E.A.R.T. DVD is an informative 5-hour training program that can be found under Free Resources for Veterans and Military Personnel on our website.

Search in Articles of the Heart for helpful articles such as PTSD May Be Greatest Injury of War Today.

Also, check out the HeartMath Interventions Program.

Question: Do you have any research on the use of HeartMath with trauma victims?

Answer: You’ll find information and help about using HeartMath with trauma victims in the Research section of our website.

Books and advice:

It is important to seek assistance from a trained health-care professional. Additionally, HeartMath recommends: Transforming Stress and Transforming Anxiety, by Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman.

Many people with PTSD or hyperarousal have a difficult time accessing positive feelings. Psychologists at VA Hospitals around the country have had great success helping patients by using HeartMath techniques and technology, which emphasize and teach people effective methods for experiencing positive feelings.

Either the emWave 2 handheld or the emWave Pro for desktop is very useful for recalling positive states and helping individuals to re-establish their normal emotional baseline. With practice, most people who use these tools are able to obtain high coherence levels, which help in their recovery process.