I flew down to South Carolina over the weekend to help care for my 93-year-old dad. He’s had two terrible falls in recent weeks, seriously bruising the whole left side of his body, especially the upper arm and elbow. Thankfully, dad hasn’t broken any bones yet (despite his newly-diagnosed osteoporosis). He was also told a month ago that he’s on the verge of becoming a borderline diabetic–despite being a healthy eater and vigorously active–and that’s upset him terribly.

On Monday, my younger brother and I accompanied dad to his cardiologist’s office. After a very thorough check-up, the doctor said that my dad’s blood pressure (which he checked twice and compared to our home records) was still a tad high at 150 (not a huge surprise to us after all he’s been through), and that–here was the shocker–dad should probably add a third blood-pressure medication to the cocktail of two meds he’s been taking.

“What would be the side-effects to that?” my brother asked cautiously.

“He might get a little drowsy,” the doctor said, adding later that if dad noticed the new medication was making him sleepy, he could stop taking the extra pill.

At this point, I interjected: “Have you ever known anyone who lowered their blood pressure with meditation or relaxation techniques?”

The cardiologist laughed at this as if he’d just heard the most hilarious joke.

Being the poised, angelic gal I am (capable of reverting to my submissive, chattering girlhood self in less than two seconds), I didn’t say, “Hey, jackass, I write about this stuff.” No, I actually appeared to agree with him and added that perhaps such alternative methods “work better with women.”

“Well,” Dr. Heartbeat said with mock humility, “I don’t know anything about that.”

He sure doesn’t.

Now that I’m home and at my computer, I’ve found this influential 2005 study (conducted over a period of 18 years) that revealed transcendental meditation can indeed lower blood pressure and dramatically improve heart health. I’m imagining that the patients who improve the most are those who are highly motivated, something I’m not sure my perfectionistic, type-A dad really is, so I’m gathering books together to send to him with the assumption that he’ll make a decision that’s right for him.

It’s easier for some people to take a pill.

Here’s an excellent list of hypertension books, several of which include chapters on biofeedback and helpful meditation methods. Pass them along to your loved ones who need them. And let me know how you or a relative has succeeded with any natural hypertension cures.