BALTIMORE – Marion Williams knows she has a hard time relaxing. She leads a busy life as a traveling nurse, grandmother of 10, and advocate for nursing home residents, and for years she had high blood pressure. “It was due to the stress,” said Williams, one of many black Americans who has battled high blood pressure.
While about a third of Americans suffer from high blood pressure, the conditions is most prevalent among blacks, four in 10 of whom suffer from hypertension. Obesity and an aging population are cited as factors, but stress, especially among minorities, is also noted by experts.
Williams, 61, answered a newspaper ad seeking black patients with high blood pressure for a study to determine whether meditation could help them relax and lower their blood pressure.
Williams says it worked for her.
