Contraindications
There is no evidence to suggest contra-indications in use of the described meditation techniques for patients with hypertension. Other than a couple of published case reports of patients diagnosed with psychotic or schizophrenic disorders that suggest the potential for meditation to increase patterns of delusional thinking, meditation appears to be a safe practice to recommend to patients who are at risk for CVD or who exhibit hypertension.
As with the use of any reflective and introspective therapeutic practice, there is always the potential for underlying issues to come into a patient’s conscious awareness and cause emotional distress. It is likely that with sustained practice in meditation, a patient will acquire new understanding and coping strategies. Like any other treatment, it will be important for you as the family physician to continually monitor the patient’s response, and to see what other treatments may be helpful.
In the section that follows, you will consider how to best incorporate meditation into recommendations for treatment planning and follow-up, with Jim serving as the example.
