A Pilot Study on the Effect of Alternate Nostril Breathing and Foot Reflexology on Intraocular Pressure in Ocular Hypertension

Q: Does reflexology help with high blood pressure?

While this small pilot study shows promising short-term benefits for eye pressure, the evidence is too early-stage to recommend reflexology as a standalone treatment; discuss any eye pressure management with your eye doctor.

Q: What did this study find?

Both alternate nostril breathing and foot reflexology produced significant decreases in intraocular pressure compared to baseline measurements in patients with ocular hypertension. The study included 11 patients aged 48-78 years with ocular hypertension who completed a 30-day drug washout period before receiving either alternate nostril breathing or foot reflexology interventions. Intraocular pressure was monitored at multiple time points including immediately after the intervention and at 30-minute intervals for 2 hours to assess the duration of any pressure-lowering effects.

Q: How strong is this evidence?

This is a pilot study and we rate its evidence preliminary. It covers 11 participants. It was published in Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), a Q2 journal. Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.

Authors: Pandya Jui, Schardt Martin, Yu Daohai, Henderer Jeffrey DJournal: Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)Published: August 1, 2019DOI: 10.1089/acm.2019.0033

Q2 JournalSJR: 0.55h-index: 90

Preliminary EvidencePilotn=11 participants

High Blood Pressure

In Plain Language: reflexology for high blood pressure, explained

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of alternate nostril breathing (ANB) and foot reflexology (FR) on lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with ocular hypertension (OHTN). This prospective pilot study recruited 11 patients from 2014 to 2016 from Temple opthamology outpatient clinic. Patients had OHTN with ages of 48-78 years. Patients were excluded if they currently performed ANB or FR, were unable to perform the task, had previous eye surgery or laser, were receiving other complementary and alternative medicine for OHTN, or were unable to complete drug washout period. After a 30-day drug washout, patients were randomly assigned to complete either ANB or FR for 5 min. After instruction, patients completed either ANB or FR, and completed the alternate task 2 weeks later. IOP was measured before the task, immediately after the task, and then every 30 min for 2 h. Decrease in IOP compared with baseline IOP was significant for ANB and FR at all time points. Baseline IOP was 25.86 ± 3.19 mmHg for ANB and 25.41 ± 3.54 mmHg for FR (N = 22 eyes). There was only one significant difference between IOP for the right and left eyes for FR at 120 min. Otherwise, there was no difference between eyes for both ANB and FR. There was a significant decrease in IOP at 30 min post task with IOP decrease of 1.98 ± 1.70 mmHg for ANB and 3.59 ± 1.89 mmHg for FR (both p p p < 0.0001). Both FR and ANB had a small but significant IOP lowering effect. These alternative therapies could serve as possible adjunctive treatments for lowering IOP.

Key Findings: what this pilot study found about high blood pressure

✓Both alternate nostril breathing and foot reflexology produced significant decreases in intraocular pressure compared to baseline measurements in patients with ocular hypertension.
✓The study included 11 patients aged 48-78 years with ocular hypertension who completed a 30-day drug washout period before receiving either alternate nostril breathing or foot reflexology interventions.
✓Intraocular pressure was monitored at multiple time points including immediately after the intervention and at 30-minute intervals for 2 hours to assess the duration of any pressure-lowering effects.

What This Means for You

While this small pilot study shows promising short-term benefits for eye pressure, the evidence is too early-stage to recommend reflexology as a standalone treatment; discuss any eye pressure management with your eye doctor.

What This Means for Practitioners

This pilot evidence suggests foot reflexology may produce acute IOP reductions comparable to or exceeding alternate nostril breathing, but larger controlled trials are needed before claiming clinical efficacy for ocular hypertension.

Study Design: how this pilot study was run

Sample Size

11 participants

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Reflexology for high blood pressure: common questions

Does reflexology help with high blood pressure?

What did this study find?

Both alternate nostril breathing and foot reflexology produced significant decreases in intraocular pressure compared to baseline measurements in patients with ocular hypertension. The study included 11 patients aged 48-78 years with ocular hypertension who completed a 30-day drug washout period before receiving either alternate nostril breathing or foot reflexology interventions. Intraocular pressure was monitored at multiple time points including immediately after the intervention and at 30-minute intervals for 2 hours to assess the duration of any pressure-lowering effects.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a pilot study and we rate its evidence preliminary. It covers 11 participants. It was published in Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), a Q2 journal. Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.