Immediate effect of mud pack on resting cardiovascular parameters in hypertensive individuals – A single-arm pilot study

Abstract

Abstract Background Recent reports highlight the effectiveness of mud therapy in various health conditions. A previous study showed that applying a mud pack (MP) to the abdomen and eyes effectively lowered blood pressure (BP) in healthy individuals. However, there have been no studies investigating the immediate effects of MP on the abdomen and eyes in patients with hypertension. This pilot study aims to determine the immediate impact of MP on cardiovascular parameters in patients with hypertension. Material and methods This preliminary study involved 30 adults aged 50 ± 11 years who had hypertension. After obtaining detailed informed written consent from all the patients, a single session of MP application on the abdomen and eyes was administered for a duration of 20 min. BP measurements were taken both before and after the 20-min intervention. Results Immediately following the application of MP on the abdomen and eyes, a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction was observed in BP variables such as systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial BP, pulse pressure, rate pressure product, and double product among the patients with hypertension. Conclusion The outcome of this pilot study showed that MP could be effective in reducing BP among the patients with hypertension. This suggests its potential as a safe and economically feasible adjunctive therapy for hypertension management. However, further studies with large samples are needed to find the duration of the effectiveness.