Evening star., 1938-12-25
Gestures That Relax
Body Help Prevent
Heart Disease
Sleep-Indueing Drills
Used to Ward Off High
Blood Pressure
BY HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE,

ASSOClALeQ fEeSS science Editor,
NEW YORK, Dec. 24.-Some sim
pie gestures which induce sound
sleep have become a potential pre-
ventive for two of the fastest forms
of sudden death.
The pair are heart disease and
cerebral hemorrhage, respectively
first and fifth in the first 10 killers
in civilization. The sleep gestures
come from the University of Chi
cago.
Their life-saving possibility rests
on inducing peace of mind and
relaxation Of body to prevent high
blood pressure.
The old idea that high blood
pressure is due to the nervous ten
sion Of civilization has just received
startling confirmation In South y
America.
Artificial Formula Found.
There, in Brazil. William Hall
Holden, M. D., of the American
Museum of Natural History. found
that not one of the three troubles
appears to exist in tribe of Indians
who never have been in contact with
civilization.
He said they do not worry. Amer
leans can't return to savagery's
simple life to escape worry But
in Chicago Edmund jacobson. M. D.
has found an artificial formula to
do it,
With, perhaps, the easiest form of
exercise ever devised. he teaches
the muscles and the mind to relax.
Several years have gone into per-
fecting the method The climax,
recently, is a system for bringing
back the deep, sound sleep Of child
hood.
Unlike other exercises, these do
not require continuous training to
stay in condition. They teach
trick, one of the most difficult. II
"let CO. completely Once learned,
this art is on hand for use at all
hours.
Learned Lying Down.
1t can be applied without going
to the point of sleep It's dramatic
benefits became apparent early in
the study.
College students. learning relaxa-
ton in the laboratory. became part
ly, and in one case. wholly insensible
to pain from electric shocks which
always hurt when they were tense.
The learning takes about an hour
a day. 1t Is all done lying down.
Athletes learn more rapidly than
others. Only a few motions are
made. But they teach, first how the
arms feel when really relaxed Next
the legs. then chest, brows, eyes and
finally tongue and throat.
The positions are all, except for
actual sleep, to lie on the back,
with legs not crossed and eyes closed.
First one arm, and later both
simultaneously, are raised straight
up with fists clenched. so that all
arm muscles tighten. They are al
lowed to relax very slowly. and
finally to fall limp on the bed.
Legs are taught by fexing the
feet forward at ankles, or back
ward, and letting go.
Chest Relaxed.
The chest relaxation is learned BY
inhaling not too deeply and noting
how the easiest breathing can be
done.
Brows are cleared of tensions by
raising intensely, and frowning in
tensely, both separately. with sub
sequent relaxation and complete
rest.
Eyes are turned to left or right.
hard. and for half a minute, and
the same up and down.
Throat and tongue relaxation are
studied by counting out loud to l0I
slowly. then in a lower tone, finally
in whisper.
The gestures themselves are al
most ridiculouslv simple. Really do
ing them is difficult, requiring as a
rule supervision The first mistake
nearly every one makes is an "ef-
fort" to relax.
The mind is kept free Of ideas.
Why complete relaxation frees the
mind is shown by the oscillograph,
the eye which measures move
ments too small to be visible to hu-
mans, or even to be noticed by the
person making them.
Whenever the mind is busy, ten
sions appear in the muscles. While
muscles do not think, there is much
evidence that no thinking is done
without some muscular accompani-