Storytelling: A Novel Intervention for Hypertension
Authors: Kimberly R. Myers, Michael J. Green
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Editorials18 January 2011Storytelling: A Novel Intervention for HypertensionKimberly R. Myers, PhD, MA and Michael J. Green, MD, MSKimberly R. Myers, PhD, MAFrom Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033. and Michael J. Green, MD, MSFrom Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-154-2-201101180-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Telling (and listening to) stories has long been held to have a positive effect on health (1–3). Studies in pathography and narrative medicine (4, 5) suggest that telling others about one's illness can help ease suffering, by imposing a narrative order on frightening events, and aid the physician in caring for the individual. Therefore, studying stories as a potential therapy for hypertension seems worthwhile. In this issue, Houston and colleagues (6) present a provocative report on how listening to stories can help lower blood pressure among African Americans, particularly those in whom blood pressure was poorly controlled at baseline.Although ...References1. Charon R. Narrative and medicine. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:862-4. [PMID: 14985483] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Frank AW. The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics. Chicago: Univ Chicago Pr; 1995. Google Scholar3. Kleinman A. The Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing, and the Human Condition. New York: Basic Books; 1988. Google Scholar4. Charon R. Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness. Oxford: Oxford Univ Pr; 2006. Google Scholar5. Hawkins AH. Reconstructing Illness: Studies in Pathography. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue Univ Pr; 1993. Google Scholar6. Houston TK, Allison JJ, Sussman M, Horn W, Holt CL, Trobaugh J, et al. Culturally appropriate storytelling to improve blood pressure. A randomized trial. 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Womanist ways of knowing: theoretical considerations for research with African American women. ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 2000;22:33-45. [PMID: 10711803] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Banks-Wallace J. Talk that talk: storytelling and analysis rooted in African American oral tradition. Qual Health Res. 2002;12:410-26. [PMID: 11918105] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. Barnes S. Marvelous arithmetics: womanist spirituality in the poetry of Audre Lorde. In: Groover KK, ed. Things of the Spirit: Women Writers Constructing Spirituality. Notre Dame, IN: Univ of Notre Dame Pr; 2004:200-23. Google Scholar15. Mancia G, Laurent S, Agabiti-Rosei E, Ambrosioni E, Burnier M, Caulfield MJ, et al; European Society of Hypertension. Reappraisal of European guidelines on hypertension management: a European Society of Hypertension Task Force document. J Hypertens. 2009;27:2121-58. [PMID: 19838131] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. Collins R, Peto R, MacMahon S, Hebert P, Fiebach NH, Eberlein KA, et al. Blood pressure, stroke, and coronary heart disease. Part 2, Short-term reductions in blood pressure: overview of randomised drug trials in their epidemiological context. Lancet. 1990;335:827-38. [PMID: 1969567] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. Gamble VN. Under the shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and health care. Am J Public Health. 1997;87:1773-8. [PMID: 9366634] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Kimberly R. Myers, PhD, MA; Michael J. Green, MD, MSAffiliations: From Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033.Disclosures: None disclosed. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M10-2579.Corresponding Author: Michael J. Green, MD, MS, Department of Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine, C1743, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033; e-mail, mjg15@psu.edu.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Myers and Green: Department of Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine, C1743, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCulturally Appropriate Storytelling to Improve Blood Pressure Thomas K. Houston , Jeroan J. Allison , Marc Sussman , Wendy Horn , Cheryl L. Holt , John Trobaugh , Maribel Salas , Maria Pisu , Yendelela L. Cuffee , Damien Larkin , Sharina D. Person , Bruce Barton , Catarina I. Kiefe , and Sandral Hullett Metrics Cited byStorytelling: a Cultural Determinant of Health Among African American Cancer PatientsUsing narrative intervention for HPV vaccine behavior change among Khmer mothers and daughters: A pilot RCT to examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectivenessA story of change: The influence of narrative on African-Americans with diabetesAltered Lives : assessing the effectiveness of digital storytelling as a form of communication designStorytelling Slide Shows to Improve Diabetes and High Blood Pressure Knowledge and Self-Efficacy: Three-Year Results Among Community Dwelling Older African AmericansVideo-assisted patient education to modify behavior: A systematic reviewHealth and Illness in a Connected World: How Might Sharing Experiences on the Internet Affect People's Health?Culturally Appropriate Storytelling to Improve Blood Pressure: A Randomized Trial 18 January 2011Volume 154, Issue 2Page: 129-130KeywordsAfrican American peopleBlood pressureConflicts of interestHearingHypertensionInternetMorbidityMortalityPopulation statisticsSystolic pressure ePublished: 18 January 2011 Issue Published: 18 January 2011 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. 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