Dr. Oz Takes New York's Blood Pressure and Prescribes a Chill Pill for Bustling Big Apple Commuters

Pulse of New York at Rush Hour is Pre-Hypertensive

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May 31, 2011, 03:46 ET

NEW YORK, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As a way to celebrate the move of "The Dr. Oz Show" to 4PM on Fox 5, Dr. Oz took New Yorkers' blood pressure at busy commutation points from 4 to 6PM on Thursday, May 26 and found what most Gotham residents already knew – New York's rush hour is stressful! The average blood pressure measured 129/85, which is pre-hypertensive and too high. The high average is doubly troubling because it means that more than half of those surveyed were in the very high range.

Blood pressure data was collected by "The Dr. Oz Show" medical unit at 30 Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, Penn Station and 125th Street and Nicholas Avenue. A total of 100 random participants were offered a free reading and given referral information if their blood pressure required medical attention. The non-scientific statistical snapshot is an anecdote which proves that the hours of 4-6, the busiest of the day in the Big Apple, is a time when New Yorkers should stop and take a few steps to lighten their stressful commute.

"Hypertension is by far the single biggest driver of aging and the most dangerous threat to your health," said Dr. Mehmet Oz. "It's called the silent killer because people are oblivious that their blood pressure is too high, and often they learn the hard way – when they see me as a patient. We collected these readings to demonstrate that New Yorkers should be aware of their numbers and be conscious of taking steps to reduce stress."

Steps that any person can take to lessen the stress of rush hour and reduce their blood pressure are:

Listen to classical music on your commute—research shows that just 30 minutes of music gives the same powerful calming effect as 10mg of Valium.
When you're feeling extra stressed, borrow a tip from the ancient art of acupuncture and give yourself a pressure point massage. Apply pressure to your earlobes using your thumb and index fingers, and move slowly up and down the ear for 1-2 minutes.
Tomorrow morning, try 7 minutes of yoga or relaxations exercises—it will loosen up your muscles and get your blood flowing so you start your commute off on the right, relaxed foot.
Add an orange, kiwi, or grapefruit to your breakfast routine—these vitamin C rich fruits will help your body regulate cortisol, the stress hormone.

A complete list of resources about what to do to reduce stress and how to find your blood pressure can be found on www.doctoroz.com. "The Dr. Oz Show" will now be broadcast in its new timeslot at 4PM, as well as at 11AM in New York City on Fox 5, WNYW.

ABOUT THE DR. OZ SHOW

Dr. Oz won an Emmy for outstanding informative talk show host at the 2010 Daytime Emmys. "The Dr. Oz Show" was nominated for Best Informative Talk Show. Last year "The Dr. Oz Show" debuted with the biggest ratings in seven years in daytime television and maintained impressive ratings throughout the season. Dr. Oz has served as health expert on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" since 2004, sharing advice with viewers to help them live their best life from the inside out. Dr. Oz has co-authored six New York Times Best Sellers including "YOU: The Owner's Manual", "YOU: The Smart Patient", "YOU: On a Diet", "YOU: Staying Young", "YOU: Being Beautiful" and "YOU Having a Baby" as well as the award-winning "Healing from the Heart". He has a regular column in Esquire magazine and is a contributing editor to O, The Oprah Magazine. He is also the host of a daily talk show on Sirius XM Radio's "Oprah Radio." Dr. Oz is vice-chair of the Department of Surgery and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University. He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital and performs 100 heart operations annually. His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, complementary medicine and health care policy. He has authored over 400 original publications, book chapters, and medical books and has received several patents.

Cleared in over 99% of the country, "The Dr. Oz Show" is co-produced by Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and distributed by SPT. "The Dr. Oz Show" is executive produced by Mindy Borman; Amy Chiaro is co-executive producer. The show is filmed in front of a studio audience in Studio 6A in New York's legendary Rockefeller Center.

ABOUT HARPO STUDIOS

Harpo Studios is the home of Harpo Productions, Inc. the most successful production company in daytime talk, producing the number one, award-winning "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Dr. Oz Show" and "The Nate Berkus Show," as well as having developed "Dr. Phil" and "Rachael Ray." ZoCo Productions, LLC, an affiliate of Harpo Productions, Inc., and Sony Pictures Television co-produce "The Dr. Oz Show." Harpo Studios creates, develops and produces original TV programming for primetime, syndication, cable and digital platforms. Harpo Creative Works, an award-winning team of designers, writers and producers, offers its services to media clients outside of Harpo Studios as a full-service creative agency specializing in the design and execution of on-air, print and online promotion for broadcast and cable television across a wide range of multimedia. Harpo Print, LLC and Hearst Magazines publish the monthly "O, The Oprah Magazine" publication. Harpo Films, Inc. produces feature films and, through an exclusive deal with HBO, scripted television programming. Harpo Radio, Inc. produces Oprah Radio (XM channel 156, Sirius channel 195 as part of its "Best of XM" package) on SIRIUS XM Radio and content for Westwood One. A joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a multi-platform company that includes a cable network and the premier lifestyle website Oprah.com, launched on January 1, 2011 in approximately 80 million homes..

ABOUT SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment around the world and for every platform: broadcast and cable television, first-run and off-network syndication and digital distribution. In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of feature films and television shows, SPT boasts a current program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. Internationally, SPT is a leader in local language productions around the world, some of which are co-produced with local partners, and sells SPE-owned formats in approximately 70 countries. To better serve its clients and partners worldwide, SPT maintains offices throughout the world, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, the People's Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Venezuela and the United Kingdom. SPT's worldwide television networks portfolio is a key strategy in SPE's long-range commitment to the global marketplace, with 120 channel feeds, which are available in more than 142 countries reaching more than 500 million households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE's premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns Dutch entertainment company 2waytraffic, production company Embassy Row and Sony Movie Channel, and is a part owner of cable channel GSN, new 3D channel 3net, FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service, and national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT's syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses in the United States. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.