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Wednesday 8 May 2013

Lower High Blood Pressure Without Medication



Edited by Kyle Grindley, Sangwarp, Cerdg, Diana and 36 others

High blood pressure is one of the most common health conditions in the United States. Most people diagnosed with high blood pressure are treated with medications. This article will teach you some easy steps you can use to lower your blood pressure without medications.

Steps


Part One: Diet

1
Avoid table salt (sodium, sodium chloride, NaCl). Sodium causes you to retain fluids, which makes your blood have more fluid volume. When your blood has more volume, your heart has to pump harder to move that excess volume throughout the body. This causes the blood pressure to go up. Remember, it's not just the salt that you put on your food while cooking or at the table, it's also the amount of sodium that's in the prepared foods that you buy. You should become "label conscious" and buy "low salt/sodium" or "unsalted" foods.
  • Avoid preserved foods, canned and bottled foods (such as meats, pickles, soups, chili and such), bacon, ham, sausage, bakery products and MSG (mono-sodium glutamate), meats with added water, also, have higher/added sodium content, as well as prepared mustard, salsa, ketchup, Bar-Be-Que and other sauces. Many American diets include up to 5,000 milligrams of sodium daily which nearly all medical professionals consider extremely unhealthy.
  • Medical professionals often prescribe "low sodium diets" that consist of between 1100 and 1500 milligrams daily. The American Heart Association advises that the human body actually can function with as little as only 200mg of sodium daily. If one can't live without a "salty" flavor, there are multiple brands of seasonings that amount to herbs or fake salt products on the market. Not just low or "lite" salt products but salt substitutes (potassium, potassium-chloride, based for example).
 
2
Eat a moderate, lean diet and avoid stimulants. Avoid caffeine, white carbs (although pastas are not as quick to form sugar as breads, pastries and cakes are), candy, sugary drinks and excessive dietary fats. Try eating a more plant based diet, instead of so much of meats, milk and eggs.
  • Use less caffeine. Stopping coffee and other caffeinated beverage consumption will lower blood pressure. But, even one or two cups of coffee can raise blood pressure into the unhealthy Stage 1 level. If a person already has Stage 1 Hypertension, the coffee usually complicates the problem further because caffeine is a nervous system stimulant. Thus, agitated nerves cause the heart to beat faster, which raises the blood pressure. If you are a person who drinks a lot of caffeine (more than 4 caffeinated drinks/day), you may need to taper yourself off of the caffeine to prevent withdrawal symptoms such as headaches.
  • Increase fiber. Fiber cleanses your system and helps control your blood pressure by having digestive regularity. Most vegetables are high in fiber, especially those with leafy greens. Many fruits, nuts, and legumes (beans and peas) are also rich in fiber, as are whole-grain products.
 
3
Try taking some natural remedies. Check with your doctor to see if this may be a safe alternative to medication for you. Many natural remedies[1] have scientific evidence to show that they can lower high blood pressure.
  • The top supplements for lowering blood pressure are coenzyme Q10, omega-3, fish oil, garlic, curcumin (from turmeric), ginger, cayenne, olive oil, nuts, black cohosh, hawthorn, magnesium and chromium.

4
Take B vitamins. Vitamins like B12, 6 and 9 can help lower homocystiene levels in the blood that can lead to heart problems. You can also find these nutrients in the daily foods you eat.


5
Eat foods rich in omega-3 and minerals such as potassium: tomatoes/tomato juice, potatoes, beans, onions, oranges, fruits and dried fruits. Consume fish twice a week or more. Fish is high in protein, and many types of fish, including salmon, mackerel, and herring, also have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which lower fats called triglycerides and promotes overall heart health.


Part Two: Other Strategies

1
Stop smoking. Smoking causes your blood pressure to elevate because of the stimulants in the cigarette smoke. If you stop smoking, you can not only lower your blood pressure, but you can also help your heart to become more healthy and reduce your chances for other health-related diseases including lung cancer.

2
Lose weight. Carrying around extra weight causes your heart to work harder all the time and this increases your blood pressure. Imagine having an extra 20 pounds (9 kg) on your body. That would be the same thing as carrying around a 20 pound (9 kg) bag of dog food. Try walking around the block while carrying this bag of dog food. Soon, your heart will begin to beat faster and harder, you'll become out of breath, and you'll feel very tired. Eventually, you'll get to the point where you can't wait to put that bag down.
  • Imagine how hard it is for your body to carry around that extra weight all the time! Unfortunately, many of us are carrying around a lot more than just an extra 20 pounds (9 kg). By losing this extra weight, your heart won't have to beat as hard and you'll lower your blood pressure.

3
Avoid drugs and alcohol. Excessive use of drugs and alcohol can damage many organs in the body including the liver and the kidneys. When these organs are damaged, they can cause a build-up of fluids in the body. As mentioned above, extra fluids make the heart beat harder and this increases the blood pressure.
  • Many drugs are stimulants. These cause the heart to beat faster. The faster the heart beats, the higher the blood pressure goes. By cutting out drugs and alcohol you'll succeed in reducing your blood pressure.
  • Also, remember above where the common warning about sodium was described? Some over the counter medications such as simple headache remedies like Ibuprofen cause the body to retain sodium. So, people who are already complicating their high blood pressure condition with sodium also are retaining that sodium more than the body naturally would which causes even higher stress on their systems.

4
Relax. Many people have a temporary raise in blood pressure when they are under stress. If you have high blood pressure because you are overweight or have a family history of hypertension, then stress raises it that much more. This is because your adrenal gland releases stress hormones which tend to cause your cardiovascular system to over work.
  • If you are under chronic stress where you produce that stress hormone every day then your cardiovascular system will naturally go into a state where it is over working. This occurs due to the fact that the stress hormone increases your pulse, respiration and heart rate, as in preparation for flight or fight. Your body thinks you are in need of fighting or running and naturally gets your body ready for either one.
  • After prolonged stress one can imagine what kind of work the heart is placed under. Try taking a walk to take the edge off a stressful day. Make time for decompressing each and every day.

5
Exercise. Walk every day for at least 20 to 30 minutes at a moderate speed of about 3.0 miles per hour. Study after study has demonstrated that the mere act of walking has a suppression effect on hypertension. Can't walk outside? Used treadmills can be found at all sorts of online sites for as little as $250. The advantage: walk even as it rains or snows outside. You can even walk in your pajamas without the neighbors seeing you! But do yourself a favor. Walk every day without fail. 30 minutes is all it takes, daily.

6
Meditate. Simply observing and slowing the respiration rate produces a significant reduction in blood pressure.

7
Breathe deeply and slowly but not so slow as to cause discomfort, and listen to music if you like, while relaxing to lower blood pressure. Do this until you fall asleep for instance or in break time for 5, 10 or 15 minutes occasionally throughout the day.

8
Take a soaking hot bath or hot shower for 15 minutes which can actually suppress one's blood pressure for several hours. Taking a hot bath just prior to bedtime can help the body retain lower blood pressure for hours or even the entire night.

9
Monitor your blood pressure. You can monitor your blood pressure by using a sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope. Know the different ranges in reading your blood pressure. What is normal varies for children and older people. This will keep you on track to lower your blood pressure according to the levels listed below:
  • Normal blood pressure - 120/80 and below
  • Pre-Hypertension blood pressure - 120-139/80-89
  • First stage hypertension - 140-159/90-99
  • Second stage hypertension - : 160/100 and above

Tips

  • Individual serving of foods are also called low, moderate, or high in sodium. One apple or other fresh fruit would be "low sodium" with a content of less than 100 mg.
  • Regular exercise such as walking is useful for lowering blood pressure.
  • Taking fish oil tablets regularly can reduce your blood pressure, and this tip should possibly be at the top of the list! The typical American diet is woefully deficient in Omega 3 (fish oil), and restoring some balance here may be the single most important thing you can do to naturally reduce your blood pressure. This will provide many other benefits, as well.
  • The following list concerns total daily intake of salt/sodium, and can be related to adding what one gets from each food (read the labels) for each specific food item:
    • Low Sodium = 0 mg - 1400 mg (0 - 1.4 g)
    • Moderate Sodium = 1400 mg - 4000 mg (1.4 - 4 g) Note: the "Recommended Daily Allowance" (RDA) of sodium is about 2500 mg.
    • Meditation can de-stress and can help to lower high blood pressure.
    • High Sodium = 4000 mg (4 g) or higher
  • Listening to or voicing rhythmic chants causes breathing tempo to stabilize, which in turn, can be beneficial.
  • Eating broccoli and other green vegetables, such as brussel sprouts, may reduce your blood pressure, if they're eaten regularly.
  • Inexpensive and user-friendly software products may be found for weight loss, fitness and health concerns.
  • Exercising 30 minutes a day can really help lower blood pressure.

    • Warnings

  • If your blood pressure ever reaches a reading of 180/110 or higher please seek immediate medical attention. This is indicative of a hypertensive crisis which can cause many complications and even death, if not treated right away.
  • Caution: know what is considered low blood pressure (hypotension) below 60/40 and at this point seek immediate medical attention for that.
  • If taken in excess, garlic can result in thinning of the blood, as can aspirin, and may cause problems with blood clotting and bruising.
  • While all of these tips are effective in lowering your blood pressure without medications, sometimes they are not enough. If your blood pressure stays at or above 140 mmHg over 90 mmHg (usually written 140/90) even while using these tips, you should see your doctor. The consequences of untreated or unchecked hypertension include increased risks of heart muscle thickening and hardening, diabetes, nerve damage, and stroke which can put a person in a wheelchair for the remainder of his/her life. Stroke sometimes can alter a person's brain function enough such that speech is permanently disrupted.
    • Kidney failure is another consequence HBP which can require that a person be put on kidney dialysis for life. If you find that engaging in prevention tactics is boring to you, just write stroke and kidney failure on a piece of paper and tape that to your refrigerator as a reminder of what can happen to you with high blood pressure.

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    Sources and Citations
     
    Article Info

    Categories: Cardiovascular Health and Blood Pressure
    Recent edits by: Simon, Ciccio Veronese, Loni_lings

    http://www.wikihow.com/Lower-High-Blood-Pressure-Without-Using-Medication

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