Natural Blood Pressure Remedies

Having sustained high blood pressure for a long period of time can cause problems. Many Doctors you visit will put you on hypertensive drugs as soon as you are diagnosed with hypertension. But is this really the best course of action? That depends on your situation. If you are a healthy individual without clogged arteries, relatively acceptable cholesterol levels, and no other serious illness that could be attributing to the hypertension, the answer is probably no. All blood pressure medication has side effects. And doctors are often overly eager to prescribe them. Once started they are medically dangerous to get off. Many individuals have taken the natural approach to lowering their blood pressure and seen incredible long lasting improvement. I have compiled a list of proven methods to lower blood pressure and help fight heart disease at the source. Read on to see all the drug free treatments of hypertension.

-Most importantly, Exercise regularly. A lack of regular exercise is often the main reason for hypertension in the first place. Exercise lowers blood pressure because it strengthens the heart. When you are in shape your resting heart rate will be lower, which in turn creates less pressure through the blood vessels and arteries. Exercising also lowers cholesterol in most individuals. Studies have shown it only takes 2 weeks of a sedentary lifestyle to affect your cardiovascular ability. The theory 20 years ago was that three 30 minute sessions a week of walking at a moderate pace would be sufficient. Some medical professionals now say 30 minutes every single day would be more beneficial. Remember that if you have never exercised before or it has been a long time use caution when first starting up. Try starting at a slow pace for the first few weeks to avoid exertion. Consult your doctor before starting any physical activity.

-Adopt a plant based diet. The documentary Forks Over Knives showed us all the extremely positive effects a plant based diet has on our cardiovascular system. Even some individuals with severe coronary artery disease were able to be brought back into good health by adopting a plant based diet and exercising. High amounts of saturated fat in animal products can increase inflammation and fatty deposits in the blood stream. It may take a few weeks for the diet to take effect on lowering the blood pressure so remember to be patient and stick with it. A plant based diet can also lower cholesterol. Remember that plant based diets are generally very low in fat, which can lessen the vitamin absorption you acquire from food. You may consider supplementing with a quality multivitamin while on a plant based diet.

-Eat Beets. Beets contain high levels of nitrates. Your body naturally produces a chemical called nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps relax the muscles within the blood vessels and widens them. This in turn reduces blood pressure. The nitrates in beets trigger your body to produce more nitric oxide. One study showed that beets can reduce blood pressure for up to 12 hours. Obviously this will vary greatly by individual.

-Eat raw garlic. Raw garlic is more beneficial than cooked garlic because it contains the active ingredient allicin. Garlic has been shown to lower blood pressure for a few reasons. The first one being it can detoxify and empty the digestive tract. It is common that individuals with a western diet often have a digestive tract that is not functioning at %100. This is because of a diet high in saturated fat and lacking in nutrients. The second reason it lowers blood pressure is because like beets, it also triggers a response in the body to produce more nitric oxide. Garlic has been proven to be such a powerful antioxidant that it actually reduces heavy metal build up in the body as well.

-Cut down on your sodium intake. This has been a known fact for many years but medical professionals still are not exactly sure why. Basically salt forces the body to retain water. That retention of water can make the heart work harder. In-taking salt can also lead to dehydration, dehydration makes the heart beat faster. Which in turn will raise blood pressure.

-Take the proper vitamins. Time and time again vitamin levels are ignored. Having the proper nutrients is essential for the body to function proper. The two vitamins which have been shown to have an effect on blood pressure are vitamin D and magnesium. Having a deficiency in either of those vitamins can cause high blood pressure. The classification of drugs called ARBs actually work to increase vitamin D in the body. So why not just supplement with it to raise vitamin D naturally, without the use of drugs. Vitamin K2 has been shown to reduce calcium and plaque build up within the arteries; It’s effects on blood pressure are unknown, however it has been proven to have many benefits for the cardiovascular system and would be a good idea to supplement with for overall heart health. The verdict is still out on whether any B vitamins affect blood pressure. When supplementing with any vitamins make sure to start off with somewhat low dosages and get your levels checked periodically through blood tests. Knowing your blood serum levels can help determine what dosage of any given vitamin is right for you. Optimal levels will yield optimum health overall.

-Supplement with Coenzyme Q10. Coenzyme Q10 has been shown in many studies to have almost as good of an effect on lowering blood pressure as a medication in some people. COQ10 is a strong antioxidant and is naturally produced by the body. As we age the body produces less and less COQ10. It also helps lower inflammation in the body, and lowers cholesterol. Both of which can attribute to preventing heart disease. And another benefit of COQ10 is it may help prevent cognitive decline in older people, especially people who have taken statin drugs for a number of years. Statins reduce the amount of ATP produced in the liver, which can lead to the early onset of dementia in elderly patients. ATP will be produced in greater amounts in the body when supplementing with COQ10.

-Take Grape seed extract. Grape seed extract has been shown to lower blood pressure on some people almost as much as the poisonous beta blocker drugs. It is a powerful antioxidant with properties that make it able to repair cell damage and reduce inflammation. And like COQ10, it also supports cognitive function. It doesn’t get more natural than the extract of crushed up seeds from a fruit.

-Eat organic. Often times your favorite foods from the supermarket can be packed with unhealthy preservatives, food coloring's, caking agents, fillers, and harmful pesticides. They can also contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which contain the very harmful weed killer round up. These chemicals can strain the liver which in turn make it work harder. Hindering the livers performance in any way can raise blood pressure. So adopting an organic diet can certainly help keep your blood pressure down long term. Obviously organic food is a little more expensive but your health should be a priority in your budget. And organic food has many other health benefits, like lowering your risk of getting cancer. That alone should certainly make it worth considering.

-Reduce stress. Stress can cause the body to release the hormone cortisol in excess. Cortisol is a natural fight or flight response hormone produced by the body. Too much of it can cause the heart rate to increase and the blood vessels to constrict. This effects blood pressure in that instance the feeling of stress is induced. But in the modern day work place, people can unfortunately be stressed on a daily basis. This in turn can lead to the same negative side effects as having prolonged high blood pressure for any other reason. If possible do what you can to reduce stressful situations. Your health depends on it.

-Lose some extra pounds. Obesity can cause extra stress on your whole cardiovascular system. When you are overweight, you have a higher body mass. The more body mass you have the harder your heart has to work to supply blood and oxygen through all the extra tissue. Often times when people lose even just ten pounds they can see a difference in their blood pressure. Ideally you should try to get to 18% body fat or lower. However if someone is morbidly obese, they may be able to keep their blood pressure under control at around 22% body fat.

-Cut down or completely cut out alcohol usage. There are many reasons why alcohol raises blood pressure. Drinking creates excess stress on the liver and the heart. Alcohol usage constricts blood vessels, it can also reduce the amount of nitric oxide your body produces. This is a double negative when it comes to the size of your blood vessels and arteries. Drinking also has been shown to raise angiotensin and cortisol levels in studies done on rats. Mild drinkers were shown to have less of an elevation in blood pressure compared to heavy drinkers. Remember that alcohol can raise blood pressure for an extended period of time even when it is out of your system. Long term alcohol use also raises cholesterol and has been shown to increase plaque build up within the arteries as a result.

-Eat foods rich in potassium. Potassium helps relax blood vessels and balance angiotensin. Your best off eating foods that contain potassium and not consuming potassium supplements, this is because you don’t want your potassium levels to get too high. Potassium supplements may only be recommended in the scenario where you have a moderate to severe deficiency. Remember certain blood pressure medications like ACE inhibitors and diuretics raise potassium; so do not increase your potassium intake if you are on any medication which hinders your body’s ability to regulate potassium.

-Cut back on caffeine. It is estimated that a very high 90% of the United States workforce drinks caffeine containing beverages on a daily basis. And while a cup of coffee does have some health benefits, too much caffeine can lead to high blood pressure. Caffeine is a stimulant and raises your heart rate. People who drink 400mg of caffeine or more per day can experience a high resting heart rate and also an increase of intensity in which the heart beats. This is caused by caffeine’s ability to increase adrenaline. In moderation caffeine might not cause a substantial rise in blood pressure. It might be a very minor increase, however you should monitor it’s effect on you if you have hypertension.

-Getting enough sleep. Scientists still do not understand all the reasons why sleep is so beneficial to the body. Studies have shown that 14 days without sleep can prove fatal in most humans. However even missing a few hours a night can effect blood pressure negatively. One night of only sleeping four or five hours can cause a slight rise in blood pressure temporarily, until the proper amount of rest implemented. Without proper rest the body produces more cortisol, as if you were stressed out, even if you are not. The worst effects on blood pressure seem to be from prolonged sleep deprivation. Say if an individual has been only getting five hours of sleep per night for a whole week, that can lead to not only sustained high blood pressure but also increase your risk for developing heart disease. With that being said you should be shooting for eight hours of sleep every night. Some people even require nine hours sleep. With busy work and school schedules this can be hard to do but your health should always be a top priority.

-Get a spinal adjustment. People suffering with hypertension may have it for a reason, often it can be thought as just an unexplained condition a patient has which requires medicine. When in reality, the real reason could be the arteries that run from the back to the neck are under pressure. This can happen when the spine is misaligned. Spinal mis-alignments can happen from years of physical work, or you can be born with it. A spinal adjustment from a chiropractor can relieve the pinch on the artery which can in turn lower your blood pressure back down to where it should be.  It is important to note that your blood pressure can only be raised if an artery is being pinched as a result of your spine being misaligned. Just because your spine is misaligned does not mean you have an artery pinched. To be checked for this condition your chiropractor may order a set of X-rays.

Other helpful measures to lower blood pressure include eating dark chocolate, quitting smoking, eating ginger root, avoiding drugs, and meditation. Some individuals found reducing their sugar intake may help, although this was only found to be effective for certain people.