Natural Cures for Hypertension?
What are some effective natural cures for hypertension?
Most
people suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension) do not
experience any symptoms
or show any signs regardless of how high their blood pressure might be.
High blood pressure is known as the silent killer because of this lack
of signs and symptoms.
Uncontrolled
high blood pressure eventually leads to permanent damage to the
arteries,
brain, kidneys, heart.
Individuals with hypertension are significantly more likely to suffer
from stroke and heart attack.
Find out what reading is considered high and what you can do at home TODAY to bring your
blood pressure under control...
Natural Cures for Hypertension - Understanding the numbers first...
Blood
pressure results from the amount of blood your heart pumps and the
amount of resistance to blood flow caused by your arteries. If your
heart pumps more blood or pumps it faster, your blood pressure will go
up.
As
well, if your arteries constrict (get narrower), it becomes harder for
the
blood to flow through the blood vessels. This will also cause an
increase in blood pressure. This is the main (and only) method your
body uses to control how much blood flows to different parts of the
body (such as to the skin and muscle).
There are two numbers
that describe your blood pressure and the unit used is mm Hg (millimeter of mercury).
The systolic blood pressure is the
higher number and results when your heart contracts. The diastolic
blood pressure is the lower number and results when your heart is not
contracting (relaxed).
The Blood
Pressure Chart
Systolic |
Diastolic |
Meaning? |
Now
what? |
120 or less |
80 or less |
Normal |
You are fine! |
120 to 139 |
80 to 89 |
Prehypertension |
Lifestyle and natural cures |
140 to 159 |
90 to 99 |
Stage 1 hypertension |
Lifestyle, natural cures, remedies and medication |
160 or higher |
100 or higher |
Stage 2 hypertension |
All of the above plus more medications |
Ideally,
you want your blood pressure to be 120/80 or less. Keep in mind that if
you suffer from multiple health conditions, such as diabetes or kidney
disease, you will need to treat high blood pressure more aggressively.
This
might mean needing to take prescription medications while using natural
cures for hypertension. Although prescription drugs are not first
choice, the need to use them should not be ruled out entirely.
Natural Cures for Hypertension and Prescription Medications
Before
considering using prescription medications to control hypertension,
there are many home remedies and natural cures that work very well to
lower your blood pressure.
These
methods of controlling your blood pressure can be effectively combined
with prescription medications. Of course, if you are currently taking
prescription medications, do not stop taking them without consultation
with your healthcare professional.
#1 - Monitor your blood pressure
Finding
out what your blood pressure reading is such an easy thing to do. We
recommend you buy a blood pressure monitor so that you can keep track
of your blood pressure daily and find out how well the lifestyle
changes and natural cures are working.
Get readings (over several days) before you start any natural cures
for hypertension so that you can track to see how effective each of
these methods are.
#2 - Health foods
A
healthy diet loaded with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat
dairy products goes a long way in keeping your blood pressure under
check.
Of course, avoid saturated fats and reduce excessive fats as much as possible.
#3 - Cut back on salt
Salt causes
your body to retain water and this cause blood pressure to go
up. Get the FULL details in our article DASH Diet Guidelines.
#4 - Maintain a healthy weight
While it may
be difficult to do,
losing even a small amount of weight (5 pounds) can go a long way to
lowering your blood pressure. In people who are overweight, even a
slight weight lose has a significant effect on their blood pressure.
#5 - Avoid smoking
To
put it very mildly, smoking is bad for you. Tobacco products contain
cancer-causing chemicals. Nicotine, one of the main active ingredients
in smoke, increases blood pressure significantly. It also causes damage
to the blood vessel walls (hardening of the arteries or
atherosclerosis).
This hardening of the arteries causes a
permanent increase in blood pressure as the blood vessels become flexible.
#6 - Limit alcohol intake
Drinking
too much alcohol causes your blood pressure to go up, even if you are
healthy. If you choose to drink, stick with just a glass a day. At
most, two glasses should be just fine.
Perhaps you can reserve alcohol just for special occasions only?
#7 - Increase physical activities
Physical
activities do more than keep you healthy, protect your heart and give
you a sense of well-being. It is known to lower blood pressure. We use
the term physical activity instead of exercise because the word
exercise is attached to pain and suffering for many people.
In today's world of
computers, video games and electronic communication, many people no
longer engage in ANY meaningful physical activities!
Start very
slowly with 30 minutes walks either in the shopping mall or just around
the block. Do this three times week. Moderation is best because this is
the only way you will continue this habit for life.
You do not need a home gym or any exercise equipment to keep you
physically active. Your legs will do just fine, thank you.
#8 - Stress management
There
is now a proven link between stress, heart disease and hypertension.
The source of stress can come from work, home life, your spouse,
in-laws and your children. Reducing stress is one of the best natural cures for hypertension for those who are "stressed out".
Find as many ways to deal with stress as possible. We have a very
detailed article Stress Management Tips
that can give you insight into fighting off this monster problem.
#9 - Eat dark chocolate
We
save the best news for last! Chemical substances found in dark
chocolate lower
blood pressure significantly. Of course, this is not the
go ahead to eat pounds of chocolate every single day.
But if you love to eat milk chocolate (which
doesn't lower blood pressure), perhaps you should consider switching to
dark
chocolate?

Related to Natural Cures for Hypertension
The List of Natural Remedies for High Blood
Pressure
Return
to Hypertension Home Page
Use the search box below to
quickly find what you are looking for!
Home | What's New! | A-Z Herbs | A-Z Ailments | FAQ's | Sitemap | Privacy
|