High blood pressure or hypertension as it is commonly known is a condition defined by the measurement of blood pressure consistently exceeding 140/90mmHg. In this article we aim to address some of the natural remedies for high blood pressure.
The causes of primary hypertension is varied and is often unknown. The risk is increased by factors such as magnesium insufficiency, stress, high sodium and high fat diet, obesity, high cholesterol and family history.
Scroll down to discover the natural remedies for high blood pressure and ways to prevent these risk factors from turning into problems.
Secondary hypertension is a more complex issue related to deeper co-morbidities including renal failure, adrenal disorders or chromosomal abnormalities.
Once you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure the next step is usually a treatment prescribed by your doctor. Drugs used to treat hypertension include diuretics, vasodilators, SNS inhibitors or calcium channel blockers. Left untreated, persistent hypertension can be fatal so it is important to explore your treatment options carefully with your doctor.
The natural remedies for high blood pressure address the risk factors and treat the underlying cause of the problem rather than simply masking the symptoms. They form a more long term strategy for patients who are adverse to the stigma and side effects of medication use. Of course, both conventional medicine and the natural remedies for high blood pressure can be used concurrently in acute cases with a view to the patient being weaned off medication eventually.
The Natural Remedies For High Blood Pressure
When addressing the natural remedies for high blood pressure, one must look to the possible causative and risk factors.
Problem: Magnesium Deficiency
Solution: Magnesium deficiency is defined as getting less than the recommended daily intake of 350mg per day of magnesium. This mega mineral is not produced by the body so the only way we can get it is to consume it through our diet. Unfortunately, with modern commercial farming techniques depleting the soil of minerals, it is virtually impossible to gain adequate amounts of magnesium from our diet alone. Have a look at this list of magnesium rich foods and try to incorporate them into your diet.
To supplement your diet with magnesium, there are so many different forms and modes of delivery to choose from. Some of the better ones include:
Supplements that are ‘Chelated’ such as Doctor’s Best High Absorption Magnesium mean they are joined to amino acids which makes for better absorption.
Sufficient levels of magnesium are required to facilitate vasodilation which can assist with reduction of blood pressure. Magnesium balances out the amount of calcium used in muscle contractions and is influential in the relaxation phase of muscle function.
Problem: Stress
Solution: Relax. Get a massage. Change careers. Go on a holiday. Remove the stress from your life. Try meditation. Yoga. Exercise.
Magnesium supplements are also instrumental in reducing stress by reducing the amount of serum cortisol (the stress hormone) and replacing it with serotonin (feel good hormone). Natural Calm Diet Supplement is a great tasting and convenient powdered beverage that is effective in increasing magnesium and decreasing stress and blood pressure.
Problem: A Diet High in Sodium.
Solution: Salt preference is only acquired taste which can be unlearned. It actually takes approximately 6-8 weeks to retrain your tastebuds to dislike a high salt content in foods you eat.
Try buying whole unprocessed fruits, vegetables and meats. Avoid processed deli meats such as bacon or ham as these foods have salt added during curing. If using frozen vegetables, look for packaging that displays ‘fresh frozen’ only without any added seasoning or sauces. Don’t add salt at the table.
The recommended amount of sodium by the National Kidney Association is one teaspoon per day. Reducing your dietary salt intake will have far reaching benefits to your health. Try replacing your normal salt with Pure Pink Himalayan Salt which actually has an anti-hypertensive effect.
Problem: High Fat Diet
Solution: The solution here seems simple enough. But if that was the case, why are so many people in our society obese? Reducing intake of processed fats, increasing wholegrains and eating fresh fruit and vegetables, avoiding processed foods, reducing the amount of convenience foods in your diet and combining this with an exercise routine will have so many great effects for your health.
The natural remedies for high blood pressure reduction have never been so simple! Even without high blood pressure, once you suffer from obesity your risk of disease such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes just to name a few increases massively. The side effects of these conditions are stroke, heart attack, blindness, peripheral vascular disease and more.
Please reduce the fats in your diet and increase your exercise for positive effects to your health including lowering blood pressure.
Problem: High Cholesterol
Solution: There are tons of herbal remedies that can help your body to rid itself of ‘bad’ cholesterol. But where it starts is by limiting your intake of foods that are known to contain cholesterol in high levels. Foods to avoid are: eggs, liver, fish, fast foods, butter, shellfish, shrimp,bacon, sausages, red meat, cheese, and pastries. To rid your body of the cholesterol already travelling around your systems, add to your diet green tea, turmeric, brown rice, garlic and oats. Supplementation, with adequate fine tuning of your diet may assist in controlling high serum cholesterol levels and bring it down to a level that is easily maintained with diet alone. Try Dr. Tobias Cholesterol Support Supplement
Problem: Family History of Hypertension
Solution: Turn this problem into a solution by recognising the blessing of having a family history of disease. This provides you with the motivation to PREVENT the diseases before they occur. Thereby saving you from pain, sickness and saving you money as well. Living a healthy lifestyle using the pillars of health for guidance will help you to prevent serious illness. The pillars of health are:
- fresh air
- sunlight
- pure water
- sleep
- exposure to nature
- good food and nutrition
Conclusion
The natural remedies to high blood pressure listed above treat the root cause of your symptoms. Often, conventional medicine, while treating the problem can actually exacerbate the original underlying cause and actually cause your symptoms to become a chronic long term illness with far reaching side effects.
Healthy living with a balanced diet low in sodium, fat, cholesterol, processed foods and refined sugars, but high in unprocessed wholegrains and other magnesium rich foods with other mineral supplements is a great place to start to reduce your hypertension the natural way.