Natural Remedies For High Blood Pressure
If you or someone that you care about is prone to high blood pressure, you are already aware of the serious implications that it presents. Nearly one in three American adults suffers from high blood pressure, and because there are rarely any outside symptoms, many who have it do not know it. If high blood pressure goes unchecked it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or even kidney failure.
If you are faced with this condition you will find that there are a number of different ways for you to deal with it. The truth is, there are many different natural remedies for high blood pressure that have nothing to do with prescription medication. If you are able to treat high blood pressure naturally, you can avoid the side effects. There are plenty of these remedies, but the trick is going to be finding the one that serves you the best.
Lifestyle choices are some of the main causes of high blood pressure, so many of the natural remedies for high blood pressure that we will discuss have nothing to do with taking herbs and fruits that you have never heard of. Let’s look at some of the leading causes of high blood pressure:
- Stress
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption
- Excessive Salt Consumption
- Lack of Exercise
- Genetics
The one thing that all of these risk factors have in common (except of course genetics) is that they are all controllable naturally. By controlling your diet, getting daily exercise, quitting smoking, and limiting the amount of alcohol you drink, you can significantly reduce your risk factors for high blood pressure. Instead of relying only on prescription medicines to handle your hypertension, it is recommended that you make some lifestyle changes to fix the cause of the problem, instead of just putting a band-aid over it. This is one natural cure that both traditional doctors and herbalists can agree on.
Reducing your stress levels is also important when trying to naturally cure high blood pressure. Those who live stressful lives release adrenaline into their system more often, which increases blood pressure over time. In today’s high paced world this can often be incredibly difficult. Meditation,yoga, and massage are all great methods for relaxation. Besides being natural remedies for high blood pressure, all of these treatments will improve many other areas of your life.
Once you have begun taking care of your body, there are some herbs for high blood pressure that should help you reach your goals. One great natural cure for high blood pressure is garlic. Garlic has long been considered a real cure all, and in controlled trials, it has been show to reduce systolic blood pressure across the board. It is extremely effective for people with mild high blood pressure, and if you decide to see what garlic supplements can do for you, you should consult with a qualified health practitioner. Be aware that they can have a blood-thinning effect similar to aspirin, and it is important to be aware of how it might interact with any drugs that you are taking.
If you have been researching heart disease you may have come across something known as the French Paradox. This paradox states that even though the French eat an extremely high fat diet, that would seem to make them prime candidates for high blood pressure, they suffer from a surprisingly low number of cases of heart disease. While this was usually attributed to the amount of red wine the French drink, it was not until recently that the resveratrol content found in red wine was most likely the reason for the French Paradox. Resveratrol is a natural substance that is produced by plants to protect themselves from pathogens, that is also linked to improved heart health when taken by us. Other foods that are known as good resveratrol sources are; strawberries, peanuts, and cranberries. It can be difficult to get a sufficient amount of resveratrol in your diet, so supplements made from Japanese Knotwood can also help out.
When you are looking for another natural supplement for high blood pressure, consider the uses of fish oil. Not only can fish oil restore certain nutrients that your body requires, it can also have a great effect on your blood pressure. Fish oil contains docohexaenoic acid, and this is one chemical that can go a long way towards lowering high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends that those at risk for heart disease consume the omega-3 fatty acids found in high levels in salmon, walnuts, trout, and flaxseed at least twice a week. The best way to get your omega-3s is naturally in the foods you eat, but if you cannot find room in your diet for the foods that contain them, then the supplemental versions will do fine.
Hawthorn supplements are another terrific natural remedy that can be used to combat high blood pressure. In clinical trials dealing with how this supplement interacts with diabetes, it was discovered that people who were given hawthorn supplements showed a significant reduction in their mean diastolic blood pressure.
There are also certain foods that can have a positive result on your blood pressure. For instance, increasing the amount of bananas that you consume can have a wonderfully positive affect. They provide you with a great source of potassium, but they are far from the only ones. Foods like spinach, cantaloupe, winter squash and orange juice are also wonderfully high in potassium and can go a long way towards helping you achieve a better blood pressure reading. Celery has also been used for many years in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Also make sure that you are getting enough whole wheat bread in your diet. Although we all love good loaf of bread, what you might not know is that bread and grains in general contain homocysteine, which help your arteries stay flexible and elastic. Essentially, this chemical makes it possible for your heart to do less work and for your arteries to stay healthy. You can also find it in things like legume and cereals. Through planning out what you are going to eat throughout the day, you’ll find that it is very easy for you to budget these foods into your diet.
Take some time and make sure that you are aware of what natural remedies for high blood pressure exist out there; it really can be that simple to take care of this issue and to keep it under control.