Natural Therapy for Blood Pressure

Although blood pressure medication can be useful, there are several things you can do to control your blood pressure. Reducing your blood pressure requires commitment to lifestyle changes. Those major changes involve diet, exercise and managing stress. Failure to get your blood pressure under control can lead factors that cause permanent damage to your body.

Facts

• High blood pressure opens the door to other health problems such as heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke and kidney disease. Normal blood pressure should be less than 120 for the systolic number and less than 80 for diastolic. The systolic number is first or on top. The diastolic number is second or on bottom. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, prehypertension systolic/diastolic numbers are 120 to 139 over 80 to 89; high blood pressure involves two stages: stage 1 numbers: 140 to 159 over 90 to 99; and stage 2 numbers: 160 or higher over 100 or higher.

Risks

• Several risk factors have been identified related to high blood pressure. The major risk factors involve age, ethnicity, gender, family history, being overweight or obese and lifestyle. Men older than 45 and women older than 55 are at risk for high blood pressure. But more men have high blood pressure than women. African Americans, especially women, are more likely to have high blood pressure than either Latin or Caucasian people. The risk for high blood pressure increases if it runs in the family. Overweight or obese people are also at risk. And if you have unhealthy habits such as lack of exercise, smoking or eating too much sodium, the risk for high blood pressure increases for you as well.

Diet

• The foods you eat can help you manage your blood pressure. Each day eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits. Eat food such as cabbage, fiber-rich foods, whole grains, spinach, tomatoes and lima beans that help control blood pressure. Eat oily fish, which has omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, lake trout, herring and sardines. Other foods that help lower blood pressure include onions, garlic, egg white, low fat dairy products, turkey and chicken. But avoid red meats, egg yolk and foods packed with sodium.

Remedies

• There are several remedies for high blood pressure that you can prepare at home. The following are suggested remedies from Natural-Cure-Guide.com: 1). Mix 1/2 cup of orange juice with 1/4 cup of coconut water. Drink this at least twice a day. 2). Take 1 tablespoon of amla juice and 1 tablespoon of honey, and mix well. Drink this each morning.

Therapies

• Stress also contributes to high blood pressure that can be managed with exercise, deep breathing, an aromatherapy massage, yoga or acupuncture. All of these can help relax the body and calm the mind.