Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally
High
blood pressure is sadly a common complaint in our society. Research has shown
that almost always it is high as a direct result of the type of diet and
lifestyle you have. The good news is that this means you can do something about
it. Naturopaths will always focus on these aspects in addition there are many
herbs and homeopathic remedies that can reduce your blood pressure.
Reduce
you blood pressure by eating more garlic[1]
(the rawer the better), and more wholegrains[2],
that means brown rice wholegrain flour bread and pastas.
The foods that research has shown to increase blood pressure are
Coffee[3-5], heated Sunflower oil[6], sugar[7], fructose[7](another type of sugar), alcohol[8], salt, processed foods and dairy food[9], although some studies show that the lower fat dairy food is
OK[9-11].
Exercise is hugely important[12]. Start by walking 15minutes everyday and work up to 30 minutes. Even
if you can go out for a long time, just make sure you do something
daily.
As
well as being active it is also important to fined time every day to relax.
Research has shown that relaxing every day can help lower your blood
pressure. Merely being slumped on
the couch watching TV doesn’t count. This needs to be quality relaxation. Start
by doing 10 minutes a day , every day, explore different ways of relaxing. It
may be simply listening to soothing music or watching the wind in the trees or
you may choose to learn meditation how to meditate.
There
are many herbs that help lower the blood pressure such as Lime Flowers,
Motherwort, garlic, nettles, lemon Balm. These and other herbs have actions not
just to lower blood pressure but also to strengthen the cardiovascular system.
Some herbs will also help other areas of the body as well as lowering the blood
pressure. For example Black Cohosh can help to decrease blood pressure where it
is high due to hormonal imbalances if the menopause, and it will also help to
decrease hot flushes another menopausal symptom.
The
references to this column
1. Borek, C., Garlic Reduces Dementia and Heart-Disease Risk. J. Nutr., 2006. 136(3): p. 810S-812.
2. Wang, L., et al., Whole- and refined-grain intakes and the risk of hypertension in women. Am J Clin Nutr, 2007. 86(2): p. 472-479.
3. Uiterwaal, C.S.P.M., et al., Coffee intake and incidence of hypertension. Am J Clin Nutr, 2007. 85(3): p. 718-723.
4. Jee, S.H., et al., The Effect of Chronic Coffee Drinking on Blood Pressure : A Meta-Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials. Hypertension, 1999. 33(2): p. 647-652.
5. Lovallo, W.R., et al., Blood Pressure Response to Caffeine Shows Incomplete Tolerance After Short-Term Regular Consumption. Hypertension, 2004. 43(4): p. 760-765.
6.
Soriguer, F., et al., Hypertension is related to the degradation of dietary frying oils.
Am J Clin Nutr, 2003. 78(6): p. 1092-1097.
7. Johnson, R.J., et al., Potential role of sugar (fructose) in the epidemic of hypertension, obesity and the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr, 2007. 86(4): p. 899-906.
8. Beilin, L.J. and I.B. Puddey, Alcohol and Hypertension: An Update. Hypertension, 2006. 47(6): p. 1035-1038.
9. Djousse, L., et al., Influence of Saturated Fat and Linolenic Acid on the Association Between Intake of Dairy Products and Blood Pressure. Hypertension, 2006. 48(2): p. 335-341.
10. Alonso, A., et al., Low-fat dairy consumption and reduced risk of hypertension: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005. 82(5): p. 972-979.
11. Wang, L., et al., Dietary Intake of Dairy Products, Calcium, and Vitamin D and the Risk of Hypertension in Middle-Aged and Older Women. Hypertension, 2008. 51(4): p. 1073-1079.
12. Maruthur, N.M., N.-Y. Wang, and L.J. Appel, Lifestyle Interventions Reduce Coronary Heart Disease Risk: Results From the PREMIER Trial. Circulation, 2009. 119(15): p. 2026-2031.
 |