To manage high blood pressure naturally, one has to give up the bad habits that are raising the blood pressure to begin with. Most people don't want to do that; they just want to take a pill and go back to eating their cheeseburger while they puff on their cigarette. OK, maybe that's a little extreme but I've found that people in general don't really want to make changes in their lifestyle.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is rare in people who are well-muscled, eat a healthy diet, and live in a natural environment. Personally I don't know any people like that but it's nice to think that there's some Amazonian Indians who don't have hypertension. For the rest of us we should try to come as close as possible to a healthy lifestyle.
Before I go any further, there is something called secondary hypertension which means that the high blood pressure is caused by another underlying disease. So check with your physician to ensure that you don't have a problem that's causing your pressure to be elevated.
So assuming that there's no other disease to be addressed, let's see what we need to do to get our blood pressure into a normal range.
Steps to Reducing Hypertension
- Reduce inflammation in the body. Make sure you're getting enough antioxidants. Some doctors say that inflammation is causing more than half our diseases.
- Reduce your use of commercial processed foods. Eat natural AND organic foods as much as possible.
- Reduce fatty meats in your diet. We all need protein but think lean meats--fish and poultry.
- Don't salt anything. There's plenty of salt in natural foods already. If you want a saltier taste, use Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
- Lose weight
- Exercise more; strong muscles will help you lose weight and take the load of the heart and circulatory system.
- Learn to relax. Get a good night's sleep.
- Learn to meditate using one of the many methods out there.
- Consider a circulatory tonic like Hawthorn berries or some of the herbal combinations sold in health food stores. But don't use these as your primary treatment. They only have a small effect and they work slowly, so if you think you can keep your unhealthy lifestyle and bring your hypertension under control by adding a pill from the health food store, you're kidding yourself!
- Take Essential Fatty Acids. Everyone should take these unless they are an Amazonian Indian who eats fish from pristine rivers three times a week. We need these special oils for our circulatory system and our nervous system.
Please note: The information in this article is not to be followed as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your physician or primary health practitioner for information regarding your own personal health and necessary treatments.
