Hypertension - How To Reduce Your Blood Pressure

By Nicolle Mitchell

This is the medical name for high blood pressure. It can be caused by many things including stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, anxiety & smoking.

There are a number of things you can do to help reduce your blood pressure; I recommend that you do this with support of your doctor or qualified health practitioner:

· Eat a more balanced diet, with less dairy & full fat products; less red meat (6oz a week is a good guide), & definitely cut out sugar. Read the labels of everything you buy to be aware of hidden sugars.

· Replace your usual cooking oil with organic, cold pressed olive oil.

· Reduce your intake of salt, including peanuts, crisps, crackers & processed or junk foods.

· Some people have found that taking co-enzyme Q10 can help reduce high blood pressure, especially if they are on statins. Speak to your GP & health food shop for advice.

· Others also find that ensuring they get enough B complex vitamins is helpful. So either eat plenty of organic green leafy vegetables, or obtain a good quality supplement from your health food shop. Liquid vitamins are the best; followed by capsules, tablet form being the least effective & healthy option.

· Ensure you are absorbing enough calcium & eat plenty of raw green vegetables, artichokes & parsley. In one study conducted by DR McCarron, 45% of the subjects who were given a 1000mg/day calcium supplement normalised their blood pressure.

· Australian researchers have discovered that blood pressure can be reduced by increasing the fibre & protein in your diet. So long as you do not have a kidney disorder, increasing your intake of (organic where possible) fresh fruit & vegetables, & soya protein in particular, you may well be able to get your blood pressure under control.

· Quit smoking! There are support measures that can help, e.g. counselling, hypnotherapy, help lines, etc. see your GP, health practitioner or local library for details.

· Get fit. Again seek out local facilities which suit you for taking up exercise you enjoy. Go with a friend to give you both support. Reward yourself with something appropriate when you achieve goals & make these reasonable, i.e. start off with small steps & build up to a routine you enjoy. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, 3 times a week is the current government recommendation, but anything is an improvement.

· Get de-stressed! Research shows that if you counteract stressful situations with de-stressing activity, you will be less fraught, function better, & be healthier. So indulge in time out or a therapy that suits you on a regular basis. No need to feel guilty; everyone around you will prefer the more relaxed you, & you will be more healthy & have more energy to spend on yourself & others. Massage, aromatherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, reflexology to name but a few are all therapies that can help.

· Increase your consumption of garlic, cherries, strawberries, oranges, grapes, olives, wholegrain rice & rye.

· Cut down or cut out salt. Check all your food labels for hidden salt.

· Garlic & hawthorn are excellent & natural ways of controlling your blood pressure.

· Lavender, may chang & sweet marjoram essential oils all have hypotensive qualities, which means they help lower your blood pressure as well as reducing anxiety. Use them in a relaxing bath, burn them in an oil diffuser, or add them to an oil/cream & massage it into your body as part of your daily body care routine.

· Grapes may help reduce high blood pressure due to the flavenoids they contain. However, you would need to eat a large bunch daily, so as part of a balanced diet they would be a wise inclusion.
Based on a study at Michigan University (Journal of Gerontology & Biological Science Medical Science)

Source : www. healthandgoodness.com