How can I lower my high blood pressure without drugs/medications?

Question

I don't want to spend the rest of my life on prescription medications so I need help in solving my problem by using only foods and vitamins. I'm not overweight and I do all the things I've been told would benefit my health, but what can I do "naturally"?
In my opinion most prescription drugs do more harm than good. Please help me!!

Answer 1

If you have a "high normal" pressure reading, you're in a great position to profit from the help that natural medicine can offer. By adopting the suggestions below, you'll probably be able to lower your pressure naturally and avoid medication entirely.

NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR HYPERTENSION:

If you are taking medication for hypertension, do not discontinue. Consult your physician, adopt the changes recommended here, and get a pressure reading two to three months later to see if your pressure has lowered and if you can reduce your medication.

If your pressure is "high normal," adopt the recommendations below and you will probably be able to avoid the use of medication entirely.

If you are overweight, lose weight. This change alone can sometimes lower your pressure into the normal range. Just five to ten pounds can make a difference.

Lower your fat intake.

Adopt as many relevant features of a Vegetarian diet as possible Including more polyunsaturated fat, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and potassium (see recommendations below for vitamin/mineral doses), and reduce total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

Determine if you are salt sensitive. If sodium is affecting your blood pressure, eliminate it from your diet .
If you are salt sensitive and therefore must reduce sodium In your diet, increase your intake of potassium-rich foods such as peas, peppers, eggplant, and pears.

Adopt a high fiber diet. Try oat bran cereal, or some other high-fiber cereal, for breakfast.

Increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grain cereals, breads, and pastas.

Do not take fiber supplements in connection with hypertension.

If you are not sodium sensitive, try eating three or four stalks of celery daily a week before a pressure reading to see if it helps. (Don't eat celery in extremely large amounts, as it can be toxic.)

If you drink alcohol, stop.

Adopt an exercise program. Exercise for a half hour three to four times weekly. A brisk walk is excellent.

Adopt a stress control program.

If you smoke, stop!

IN ADDITION TO YOUR DALLY SUPPLEMENTS, TAKE:

Calcium: 1,200 mg. of calcium at bedtime for a trial period of two months.
Magnesium: 250 mg. two or three times daily for a trial period of two months.
Coenzyme Q10: 30 mg. three times daily.

Garlic: Increase consumption of garlic and other foods in the onion family. You can try garlic supplements, available in health food stores. Take one 300-mg. long-acting, odor-free capsule daily.
Vitamin C: 1,000 mg. daily.

Answer 2

Hi there! I am an emergency room nurse, and I have a bit of a background in this kind of thing. Unfortunately, some people are predispositioned to having high blood pressure due to genetics, and nothing you do naturally can alter that.

If you are a smoker, you have to quit. Smoking causes vasoconstriction wich elevates blood pressure. So does caffeine intake, of all kinds. Sad, but true. Daily excercise and diet can help, but as I stated before, this might not be a cure.

The thing to consider is this. Yes, we all hate to be on medication, especially if we would like to find an alternative. However, allowing blood pressure to remain high and uncontrolled can be a silent killer. The reason I say that is because your body can be in the process of irreversible damage, and by the time you feel sick, it is too late. Have you ever noticed the number of dialysis centers that have seemed to spring up all over our cities? There is a reason for that. Uncontrolled blood pressure decreases the amount of blood flow to your extremites, therefore it is shunted or redistributed to the areas that your body believes that it is needed most. Heart, lungs, brain. Not the kidneys. They are one of the organs, for some reason, that are left out of the loop. Over a long period of time, without the proper blood flow, kidney damage occurs, and it cannot be reversed. By the time you realize that there are problems, you are usually on the edge of requiring dialysis, and that takes over your whole life. Many people die waiting for transplants, there just aren't enough organs to go around. And this is to stay nothing of the increased possibilty of heart damage, stroke, and many other complications with uncontrolled blood pressure. Many people can hit target blood pressure with one pill a day, and many pills are affordable if you talk to you doctor to find the right one for you.

I pray the best of luck for you in finding some alternative method to controlling your bp. If, however, you are unable to do so on your own, please don't delay in seeking medical intervention. You very well could save your own life.

Be blessed!

That is my little soapbox for all those people that come to me with 300/200 BP readings! Why did you stop taking your meds! :)

Answer 3

3 years ago, I was diagnosed - hypertension with a reading of 160/100. I used to feel dizzy a lot, my legs had awful cramps, and levels were very low in my potassium, causing my fingers and toes to always cramp together. One day I started to feel really faint while I was driving with my daughter in the back seat and I passed out, hitting 3 cars and ending up in a ditch. That moment,I knew I had to do something because my meds weren't working. I heard about this diet from a friend and thought I'd give it a shot. The results have been remarkable. In just 21 days, I honestly can't remember feeling this good, my blood pressure went from 175/110 to 125/70.

Answer 4

There are lots of ways to lower blood pressure naturally with no drugs.

Eating certian foods like dark chocolate and raw or slightly cookied garlic. Or take garlic pills.

Also there is a method of slow breathing while listening to relaxing music. If you do it every day for just a lil while you can have long term benefits.

Answer 5

Get a cat! I know it sounds weird, but there is credible research that suggests that a cats purr can calm people down and over time effectively lower their blood pressure. A lot of retirement homes (old folks homes) have cats in the common areas for this reason. Just search for info on cats purring on wikipedia or yahoo.

Plus eating a low sodium diet and exercise couldn't hurt either.

Answer 6

I agree with you as far as scrips (every action has an equal and opposite reaction)...eat a lot of all natural oatmeal, fresh produce, Kashi Go Lean Cereal and any other fiber packed food. The best thing you can do naturally is start eating Oatmeal every day (the real stuff..put some raisins or cinnamon in it). In addition to this, drink an ounce of water for every pound you weigh a day (for instance if you weigh 130 lbs, you need to drink 130 ounces of water). The biggest thing...cardiovascular exercise. Even if it is just walking. Find a hobby maybe that you are interested in like Muay Thai or Tae Kwon Do....best of luck to you!

Answer 7

Reduce sodium intake by limiting foods such as: Lunchmeats, Cheese, Canned soups, processed foods, etc.

Excercise focusing on 20 mins + of cardiovascular activity at least 4 times a week.

Other than these things, herbal supplements are largley unproven to have any effect on chronic hypertension.

Answer 8

If you are overweight.Lose it!This and walk at a fast pace 4-7 times a week for 1/2 hour.Alcohol.Max 1 drink daily and eat unprocessed food. No canned ,packaged,or take out.Cook from fresh sources only to avoid salt and other additives.Lots of vegetables & protein such as chicken,fish.

Answer 9

I think you need to go to a different doctor and ask him. I tried this naturally and it is dangerous, you can have a stroke and die. Stop all the salt, and lower your stress, try meditating, but also keep your blood pressure monitored and your medication on hand.

Answer 10

You can practice yoga or Chinese self-massage therapy, meditation... They've all been shown to treat nearly any ailment by focusing your energy and keeping your body funtioning in a balanced out, more regulated fashion. And putting chemicals into your body has nothing to do with any of it. Purifying your body, ridding it of free radicals and foreign chemicals gets it running and detoxifies it. I highly recommend doing a little research on these ideas. I'm sure your library has books on all of that. Mostly medicinal practices that originate from the Mid and Far East.