Holistic Methods to Lower Blood Pressure

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the most common health problems worldwide. According to the American Heart Association, nearly one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure. High blood pressure was listed as a primary or contributing cause of death in about 300,000 deaths in the United States last year alone. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Having high blood pressure makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and contributes to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis.

Holistic Methods

We have all heard the standard medical advice: lose some weight, lower your sodium intake and exercise. Unfortunately, health care providers often turn to prescription medication instead of suggesting any holistic methods to lower blood pressure, ranging from lifestyle changes like diet and exercise to taking herbs and supplements to help control the problem. Many people even have had success lowering their blood pressure through massage therapy.

Herbs and Supplements

There are several holistic methods to reduce your blood pressure. Start by reducing your sodium intake. Sodium does not cause high blood pressure, but the levels of sodium versus potassium do. Simply put, you must ingest less sodium than potassium. As stated in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, researchers at Duke University found that getting more potassium could naturally lower high blood pressure by approximately 20 points.

Another important supplement is magnesium; the DASH diet recommends getting 500 milligrams of magnesium daily as well as 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day. Garlic supplements are one of the most popular holistic methods to naturally reduce hypertension along with L-arginine, which helps the body produce nitric acid and may be helpful in lowering blood pressure. Fish oil supplements also will help protect against blood clots and lower blood pressure. Another very effective method in lowering blood pressure is to take apple cider vinegar, which includes vitamins C, A, E, B1, B2 and B6, in addition to potassium, magnesium and copper.

Foods

There are numerous foods that can lower blood pressure as well. Spinach is rich in magnesium and helps prevent heart disease. It should be eaten raw or cooked as little as possible. Bananas contain a high fiber content and are rich in potassium. The recommended serving is two per day. Tomatoes are rich in potassium, calcium and lycopene, an antioxidant that lowers the risk of heart disease by preventing cholesterol from sticking to the artery walls. Broccoli is rich in potassium and chromium, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels. To keep the nutrients, it should be steamed or cooked as little as possible. Sunflower seeds are also rich in potassium, magnesium and phytosterols, which can aid in the reduction of cholesterol levels. Certain fish such as trout, mackerel and salmon contain omega-3, which prevents heart disease and contain unsaturated fats that lower cholesterol.

DASH Diet

DASH, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is an eating plan developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health that is designed to lower blood pressure by eating a balanced low fat diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat or nonfat dairy. The DASH diet limits saturated fat and cholesterol by following heart-healthy guidelines by increasing the intake of nutrient-rich foods that are expected to lower blood pressure.