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My father does. He is in his early 70's and has successfully avoided being put on medication with diet, exercise and being very vigilant about salt intake. He is very fit. He does not salt his food and avoids all prepackaged food, especially things like canned soup, which is really high in sodium. Restaurant food also tends to be high in salt. He is strict with himself though. His doctor initially discouraged him from attempting this because so few of his patients have succeeded without medication.
I would look into the use of magnesium as well, especially if you are at the point where the doctor has said you're going to end up on medication if you don't make changes. If something has already been prescribed, you are going to have to work with the doctor to balance the med dosage and magnesium intake.
If you're overweight, losing weight will help lower your blood pressure. I was on two blood pressure meds and after I lost some weight, I was able to stop taking both of them.
Like the other posters here say. I am in my late 50s, Have to watch the sodium intake. There is sodium in a lot that we DON'T think there is sodium in. The obvious ones like potato chips and processed foods. But these days it can hide almost anywhere. I try to eat "whole foods". You know like vegetables, fruits, nuts. Wife and I try to make things from scratch. That said, we still "backslide" on occasion. Exercise. Yes we get out and take a good long, brisk walk every day we are able to. When I am able I want to get back on the treadmill. Used to run on that. I try to walk to errands downtown instead of taking the car. Got to keep the weight down. Get plenty of rest too. A good nights sleep. Avoid stress as much as possible. I am type A so this is easier said than done. Still sometimes the BP gets up there. I can tell as I get headaches and feel the beating in my ears. Still I tell doctor that want to keep it down without meds. Long term high BP can cause stroke, kidney failure, heart attack/disease. In the end may have to give in to meds but want to avoid them as long as possible.
Wondering if anyone has successfully avoided taking prescription meds for high blood pressure through other means?
Such as: supplements, herbs, Chinese or Indian medical treatment such as acupuncture, meditation, bio-feedback, or fasting?
Or?
After dietary changes and excercising, can BP be controlled in another way other than prescribed meds?
Love to hear your experience if successful in doing so!!
To your good health!
Little Dolphin
Qigong and Tai Chi are very helpful for blood pressure. I personally like the Chunyi Lin's Spring Forest Qigong program and Roger Jahnke's Qigong dvd. Learning directly from a teacher would be even better.
"In a review of 26 studies in English or Chinese published in Preventive Cardiology (Spring 2008), Dr. Yeh reported that in 85% of trials, tai chi lowered blood pressure — with improvements ranging from 3 to 32 mm Hg in systolic pressure and from 2 to 18 mm Hg in diastolic pressure."
Pomegranates are known to decrease blood pressure.
"They were given an ounce of pomegranate juice each day for a year. Not only did study participants' blood pressure lower by over 12 percent, but there was a 30 percent reduction in atherosclerotic plaque."
"current data suggest that long-term (at
least for 1 year) use of PJ has a beneficial effect on BP, improves
endothelial function, reduces arterial stiffness and
delays or reverses the progression of atherosclerosis"
Pycnogenol and grapeseed extract are also helpful.
"After 12 weeks of treatment, those who received the antioxidant supplement in addition to their medication were able to keep their blood pressure within normal levels with a 15-milligram dose of the drug compared with an average dose of 21.6 milligrams per day among those who took the placebo."
Garlic is well known for its beneficial effects on blood pressure but one has to take enough of it. Here is a study using the Kyolic aged garlic supplement.
"Mean systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced by 11.8±5.4 mm Hg in the garlic-2-capsule group over 12 weeks compared with placebo (P=0.006), and reached borderline significant reduction in the garlic-4-capsule group at 8 weeks (−7.4±4.1 mm Hg, P=0.07). "
Cayenne is also considered to be excellent for maintaining healthy blood pressure.
And I almost forgot about Natto! This fermented product is found in Japanese stores. I think it tastes terrible. Fortunately it is available as a supplement and I like the one made by Nutricology.
"One oft-cited 1987 study published in the Journal of Chronic Diseases reported that the number of people who experience drops in blood pressure after eating high-salt diets almost equals the number who experience blood pressure spikes; many stay exactly the same."
Depends on what's causing the high blood pressure, and if it's a constant high, or an intermittent high triggered by something (a spike, in other words).
If your BP is up because you're dealing with a lot of sudden stress (like, planning for your child's wedding, or if you're a CPA and it's April 1, for example), then relaxation techniques and a good night's sleep *could* be all you need to get it back down to normal.
If your BP started shifting upward after gaining 30 pounds, and is higher now that you've gained another 30 pounds, then losing 60 pounds at a healthy reasonable rate (3-5 pounds per week for the first few weeks and 2-4 pounds per week after that) *might* just solve the problem.
Reducing (not necessarily limiting or eliminating) salt would be helpful, if you're adding salt to food or consuming very salty foods. So - if you normally add salt to your chicken soup, and eat chicken soup at least twice a week, just stop adding salt to it and eat it without the extra. If you love anchovies on your (otherwise healthy) salads, and eat salad several times a week, ditch the anchovies but keep the salad. For that salty flavor, try a tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese instead.
Increasing your cardio fitness with steady, tolerable exercise (walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike with weekly increases in duration and resistance) will make you more fit, which can reduce your blood pressure (it'll go up WHILE you are exercising, which is why you have to start slow and increase slowly).
So to summarize:
1. Relax your mind.
2. Lose weight if you're overweight, at a steady, healthy, tolerable pace.
3. Reduce (don't eliminate) salt if you typically add it to your foods or prefer salty foods.
4. Cardio exercise for overall fitness and endurance.
Qigong and Tai Chi are very helpful for blood pressure. I personally like the Chunyi Lin's Spring Forest Qigong program and Roger Jahnke's Qigong dvd. Learning directly from a teacher would be even better.
"In a review of 26 studies in English or Chinese published in Preventive Cardiology (Spring 2008), Dr. Yeh reported that in 85% of trials, tai chi lowered blood pressure — with improvements ranging from 3 to 32 mm Hg in systolic pressure and from 2 to 18 mm Hg in diastolic pressure."
Pomegranates are known to decrease blood pressure.
"They were given an ounce of pomegranate juice each day for a year. Not only did study participants' blood pressure lower by over 12 percent, but there was a 30 percent reduction in atherosclerotic plaque."
"current data suggest that long-term (at
least for 1 year) use of PJ has a beneficial effect on BP, improves
endothelial function, reduces arterial stiffness and
delays or reverses the progression of atherosclerosis"
Pycnogenol and grapeseed extract are also helpful.
"After 12 weeks of treatment, those who received the antioxidant supplement in addition to their medication were able to keep their blood pressure within normal levels with a 15-milligram dose of the drug compared with an average dose of 21.6 milligrams per day among those who took the placebo."
Garlic is well known for its beneficial effects on blood pressure but one has to take enough of it. Here is a study using the Kyolic aged garlic supplement.
"Mean systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced by 11.8±5.4 mm Hg in the garlic-2-capsule group over 12 weeks compared with placebo (P=0.006), and reached borderline significant reduction in the garlic-4-capsule group at 8 weeks (−7.4±4.1 mm Hg, P=0.07). "
Cayenne is also considered to be excellent for maintaining healthy blood pressure.
And I almost forgot about Natto! This fermented product is found in Japanese stores. I think it tastes terrible. Fortunately it is available as a supplement and I like the one made by Nutricology.
"One oft-cited 1987 study published in the Journal of Chronic Diseases reported that the number of people who experience drops in blood pressure after eating high-salt diets almost equals the number who experience blood pressure spikes; many stay exactly the same."
This is exactly what I was seeking! Very grateful...I just started with the hawthorn tea...hopeful!
Well hubby's just went down for what appeared no reason. He has been off meds for about 2 years now. I do know weight loss and exercise helps a lot. Whether cutting back on salt really does is still up in the air. Yes, most professionals say it is a factor, but some recent studies are claiming unless you use a heck of a lot more than most of us do, it really has little influence on your pressure. Stress is a huge cause of high BP.
Exercise! That includes turning off the TV/cell phone and going for long walks around the neighborhood daily. Walk the dog, etc. Don't necessarily need to run or do jumping jacks. Be sure to wave to and talk to your neighbors as well. That will improve your mental health at the same time!
Preferring to take drugs (prescription or herbal) would be the LAZY way to resolve the issue.
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