Archive for the ‘Food & Exercise to lower blood pressure naturally’ Category
Lower blood pressure with garlic, fish oil, and CoQ10
Yes, garlic can help to lower blood pressure. Which is a good thing because I love garlic and use it all the time in salad dressings and pasta sauces.
If garlic really isn’t your ‘cup of tea’ it’s available in a convenient supplement form. You can get garlic capsules that come with the benefits of natural garlic but without the delicious taste and aroma that some don’t care for.
Coenzyme Q, or CoQ10, is a supplement that is getting popular lately as a supplement that can help reduce blood pressure levels. It’s a powerful antioxidant and can help with migraine headaches too. Sometimes it is combined with hawthorn to increase its effectiveness.
I take hawthorn tincture every morning but haven’t tried CoQ10 yet. If anyone has noticed good results from Coenzyme please leave a comment.
Then there’s fish oil which is good for reversing high cholesterol or lowering blood pressure. Fish oil helps to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels, which is good. Fish oil also contains DHA which helps the brain function properly, as well as lowering blood pressure. I take two capsules of cod liver oil (1100 mg in total) every morning.
Calcium, magnesium, and potassium also help lower high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels. Calcium also strengthens bones and teeth, while magnesium (they say) helps maintain your sense of calm and well-being. Keeping adequate potassium levels in your blood is essential to balance the salt levels and keep you blood pressure down.
Folic acid (a B vitamin) is also important to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels and good cholesterol levels. As well as helping to lower blood pressure, folic acid reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. It can also promote better memory function. I can remember all this because I usually take a folic acid supplement at least one a week.
On top of this healthy lifestyle of good food and supplements be sure to get some exercise. Go for a walk, stretch those muscles, smell the roses, say hi to your neighbors.
Here’s a little secret: Often I feel lazy. I don’t feel like exercising. But I force myself to get out there for a walk anyway. And you know what? Once I’m out there I really enjoy it and am glad I’m out.
Don’t let the thought of exercise put you off. Do it anyway and you’ll be happy you did. You feel better, more relaxed, and your blood pressure will only come down because of it.
Take care all,
Simon
High blood pressure treatments – read this first
Matching high blood pressure treatments with causes
The biggest problem with high blood pressure treatments is determining the cause and appropriate approach.
According to the medical establishment the cause of over 90% of high blood pressure causes is unknown. What that means in reality is that for the vast majority of high blood pressure cases a single identifiable cause can not be determined.
The fact is that there any many causes of high blood pressure including:
- genetics
- age
- poor diet
- lack of exercise
- stress
Most people suffer from high blood pressure from a variety of causes. If your blood pressure is moderately high you might want to try different approaches to see what works best.
Alternative high blood pressure cures can be divided up to three main categories:
- Changes to your Daily Diet
- .Daily Physical Exercise
- .Daily Mental Exercise
Changing your diet mainly helps reduce high blood pressure caused by poor diet (which inludes the vast majority of Western world cuisine). Mind you, improving your diet can also help reduce high blood pressure caused by age and genetics.
Physical exercise is most beneficial in reducing high blood pressure cause by an otherwise inactive lifestyle. It also good for lowering high blood pressure caused from genetics and aging. Some people clam that it can help reduce your stress levels as well.
By mental exercises I mean any exercise that have the purpose of affecting your nervous system. These exercises have the most benefit for people suffering from high stress levels and associated high blood pressure.
The High Blood Pressure Shotgun Treatment
If you have very high blood pressure (like I did) you might want to take the ’shotgun’ approach and improve your diet as well as practice mental and physical exercises.
The shotgun method almost guarantees that your blood pressure will come down. On top of that, you’ll feel healthier and happier than you have for years.
If you’re ready to shotgun your blood pressure back down to healthy levels I’d recommend the David O’Hara’s Breatheasy program.
The audio slow breathing program really works. If you take your blood pressure before and after a 15 breathing exercise you’ll notice the difference – a 5 to 10 point drop. Not bad for a quarter of an hour of your time. The effect is cumulative so you blood pressure will slowly get back to lower level over time provided your can spare those 15 minutes each day.
Breatheasy also comes with Kevin Riley’s guide Get Natural! which is a great source of information on diet.
All you’ll need then is a pair of trainers (or ’sneakers’ in N America) to kickstart your exercises.
Take care a one and all,
Simon
Diet and Exercise to lower blood pressure
How I lowered blood pressure without drugs
It’s been just over 5 months since I dispensed with high blood pressure medications (that weren’t working and had unpleasant side effects) and began exploring alternative cures.
Yesterday was a big milestone. For the first time ever my blood pressure was monitored below the much slated ideal of 120/80. After doing a slow breathing exercise for 15 minutes it came in as 116/79.
Of course I was suspicious at first as because my blood pressure is usually in the 125-135 / 85-95 range. Given that my parents both suffered from high blood pressure and my higher blood pressure is most likely ‘in the genes’. So I figured that’s about as good as it’ll get for me. So I took the reading again at it this time it came in at 111/ 76 – amazing!
Amazing when you consider I was consistently 190+/120+ only five months before, plagued by headaches, heart palpitations, and the end of my life seemed to be approaching rapidly. You could say I’ve come a long way.
So what’s the secret to my new found health and ‘normal’ blood pressure? Two things – Diet and Exercise.
Exercise includes:
- A 30 minute walk up the hill behind my house that gets my lungs and hearts working two or three time a week
- Taking 15 minutes off for a slow breathing exercise (assisted by BreathEasy audio tracks)
Diet includes:
- Drinking water more often (I prefer it carbonated)
- Having a bowl of oatmeal every morning
- Supplementing my daily diet with 500mg Vitamin C, multi vitamin (including 100mg Magnesium), 600mg Calcium, Cod Liver Oil capsules (Omega 3), 60mg Ginkgo Biloba, 160mg Korean Ginseng, 30 drops of Hawthorn tincture
- Virtually eliminating processed foods now sticking with the basics.
- Apples, bananas, celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes, (among other things of course).
- Cayenne powder, apple cider vinegar, and only the best extra vigin olive oil.
- Reduction in the amount of salt I consume. I now use the Celtic Sea Salt (Sel de Gurerande) naturally harvested from the coast of Brittanny, France (as they have done it for centuries)
- Less red meat, more chicken and fish (but not the skin)
- Red wine and dark chocolate everyday … and more nuts.
In a nutshell that’s about it. I now live a much healthier, relaxed and trouble free life with optimal blood pressure as well. It’s more than I would have imagined 5 months ago but now there’s no turning back. My final curtains have receded well off into the distant future.
How did I know what to do and eat to lower my dangerously high blood pressure? I did a lot of research and reading but the two indispensable helpers was Kevin Riley’s Guide Get Natural! Drop your Blood Pressure and BreathEasy.
Kevin Riley’s Get Natural! is the most informative (and enjoyable to read) guide on lowering blood pressure naturally without the use of medication. It really is top of the ‘lower your blood pressure advice’ mountain in my opinion.
BreathEasy audio tracks are also a great way to take 15 minutes off everyday and completely relax and calm down. I’m sure this is good for your whole-self, not just heart and blood pressure.
Well that’s what has worked for me. Please leave a comment and tell us what’s worked for you.
