Q&A: Alternative Medicine for High Blood Pressure?
Q: I have high blood pressure; some
days it's scary high. My doctor put me on medications, but I only lasted 3--
momtb4
It's important to talk to your doctor about managing your blood pressure. Many people ignore high blood pressure, because it's "invisible", but can lead to stroke and other cardiovascular disease when left untreated. Dietary changes can help support health blood pressure, and sometimes a weight loss of just 5-10% of your starting weight can help lower blood pressure. Limit your salt intake, and avoid processed foods, lowering your daily salt intake can also make a difference. Regular physical activity is also important, but you should not make changes in your exercise routine without your doctor's clearance. Bottom line? While lifestyle changes can support a healthy blood pressure, only a visit to your doctor can determine the best combination of medications, eating, and activity to effectively control your blood pressure, for life.
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Madelyn H. Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, is the iVillage Health Editor-at-Large, Diet & Nutrition Editor for the Today Show and the Founder and Director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Management Center.
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nice information thanks for sharing this blog
Physical activity is not the same as exercise. The act of breathing is a physical activity. Exercise is something more than mere activity in my opinion. So I guess the question is; Physical activity or exercise - What's the difference?
I am sorry if this gets posted twice, but the website had a problem and did not show me any 'characters in the picture abobe', so I am resubmitting:
Half of the people diagnosed with high blood pressure are not responsive to changes of sodium in the diet yet most medical advice is to restrict salt for life even if you don't have to.
Go on a very low salt diet for a month to see if you are one of them. Avoid anything containing sodium, including artificial sweeteners that may contain it. Tomatoes and celery are also high in salt naturally and avoid canned foods. Even frozen foods can use small amounts of salt in processing. Avoid also mustard and ketchup and mayo.
After a month of adhering to this very strictly, have your bp checked again. If it reduced you should be on a salt restricted diet and you are fortunate that you can exercise control of your bp this way. If you see no change in your bp, why bother to restrict yourself in your diet for no purpose?
Potassium and niacin (not niacinamide or timed release niacin) can lower bp. If you research online you can see actual medical testing has shown success with these so I would trust they should be among the things you may take to remedy high bp. There are also preparations/formulations containing hawthorne and other herbs, magnesium, calcium - if you are low in these they may help.
Co Enzyme Q-10 is very helpful as you age for more than just bp. Your body makes less of this as you get older. Be aware that the testing of niacin for high bp is in much lower doses than for lowering cholesterol. Too high doses of niacin can cause liver problems - so it is always a good thing to have your doctor test your liver and kidney functions.
Search 'square breathing' on Google. If you can do this easy exercise a few times daily you will DEFINITELY lower your bp. In fact, there are companies hawking 'machines' which do nothing more than get you to mimic the square breathing technique and claiming a new, none drug breakthrough for high bp.
Also, I read an article by a 'compounding' pharmacy. If you can find one and either on your own or through them find a cooperative doctor, they can make a preparation of smaller doses of several (3 perhaps) drugs for high bp, but each in smaller doses. They work together to bring your bp down but since the individual doses are so small you may have no side effects.
I researched all of this because I found myself on the sidewalk of my town doing deep breathing because I walk about 3 miles every other day and my doctor had given me two high bp meds that each caused dizziness and fatigue. I swear that I could not even make it to a curb to sit down.
I knew there was something wrong with my doctor to prescribe the second med when I told him I was too tired from the first. He was more concerned with the numbers than my quality of life. Drop such a doctor like a hot potato. They don't see you as an entire person but only as a set of presenting symptoms.
I have lowered my bp doing all of these things. I am planning to move and when I do I will find a cardiologist and not an internal medicine person. A cardiologist knows these drugs like the back of his/her hand and can probably more easily find the right combination for the patient.
I am no enemy to drugs and feel that the alternative med world can change formulations, etc. But I will not take a med that turns me into a zombie. To me we are all going to die and some of the drugs prescribed put you in a half-world in which you are not fully alive. Makes the doctor happy, but makes your life miserable.
I think the potassium helped me a great deal and have taken Co Q-10 and calcium for years. I used to crave certain foods and recently discovered that they were all high in potassium and now that I am taking it the cravings seem not as strong.
Kiwi fruit can help and support blood pressure and circulation.
Kiwi fruit is an outstanding source of vitamin c which cleanses the body and helps resistance to disease, it is also rich in potassium making it suitable for people with high blood pressure or oedema