Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Story at-a-glance…
Approximately 70 Million Americans (1 in 3) have high blood pressure which, when left untreated, raises your risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, dementia and more.
Factors contributing to high blood pressure include insulin resistance, elevated uric acid levels, poor nutrition in childhood and exposure to lead and pollution.

Main Causes of High Blood Pressure:
1. Insulin Resistance – As your insulin levels rise, it causes your blood pressure to increase.
2.Elevated Uric Acid Levels – Uric acid is a byproduct of fructose (sugar) metabolism.

Importance of Diet and Insulin Sensitivity:
Eliminate or dramatically reduce sugar and processed fructose from your diet. The easiest way to do this is to replace processed foods with real, whole foods.
Reduced sugar intake will address not only insulin resistance but also elevated uric acid levels.
One 2010 study discovered those who consumed 74 grams or more per day of fructose (2.5 sugary drinks) had a 77% greater risk of having stage 2 hypertension.

Avoid False Hypertension Diagnosis, 3 suggestions…
– Incorrect blood pressure due to bad cuff size: if you’re overweight, taking your reading with a size “average” blood pressure cuff can lead to a false reading, use the right size for your body.
– Incorrect arm position: if your bp is taken while your arm is parallel to your body, your reading can be up to 10% higher. BP reading should be taken with the arm at a right angle to your body
– Nervousness: “White Coat Syndrome”, take anti-stress measures before reading occurs

Several “Natural” Remedies you can implement to lower High Blood Pressure:
1. Omega 3 – Grandma was right – Fish Oil can help
As reported by webmd (Dr. Mark Filipovic) a recent study found that doses of omega-3 fatty acids as low as less than a gram a day could help those who already have high BP reduce their numbers…the fish oil may work by improving blood vessel function and reducing inflammation, among other things.
Best supplement for Omega-3 – high-quality full-spectrum DHA supplement like krill oil.

2. Beetroot Juice – In one small placebo-controlled trial, 1 glass of beetroot juice per day for one month reduced blood pressure in those diagnosed with hypertension by an average of 8mmHg systolic and 4mmHg diastolic pressure (this 8/4 reduction is very close to that provided by blood pressure medication)
The beneficial effects are related to the nitrate (NO3) found in the juice
Other veggies high in NO3 include: radishes, kale, celery, mustard green turnip tops, spinach, cabbage, eggplant, leeks, carrots.

3. Garlic & Watermelon – In an experiment by the British BBC Series, “Trust Me, I’m a Doctor,” designed to evaluate which of these 3 foods was the most effective for lowering BP, found that beetroot produced the greatest results.
It lowered bp from an average baseline of 133.6 to 128.7 in one week
Garlic came in second, lowering bp to an average of 129.3
Watermelon, in last place, lowered bp to an average of 129.8

4. Vitamin D – Vitamin D can also relax your arteries and improve blood pressure.
Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to insulin resistance, elevated cholesterol, obesity and high BP.
Sun exposure causes your body to produce vitamin d, lack of sunlight reduces your vitamin d and increases parathyroid hormone production, which increases blood pressure.

5. Exercise – A fitness program can go a long way toward regaining your insulin sensitivity and normalizing your blood pressure.
If you are insulin resistant, you’ll also want to include weight training. When you work individual muscle groups, you increase blood flow to those muscles, and good blood flow will increase your insulin sensitivity.
Also, train yourself to breathe through the nose when exercising, as mouth breathing during exercise can raise your heart rate and blood pressure, sometimes resulting in fatigue and dizziness.

Additional ideas….
Avoid smoking.
Reduce noise pollution if you can.
Address stress (connection between stress and hypertension).
It has been shown that people with heart disease can lower their risk of subsequent cardia events by over 70% simply by learning to manage their stress.

Samaritan Senior Care in Meridian, Id provides Home Care services to those in need including the elderly and disabled. We believe in providing holistic care for each client, ensuring they receive the best care for all facets of their well-being including, physical, mental and emotional. Contact us for a free consultation, we look forward to meeting you.

Thanks for reading. Samaritan Senior Care – Your Home Care Provider for the Treasure Valley