Can a person really lower blood pressure naturally?

[Stuart G]

Yes, and this is not an ad for anything. Ignore if you want, and most will..
____________________________________________________________________________

June 27 2010, blood pressure 154/88..weight 168
four weeks later..July 28...l28/82....weight 163
no change in medications..done naturally...

Doctor told me to join a health club..Did that.they got a senior rate..
--20 dollars a month..Skokie Park District..Skokie Il
Worked on a recumbent cycle..Did that 29/31 days
Went on diet...did that..lost 5 pounds.
Gave up most sugar in diet..except for some morning cereal..(it is mixed with non sugared cereal)
Got rid of 80-percent of salt in diet..watched foods very carefully
Started eating blood pressure friendly foods...bananas, sunflower seeds(unsalted)..nuts.
Ate.. more fish, cut back on red meat.

talked to the pharmacist today.. he said spread the word..

..let people know that this can be done without additional pills..
that is why I posted here.
.Screw the drug companies and avoid them if possible..
Sure it is very difficult..So I don't eat ice cream and candy any more..so I avoid them?
..,,so is recovering from a stroke..avoid that if possible too
.... It ain't a rant of politics..but maybe its a rant against the drug assholes.

..They would have us addicted to every damn pill they could sell us..if they could..

[grasswire]

1. yes

other effective measures are cinnamon capsules and breathing exercises.

[Stuart G]

5. I forgot to add breathing exercises...you are correct..

I now practice about 10-15 minutes of a kind of easy controlled breathing..each day (very easy to do..for me simple slow in and out breathing)
..that helped a lot..also..all of this has helped improve sleep, which also helps..thanks ..

[lazarus]

2. my blood pressure and pulse rate

have dropped dramatically as I've lost weight (65 pounds so far). It's possible.

But there are also people who have naturally high blood pressure for whom diet and exercise and weight loss won't work, and they need the drugs.

[Hissyspit]

18. Same story here. I lost about 65 pounds since January and my blood pressure went down dramatically.

Just lowered my calorie and fat consumption and gave up soft drinks, for the most part.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. And walk, walk, walk

[CrownPrinceBandar]

8. Oh yeah..........

Not only BP lowering, but weight loss too. I lost over 30lbs in the past year from daily 40-60min walks. I'm to the point now where I don't feel right if I don't get at least a bit of exercise during the day.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. Absolutely!

Mom dropped 25+ pounds and was taken off two of her HB meds. It can be done!

[virgogal]

6. Good for you.

[Autumn Colors]

7. Eating dark chocolate helps, too

Read the label, though. Needs to be at least 70% cocoa.

Some other hints:
http://www.prevention.com/lowerbloodpressurenaturally/index.shtml

[ThomWV]

9. I quit smoking and drinking and my blood pressure numbers dropped by a third

[MajorChode]

10. It is possible to lower your blood pressure simply by drinking more water

Drinking more water has a natural diuretic effect.

[old mark]

11. WARNING!!!! iF YOU ARE ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS, TALK TO A DOCTOR FIRST!!!!!

Please do not just stop taking blood pressure meds on your own - this can cause spikes in your pressure with serious consequences. Most of these meds MUST be titrated slowly and it is best done under medical supervision.

I know someone who did this and stopped BP meds on his own...even after a great weight loss and diet changes, his BP spiked and he was hospitalized for several days-he collapsed at work.

Please improve your diet and exercise, etc, but talk to a real doctor before changing or stopping medication.

We now return to our regular broadcast.

mark

[Stuart G]

12. ABSOLUTELY CORRECT..DON'T STOP TAKING MEDS WITHOUT YOUR DOCS APPROVAL..

My story was about what the doctor told me to do.
I did not stop taking my meds. I just wanted to improve my situation so I would not have to take more meds...
Old mark is correct..talk to your doctor first......thanks for adding that.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

14. My brother-in-law died of a massive heart attack almost two years ago at the age of 39.

He didn't like taking medication and thought he could control his blood pressure by exercising (he died while working out on the treadmill). He left behind a wife and a young child. We are still broken up over this.

Please talk to your doctor before discontinuing any medication.

[old mark]

16. Stu, I saw that in your piece...I really wanted to make others aware of it.

FWIW, I have been on these meds for years and I am on a weight loss regimen and hoping to get off them eventually...the fewer meds I am on, the better I feel...


mark

[safeinOhio]

13. Last 2 months I have

given up beef and pork, started running, now up to 5 miles, lost 25 pounds. Last night I took my BP and it was 95/47. Most of the time it is around 115/65.
A few months back it 150/89 most of the time. I once got 199/92.
I think most of it is due to the running. I'm 60 years old and now run 5K in just under 40 minutes. A few months ago I got out of breath going up the steps.
I had run out on my script for the statin meds and the pain I've had in my shoulder for 2 years went away. I called my doc and told her I was stopping the meds and going to really exercise and diet. I feel the best I have in years.

[RagAss]

15. Toss out the salt shaker.

[Stuart G]

20. About the salt shaker..

I posted this in the lounge last month...about 5 days into this diet...




Olive Garden...Dangerous...Salt Pile......
Posted by Stuart G in The DU Lounge
Sun Jul 04th 2010, 06:40 AM
Yesterday some friends and I went to the Olive Garden for dinner...Afterwards we got into an arguement about salt..and daily intake..since two out of the four of us has high blood pressure..and are taking medication.

We found out that for people over 50 and those with high blood pressure.
1500 mg of salt is recommended on a daily bases..

Our dinner meals at the Olive Garden came in at least 3000 mg of salt per meal at a minimum. With bread sticks, salad dressing etc.

Twice the daily recommended. One meal........No more Olive Garden for me........ever........

[eridani]

17. It depends on the genetic component that you personally have

Systemic hypertension can't be fixed "naturally." Many other types can.

[Patiod]

19. No worries from Big Pharma!

Someone who works with Big Pharma here to say they're not worried.

What you said is absolutely correct, and can sometimes apply to diabetes and high cholesterol as well (sometimes). Radical change in diet and exercise - it's physicians' #1 choice for 1st line treatment for many of these conditions.

But very very few people have the willpower you do.

Docs tell me they threaten, exhort, use carrot AND stick, and still, very few people are willing to change their habits, so for 99%, it's onto drugs they go (although they're usually cheap generics these days - most HTN drugs are off patent). Good on you for being in the 1%. Think of all the other benefits that are accruing from your change in lifestyle!

Seriously - congrats!

[cilla4progress]

21. Good for you!

I did it too. Just using relaxation breathing. I am already in good shape weight, diet, activity, and "vice-" wise. It's genetic in my case. I learned relaxation breathing in a yoga class years ago, and it gets me through everything.

Congratulations! Glad you found the fountain of youth

[mike r]

22. Don't forget celery:

Celery contains active compounds called phthalides, which can help relax the muscles around arteries and allow those vessels to dilate. With more space inside the arteries, the blood can flow at a lower pressure. phthalides also reduce stress hormones, one of whose effects is to cause blood vessels to constrict. When researchers injected 3-n-butyl phthalide derived from celery into laboratory animals, the animals' blood pressure dropped 12 to 14 percent.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=14

[misanthrope]

23. My blood pressure had always been low until...

...last October when I was admitted to the hospital for an incident of pulmonary distress. They gave me aminophylline and evidently overdid it. My blood pressure skyrocketed, I developed muscular twitching and other side effects. After a couple of days, they finally removed the IV upon insistence from family. I had to stay in the hospital almost a complete week waiting for my blood pressure to return to normal.

Though it dropped enough (barely) for my release, it has never gone back to the previous level. Now, it is starting to creep back up again (except for the days following a week's vacation in another, more pulmonary-friendly region of the nation) and I fear I may have to soon return to medication for regulation.

I would love to exercise here but can't afford membership at a health facility and the weather here is hostile to those with breathing issues so activity outside is out of the question.

[Dinger]

24. Good To Know

Thanks.

[Cronus Protagonist]

25. I did all that, BP still over 200

Sometimes it drops to 180+, apparently randomly. The pills do nothing discernible - I'm on my fourth BP medication and none of them has made even a small dent in my numbers. Neither does diet or exercise. I wish there were a way for me to get to less than 160.

[Hannah Bell]

27. have you tried going completely vegetarian? it works for some people.

[Cronus Protagonist]

28. I tried that

I am now on the low GI diet.. have been for years now. Working out. Eating less. Taking pills. Losing weight. Cycling. Walking. etc.

[onestepforward]

26. Good job!

Thanks for posting! You've inspired me!
:toast:

[NutmegYankee]

29. It's said every 10 pounds adds 7/4 to the BP numbers.

Drop that weight off the mid-section and the kidneys are no longer compressed and respond by requesting less BP to supply blood.

[Stuart G]

30. Eight Foods that naturally lower blood pressure..

Sorry..no link, or source on this..I had saved it in my email...but this is correct...


If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor has probably already told you the basics. You can control blood pressure by getting to and maintaining a healthy weight; reducing your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) if it’s high; limiting the salt in your diet; exercising; and adding calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and potassium to your diet.

The following eight foods are among the best of the best when it comes to lowering your blood pressure.

Skim milk
Skim milk provides calcium and vitamin D, two nutrients that work as a team to help reduce blood pressure by about 3 to 10 percent. Although this doesn’t sound like much, it could add up to about 15 percent reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease.

Spinach, unsalted sunflower seeds, beans (black, white, navy, lima, pinto, kidney) Spinach, unsalted sunflower seeds and beans are all loaded with magnesium, a key ingredient for lowering and maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. These foods also provide lots of potassium, a primary nutrient in the fight against high blood pressure (see below).


Baked white potato, banana, soybeans
These three foods provide ample potassium. Your blood levels of potassium and sodium are inextricably linked. When potassium is low, the body retains sodium (and too much sodium raises blood pressure). When potassium is high, the body gets rid of sodium. Eating potassium-rich foods is important for maintaining a healthy balance of both minerals and, by extension, for keeping blood pressure low.

Important note: Do not take potassium supplements unless specifically prescribed by your doctor. Too much potassium will upset the balance, and could have serious, even life-threatening consequences.

Dark chocolate
Hooray for dark chocolate! Eating about 30 calories a day — that’s less than half an ounce of dark chocolate — was associated with a lowering of blood pressure without weight gain or other adverse effects, according to a study in the July 4, 2007, issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association).

[TBF]

31. I didn't like the pills, and I am borderline for high BP,

so I am trying to do it naturally through weight loss and execise. Have doing yoga and walking about an hour a day (adopted a dog - it is the only way I make myself get out there and do it). I have small children & eat out a lot... working on that now because I think it makes a tremendous difference if you eat healthy at home. I never had this problem until I gained weight with my pregnancies. I've lost 50 pounds since the last baby (born 3 years ago) but have 25 to go to get to ideal weight.