According to the CDC:
High Blood Pressure in the United States:
- About 70 million American adults (29%) have high blood pressure—that’s 1 of every 3 adults.1
- Only about half (52%) of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control.1
- Nearly 1 of 3 American adults has prehypertension—blood pressure numbers that are higher than normal, but not yet in the high blood pressure range.1
- High blood pressure costs the nation $46 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications to treat high blood pressure, and missed days of work.2
Knowing a number of people who've suffered from hypertension I decided to do some digging around to find ways to help lower and prevent it. The last thing you want is for your doctor to prescribe for you a
blood pressure medication so finding natural ways to fight anxiety, stress, and
hypertension/high blood pressure were my goal.
Here are some of the methods that I've
discovered, some of which are really easy or at least important to implement:
1. Homeopathic Remedies:
There is one really awesome remedy that could help a lot called Nat. Mur. and you can find it at most health stores or online.
Natrum Muriaticum
If you want to research it you can pop that name into your google search bar and read about it, but otherwise know that it helps with anxiety, stress, depression, worry, high blood pressure... etc.
A secondary remedy is homeopathic doses of Phosphorus. Although it whether this remedy works may depend more on specific indicators of your condition, it would be worth looking into if you can't find Nat. Mur.
2. Herbal Remedies:
Some of the #1's are common cooking herbs!
Check out this website.
Basil, cinnamon and cardamom
are the top three that help.
Also on that list there is celery seed.
My brother Jed goes on a fishing trip once a year with
his buddies and all they eat is bacon. During this time his chronically
high blood pressure goes down. LOL ... maybe bacon is
the way to go? A lot of the naturally cured bacon is made with celery. There are many who say to stay away from bacon and other highly salty foods, still it is an interesting side note. If you're interested in eating bacon I'd recommend reading
Dr. Mercola's review.
ALSO.... here are so practical and tasty ways to help yourself out.
Try these fun recipes!
Notice the first thing it mentions is cutting salt? ....and the
homeopathic remedy is like a vaccine. If you look up Nat. Mur. you'll find that
it IS sodium chloride. It's such a small does though that it's like a finger
print. Barely traceable. Yet, your body recognizes the "finger print"
and sends antibodies to fight away the "poison" therefore actually
treating your real problem!!! Win/Win situation.
3. Diet:
Salt, Sugar and Gluten....
Sugar is worse than salt for blood pressure! Sugar
is like the worst thing we can put in our bodies because it creates
inflammation and inflammation causes a TON of issues in our body. The
problem is that sugar or a lot of ingredients that come in sugary foods
are addicting. It's hard to stop eating it but sometimes you have to
decided you don't want to wake up anymore with the health problems that control your life.
Mind over matter.
Watch this fun little video about sugar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4CZ81EmAsw
Another thing is
WHEAT.
Yes... like sugar it seems to be in EVERYTHING which makes it SO HARD to eliminate.
But it's
wreaking havoc in your life. According to Dr. Mark Hyman
in this article (which you should read or just watch
the video)
"Health problems caused by gluten sensitivity cannot be treated with
better medication. They can only be resolved by eliminating 100 percent
of the gluten from your diet." "Gluten is also linked to many
psychiatric and neurological diseases, including anxiety. depression,
schizophrenia, dementia, migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve
damage). It has also been linked to autism."
One book you may want to take the time to read is
Wheat Belly. Also,
Grain Brain is a good book, too. To read a little about the main concepts of
Wheat Belly check out this website:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/against-the-grain-how-wheat-wrecks-your-health.html
And if you're sad because gluten-free means no more tasty foods check out
The Gaps Goddess! Her lovely photos of healthy desserts will make you change your mind. :)
4. Reduce Stress:
Find
ways to get rid of the unnecessary stresses. Too many activities...
focusing on problems... letting them overwhelm you. This isn't something
I can give you any particular info on because I'm not in your head. You know your thoughts and which things are causing the most grief.
Talk to someone, pray, remove things that cause stress in your life and find time to relax. This will help
greatly. Check your daily routine to make sure you're getting enough sleep, proper diet, sunshine and things to keep your equilibrium and tranquility at top notch.
5. Be Happy:
No, seriously... if you're feeling glum maybe you need some B happy vitamins. B12 is a good place to start. B6..... or maybe a B Vitamin Complex? Sometimes we're just deficient, often times due to diet (gluten often prevents the body from absorbing the nutrients our bodies so desperately need). Vitamin D is also important and you can get a test through your doctor to determine if your levels are low. Check out Dr. Mercola's products or some other healthy resources for vitamins and supplements.
