There are many different natural remedies for high blood pressure that will be able to help you bring your hypertension under control without having to result to expensive medications that come with an array of dangerous, sometimes deadly side effects. Luckily, there are many different steps that you can take to naturally lower blood pressure that require little investment aside from the effort and time necessary to make the necessary changes in your life.
Weight Loss
Maintain a healthy weight and lose weight if you are overweight. This is the first of the natural remedies for high blood pressure that doctors will recommend, and is a good idea in the treatment of any number of different medical conditions. Even a modest reduction in weight will coincide with a similar reduction in blood pressure if you were overweight when you started.
Exercise
The value of regular exercise to good health cannot be underestimated. Exercise and weight loss are two of the best things that you can do for your health. Regular exercise will not only improve your circulation and cardiovascular system, but it strengthens your heart and improves your overall health. Though it may be difficult at first, you should work up to 30 to 60 minutes per day of cardiovascular exercise with weight training.
Stop Smoking
Stop smoking if you are a smoker. It has long been known that smoking is very bad for your health, but it is not as well known that smoking has a direct influence on blood pressure levels. When you smoke, your blood pressure rises for a period. Prolonged use results in fluid retention, hardening of the arteries, and other physical changes that result in elevated blood pressure.
Photo Credit: Rob Owen-Wahl
Eat More Garlic
Eat plenty of garlic. Garlic is among the most potent natural remedies for high blood pressure you will be able to find. Garlic can be taken in capsule form, but is best consumed in its natural form. The great thing about using garlic to naturally lower blood pressure is that it can be easily incorporated into any diet. The only concern when it comes to increasing your intake of garlic is that, due to its function as a natural blood thinner, it should be taken with caution if you are already taking any prescription blood thinners.
Chocolate as a Natural Blood Pressure Remedy
Add a bit of chocolate to your diet. When we say chocolate, we don’t mean the sugar-laden candy bars that find in supermarket check-out lines. Natural cocoa, found in adequate amounts in cocoa powder and in high-quality, very dark chocolates, has been shown in studies to be beneficial in treating hypertension. When shopping, be sure to read the label. You will want to be sure that your chocolate of choice does not contain a lot of added sugar, and does not contain any milk. The reason is not known, but milk interferes with the body’s ability to use the antioxidants and other beneficial compounds found in chocolate. For best effect, you will want to consume 50 to 100 grams per day.
Reduce Your Stress
Take steps to reduce your stress level. All of the natural remedies for high blood pressure covered here are going to require some lifestyle adjustment, but one of the most difficult to accomplish is lowering your stress level. Prolonged periods of stress and anxiety will result in higher blood pressure levels, so steps must be taken to reduce them. There are a variety of herbs for anxiety that can help you.
As you can see, there are several different natural remedies for high blood pressure that do not require a prescription, and can be used safely and effectively without having to worry about side effects. CoQ10 benefits high blood pressure, as do a number of other herbs. Still, you need to keep in mind that natural methods work more slowly than prescriptions, and can take several weeks before they begin showing an effect.
The natural blood pressure cures covered here help your body naturally work to correct the internal problems that are causing your hypertension and support overall improved health. An added benefit to using natural methods is that you will be able to use them for a fraction of what you would have spent on prescriptions, saving you potentially thousands of dollars over time.
