I Lowered My Blood Pressure
My Story
My blood pressure was slowly creeping up each year and got to 197/94 about two months ago. Due to my age and weight, none of my doctors really wanted to believe I was getting high blood pressure. I am sure that if I were overweight, I would have already been put on drugs - doctors have prejudices too. They don't treat all patients equally. I was told "you don't look like someone with high pressure."
I did not like the fact that my blood pressure was high and was worried that drugs or other health problems where in my future. High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes and other health conditions. There is absolutely nothing good that comes from having high blood pressure. Blood pressure drugs, like all drugs, have their side effects. I did not want to be on drugs any more than I wanted to have high blood pressure.
I started doing natural treatments for high blood pressure seriously about a month ago. Last week, I went to the doctor. Now, the doctor's office is where my blood pressure readings were always the highest. But, this time my blood pressure was 127/74. These are numbers I have not seen in a while. I knew my blood pressure would be lower. I had been checking it regularly with my home monitor. The techniques I used are for people who have the beginnings of high blood pressure like I did but not designed for those with really high blood pressure. Some of these techniques are good in general for your health. But, check with you doctor to make sure they are right for you and please continue to take your meds if you are supposed to be talking them.
My Staples
Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure
This is my list of what I did that actually worked for me:
- Begin to exercise. I was pretty sedentary (lazy) and actually hated to exercise ~ still do. The easy thing for me to do is always take the stairs and park far away when I go to the store, so I am always getting that extra workout in my schedule. The hard thing is structured exercise. So, I did a variety of different things for about 20 mins a day. I did a bit of running in place, jumping jacks, sit-ups and leg lifts to change up my routine. Do at least 20 mins of physical activity 5 days a week - 7 days a week is best. Pick a routine that is fun and get moving.
- Drink more water. I am talking a lot of water. Enough to where you are peeing a lot more. Definitely drink more water than any other type of liquid. Water flushes out your system. If you eat a lot of processed foods with salt and other junk in it, than you have to drink a lot more than your recommended 8 glasses of water. Drink water. It is good for you.
- Lemon juice. Straight lemon juice with no sugar with help lower your pressure. It is sour. Mix with water to make it drinkable. Have at least a few tablespoons a day. Fresh lemon juice or from a bottle - both will work. It really works to lower your pressure right away.
- Eat bananas. One banana a day can help lower blood pressure. I believe it is the potassium that helps. However, it is a good idea to eat more fruits and veggies in general.
- Try a natural herbal supplement with Hawthorn as an ingredient. I take "Now Blood Pressure Health" which has 300mg of Hawthorn and 150mg Grape Seed Extract. One to two pills a day. These pills don't seem to have any side effects. I took CoQ10, which is supposed to work. However, it make me feel sick for some reason.
I am doing all of the above and have lowered my blood pressure by 20 points. I continue on this regime to keep my blood pressure at normal levels. I make sure to monitor my blood pressure regularly to make sure my natural remedies are working. I hope these tips may help others keep their pressure within normal range.