8/28/07

How to lower blood pressure 20 points

The Blood Pressure Cure review

The author of The Blood Pressure Cure: 8 Weeks to Lower Blood Pressure Without Prescription Drugs says lowering salt intake is not the key to lowering your blood pressure.

the blood pressure cure

He says reducing salt intake is only a small key to getting your readings down. He says the effects is marginal at best, only a 2 to 3 point drop.

What he does recommend is using a salt substitute for your cooking. He notes that a salt substitute is made of potassium chloride which is an essential nutrient that rids the body of salt.

Potassium can lower your blood pressure 6 to 8 points. Doctors recommend we get 3,500 mg of potassium a day.

And if you want to lower your blood pressure another 8 to 11 points, start taking grape seed extract.

Another tip is drinking hot cocoa in the evening as it helps reduce your blood pressure.

Eat your tomatoes and lower your blood pressure 10%. You can take a lycopene capsule daily which is the equivalent of 3 to 4 medium tomatoes.

These are just a few of of the solutions discussed in his book. And he says about 85% of the people should be able to manage their blood pressure without drugs. And that’s the kind of news I want to hear.

To learn much more about lowering your blood pressure, check out The Blood Pressure Cure: 8 Weeks to Lower Blood Pressure Without Prescription Drugs

-Chris

How to lower blood pressure? Take your medications

Ask the doctor how to lower your blood pressure and he’ll give you medicine. You’re probably not going to get your readings down because you don’t take your medicines all the time. You may see a drop in your readings and then stop taking the meds thinking you’re cured. This is according to a new study released in http://www.thelancet.com/

The editorial states “Despite very effective and cost-effective treatments, target blood pressure levels are very rarely reached, even in countries where cost of medication is not an issue. Many patients still believe that hypertension is a disease that can be cured, and stop or reduce medication when blood pressure levels fall.”

I’m in this statistic too. I started taking my meds and then after a few days I stopped. I am aware of the risks of high blood pressure - death being the most severe - but I didn’t want to take meds for the rest of my life, I wanted to change my lifestyle and eating habits instead.

And it worked. I dropped my readings by 20 points in a few months. I still have to watch what I eat, watch how much salt I eat and do some activity to keep my levels low. But, I don’t have to be on medications for the rest of my life.

The editorial offered this advice to give to other physicians treating patients with high blood pressure:

“Physicians need to convey the message that hypertension is the first, and easily measurable, irreversible sign that many organs in the body are under attack. Perhaps this message will make people think more carefully about the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle and give preventative measures a real chance,” the Editorial concludes.

What I get from this is that medication is not the only answer. It’s lifestyle changes that will produce lasting results without any side effects. High blood pressure is a silent killer. It needs to be taken seriously.

-Chris

Free newsletter: Learn how to lower your blood pressure naturally

How to lower blood pressure

I’m always looking for tips on how to lower blood pressure and since so many people are affected by it, there are always several research studies being done on it.

I just read on Reuters that a major study found that women who eat whole grains often in their diet may lower their risk of developing high blood pressure. Well that’s good if you don’t have high blood pressure, but what about me? I already do.

From what I understand, adding these grains to my meals will help me from getting worse. So I guess that’s a good thing. I can work on maintaining it and then work on lowering my blood pressure

So the advice is if you don’t have hypertension and you want to keep it that way, add whole grains to your diet - this includes oatmeal, bran and brown rice. And the study advises to avoid refined grains like pasta and white bread and other foods made from whole flour.

I found this site that offers several tips on how to lower blood pressure that you might want to check out.

Have a great day.

-Chris

How to lower high blood pressure

If you want to know how to lower high blood pressure then listen up. You already should be cutting back on your salt intake. You should reduce your salt intake to 1,000 to 1,500 mgs of salt a day. That is not a lot.

Check nutrition labels and avoid fast foods and you can accomplish this.

Tips on eating out - avoid soups and starchy items, such as mashed potatoes and bread. Choose steamed vegetables, plain baked potatoes or rice, and meats without heavy sauces. Green salads are great too, but watch for salty extras such as croutons and hard cheeses, and keep an eye on the dressings — some contain copious amounts of salt. Better to go with a basic oil and vinegar. Don’t even look at potato salad, macaroni salad or cole slaw.

Foods to eat:

Make sure you get your potassium. Potassium helps eliminate sodium from your body so the more potassium you eat the more sodium eliminated.

You can get your daily requirement of potassium from fruits and veggies. Go for the fruits and try to stay away from the juices. They have too much sugar and calories.

Pomegranate and oranges are two good sources of potassium.

Lower blood pressure without medications:

“By tweaking your diet you may lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels enough that your doctor allows you to taper off your medications.”

-Chris

Free newsletter with tips on how to lower high blood pressure naturally

Source: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-hew-askus20aug20,1,4117

8/27/07

Foods I eat to lower my blood pressure

Hey all-

So I went shopping the other day at Sam's and had to restock on my foods that I eat to help lower my blood pressure.

The one I mainly eat now at least 2-3 handfuls a day of is walnuts. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids which are good for the heart.

I eat these by themselves whenever I want a quick snack that fills me up since they are high in protein. I also add them to my cereal and oatmeal to keep me full.

Keeping the weight off is important to helping your blood pressure levels.



Then I got some frozen blueberries. These are one of the best super foods you can eat for your health. They are loaded with antioxidants which help get rid of free radicals that harm your body. I also add these to my oatmeal and cereal.



I eat tuna 2-3 times a week with just a tablespoon of Miracle Whip and a tablespoon of pickle relish. I either eat this with whole wheat bread or some whole wheat crackers.



I just bought this dark chocolate based on some articles I read that this can help lower your blood pressure. The recommended serving size on the bag is 4 pieces. That has 220 calories though! Recent research shows that one small piece - about 30 calories is enough to get the benefits on your blood pressure. So all you need is one half of one piece and you have your daily amount.

It tasted so good that I ate the whole piece. :o)

That's only about 70 calories. You can eat it after a meal to act as your dessert.



I eat 2 slices of turkey breast late at night when I want a 3 am snack. It only has 30 calories in each slice so it's not bad for you. It also has protein to curb your late night cravings.



And last but not least, Bear Naked Natural Granola. This granola has no high fructose corn syrup so it's low in calories from sugars. It also has flaxseed which also has omega 3 fatty acids which help lower your blood pressure. I usually combine this in a bowl with the blueberries and walnuts and add some low fat yogurt. It tastes good and it's good for you.



There you have it, the foods I eat to help lower my blood pressure. You can add some of these to help get your readings down naturally without relying on hypertension medications.

-Chris

Why is high blood pressure called the silent killer?

High blood pressure is often referred to as a silent killer. Reason being because most people are not aware that they have it until it's too late. Unfortunately, you only get one or two warnings. One of the main warning signs of high blood pressure is a heart attack, and not everyone survives from a heart attack. So that's why hypertension is referred to as a silent killer.

High blood pressure does not give off very many warning signs like other deadly diseases. You don't get sick or ill when you have high blood pressure like you do with AIDs. It doesn't tell you something's wrong like acne.

So how do you know if you have it? You have to go get your regular checkup and they take your blood pressure. But if you're like me, going to a doctor makes your blood pressure go up just because you don't like going to the doctor or it makes you nervous. Well, now with blood pressure monitors, you can check your blood pressure at home without the nervousness of being at the doc's office and you can get a more accurate reading.

You can check your blood pressure often throughout the day to get an accurate reading. If the readings are high then you go to the doc and talk about lowering your blood pressure.

High blood pressure is called the silent killer for a reason. Don't let it sneak up on you.

If you do have it then here are some quick tips to get it down:

-Stop smoking
-Cut down on fried foods and hydrogenated oils
-Take up yoga and meditation
-Reduce stress
-Exercise
-Eat more fresh fruits and veggies
-Limit your intake of chips, popcorn and other high salt foods
-Limit your alcohol intake

Add some of these to your daily routine and you can possibly avoid having to take medications to lower your blood pressure. But talk to your doctor first.

-Chris

8/25/07

3 foods that help lower your blood pressure

As you know from reading this blog, I'm trying to lower my blood pressure naturally without drugs. There are a few ways to do that - exercise, alternative medicine, lifestyle changes and changing my diet habits. Today I wanted to let you know about some foods that help lower blood pressure.

Some of these you may have already heard of and some you may not have.

Chinese Wolfberry

The Chinese wolfberry has long been a stable in traditional Oriental medicine. Its major health benefits have been noted since 1000 AD. It is loaded with antioxidants, phytochemicals and other important nutrients lacking in our regular diet. And it is these antioxidants that are thought to play an important role in maintaining and controlling blood pressure. But above all that, perhaps the most important note about the Chinese wolfberry is that it tastes good. If you're going to add something to your regular diet, you usually want to be able to eat it without gagging.

Bilberry

The bilberry is blue just like the blueberry and is also sweet in taste. That's a good start. It's in the same family as cranberries, huckleberries and blueberries so you know it has to be good for you. What make the bilberry so special is its high amounts of phytochemicals which are thought to have the ability to help lower blood pressure. It also contains high amounts of vitamin C and E - two powerful antioxidants that help eliminate free radicals. The bilberry helps improve circulation and blood flow which helps relieve the pressure of the blood on your veins and arteries. It's another good food to start adding to your diet.

Green Tea

I'm sure you've probably heard about drinking green tea to help with your health, so here's one more reason - green tea is thought to help lower high blood pressure and your cholesterol. I note both high blood pressure and cholesterol since most people who have hypertension also have high cholesterol.

Lately green tea has risen in popularity and its high concentrations of epigallocatechin gallate have been made popular in the new Snapple tea commercials. They call it EGCG and feature it prominently on their bottles.

But what I find so special about green tea is that it has been shown to not only help prevent high blood pressure but to help lower it in those who already have it. And that's the boat I'm in.

And that's why I try to drink 2-3 cups of tea at least 3-4 times a week. There are several varieties of green tea so try a few to get one you like. You can also try Yerba Mate which has the same health benefits of green tea.

So now you have your blood pressure lowering regimen - berries and tea. Enjoy.

These aren't the only foods that help lower your blood pressure. There are several others. And I'll post them here in future posts.

Have a great day.

-Chris

8/22/07

Tips to lower your blood pressure

If you want to know how to lower your blood pressure the answers are simple - take drugs or change your lifestyle. Or just move to New York.

New studies come out almost everyday about what to do to reduce hypertension.

The latest news:

Walk 30 minutes a day three times a week. You can do it in 3 - 10 minute walks throughout the day to get the same benefits.

Get in the habit of walking and you can start to talk to your doctor about reducing the amount of medications you're on.

And this new walking habit will lead to other healthy habits that will improve your health.

Use a pedometer to help monitor your daily progress and use a blood pressure monitor to track your lower numbers.

This walking habit is enough to reduce the risk of the silent killer.

Another interesting tidbit I learned was that New Yorkers have a longer life expectancy than other Americans. The reasons: brisk walking and no smoking.

New Yorkers walk instead of driving and they walk fast. Often passing lost tourists looking for directions. And this brisk walking is what keeps their hearts healthy and the pounds off.

This also reminds me of my stint at UPS in the pre-load. You had to walk fast if you wanted to keep up with the packages or else you'd get backed up and unable to catch up. So now when I walk people often struggle to keep up with me as I kept that brisk UPS walk with me when I left.

To your new healthy walking habit and your lower blood pressure.

-Chris

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/15/health/webmd/main3170798.shtml