What’s Your Headache Telling You?
(Health Secrets) Learning the ways to lower blood pressure naturally is critical to good health. High blood pressure (the medical term is hypertension) is a huge problem in the Western world, but the amazing thing is that many people don’t even know they have it. This is why high blood pressure is often referred to as the silent disease among those who have yet to recognize their symptoms. Authorities estimated that around one in three Americans have high blood pressure, a truly astounding statistic! So you can see that learning ways to lower blood pressure naturally is a big deal.
Recognizable symptoms of high blood pressure include heart palpitations, feeling overheated, and experiencing dizzy spells. The most likely populations to have high blood pressure are the overweight, pre-diabetics, and full blown diabetics.
These measures should be of concern to anyone wondering about high blood pressure:
*Systolic is the first number of a blood pressure reading and is generally the higher number. Systolic measures blood pressure as the heart pumps.
*Diastolic is the second and generally lower number. Diastolic measures blood pressure during the heart’s resting points.
There are blood pressure reading devices located in pharmacies and health stores. You can even buy one at Whole Foods. The first source at the bottom of this article is an infographic that will be quite helpful in understanding your readings.
It’s important to realize that your readings will vary according to your emotional and mental condition or physical exertion level at the time you decide to take a reading. This means measuring often is the best idea. Chronic high readings are a red flag.
And while we are on the topic of mental and emotional conditions, meditating, practicing yoga, and moderate exercise are always beneficial for anyone with high blood pressure. And it should go without saying that relaxation and ridding your life of stress is key to normalizing blood pressure.
Four ways to lower blood pressure naturally
There are some traditional physicians who have opted out of the latest dangerous drug protocol for high blood pressure, instead endorsing older drugs and safer diuretics. This is a step in the right direction, but your first choice should be learning ways to lower blood pressure naturally. It is only natural remedies that can restore true health.The following are safe natural substances that can normalize blood pressure on their own. But be sure you don’t mix them with pharmaceuticals, or you could end up in real trouble. If you are already taking pharmaceuticals to lower your blood pressure, enlist a natural health practitioner to help you make the switch to natural remedies.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is naturally produced in the body, but levels drop off as we age. CoQ10 has been tested clinically and shown to reduce both systolic and diastolic levels in people with high blood pressure. CoQ10 is renowned for increasing cellular energy and promoting heart health. It absolutely essential for anyone taking statin drugs to supplement with CoQ10.
Two recent studies have demonstrated significant reductions with systolic and diastolic readings in three months or even less time from taking CoQ10. One study used 100 mg of CoQ10 twice daily and the other used 60 mg of CoQ10 twice daily.
Hawthorn berry is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine tonic for the heart and cardiovascular system. Hawthorn berry can be best consumed as a tea or a tincture. Most herbalists do not recommend hawthorn extract, preferring the benefits from the whole herb.
Several articles in institutions and journals have agreed that Hawthorn is as effective as pharmaceuticals against high blood pressure and heart health issues, but without the side-effects of pharmaceutical meds. These include:
*The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC)
*The June 10th 2009 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
*The February 18, 2009 issue of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
*The 2009 issue of the American Journal of Chinese Medicine.
Ginger is considered a wonder tonic in Ayurvedic medicine. It has demonstrated blood thinning properties as well as calcium channel blocking, which keeps calcium from entering the heart and adhering to inner artery walls that calcify and create blockages. Some pharmaceutical meds for high blood pressure are calcium channel blockers with side-effects.
Ginger taken in capsules or made into teas with thin ginger root slices is quite safe as long as you’re not taking other blood thinners, including aspirin. The UMMC recommends dosages of 75 to 2,000 mg of ginger with food daily, with a limit of 4,000 mg.
Nattokinase is an enzyme extracted from natto, a food made from fermented soybeans. Nattokinase clears artery blockages. If one has bleeding problems and takes meds for it, beware.
Otherwise, eating natto or taking nattokinase supplements is safe and effective. If you want to try eating natto as the Asians do, you will find it ready-to-eat in most grocery stores that cater to Asians. If you choose a nattokinase supplement, be sure it has retained vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 transports calcium, (which tends to be overly consumed in the Western world), out of blood vessels and into bones where it belongs. This helps prevent calcification in the arteries and heart.
For more information:
http://www.bloodpressureuk.org
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120919124858.htm
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsek/a/Hypertension.htm
http://altmedicine.about.com
Published with permission from Alignlife. Original article link is here.
