Hypertension

[Fae Oonagh]

Home Remedies For Hypertension
More than 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure). If you're one of those people, obviously you're not alone

We urge you to take a look at your lifestyle and, once and for all, do something to change whatever is causing the blood pressure problem.

The most important dietary recommendation for lowering blood pressure is to increase the consumption of plant foods in the diet, according to Jade Beutler, RRT, RCP, San Diego-based CEO of Lignan Research LLC and a licensed health care practitioner. A primarily vegetarian diet typically contains less saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, and more potassium, complex carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and essential fatty acids.

Double-blind studies have demonstrated that either fish oil supplements or flaxseed oil, both rich in omega- 3 fatty acids, are very effective in lowering blood pressure.

When blood pressure is measured, there are two numbers reported. The first and higher number is the systolic. It measures the pressure inside the arteries when the heart beats (constricts). The diastolic is the lower number and measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest in between beats.

Hypertension is ranked in stages. . .

Systolic Diastolic
Prehypertension 120 to 139 80 to 89
stage 1 140 to 159 90 to 99
stage 2 greater than greater than
160 100

If Your Blood Pressure Is High...

Eat two apples a day. The pectin in apples may help lower high blood pressure.
Eat raw garlic in salads and use it in cooking. Also take garlic supplements daily-one after breakfast and one after dinner.
Eat a papaya first thing in the morning every day and do not eat for two hours afterwards.
Eat two cloves of garlic first thing in the morning, every morning.
Meat and egg cause blood pressure to rise more than any other food. Avoid meats, sugar, tea, coffee, pickles, fried food. Eat Garlic and Amla.
Go Fish

According to a university study, blood pressure can be reduced by staring at fish in a fish tank. The relaxation benefits of fish-watching are equal to biofeedback and meditation.
If caring for a tank of fish isn't for you, check the Internet or your local video store for tapes of aquariums and fish swimming in their natural habitats.

Cucumbers are rich in potassium, phosphorus and calcium. They're also a good diuretic and calming agent. To help bring down blood pressure, try eating a cucumber every day. If you have a juicer, drink ½ cup of fresh cucumber juice. You can also include some carrots and parsley, which is another good diuretic.
Drink 2 cups of potato water daily.
Cayenne pepper is a wonderful blood pressure stabilizer.
Add 1/8 teaspoon to a cup of goldenseal tea and drink a cup daily.
Don't Spit Out the Seeds

In a blender, or with a mortar and pestle, crush 2 teaspoons of dried watermelon seeds. Put them in a cup of just-boiled water and let them steep for one hour. Stir, strain and drink the watermelon-seed tea a half-hour before a meal.
Repeat the procedure before each meal, three times a day. After taking the tea for a few days, have your pressure checked and see if it has improved. Watermelon-seed tea can be bought at health food stores.

NOTE: Watermelon seeds are known to strengthen kidney function. Be prepared to use bathroom facilities often.

How would you like a hot or cold cup of raspberry-leaf tea? It may help bring down your blood pressure. Combine 1 ounce of raspberry leaves to 2 cups of boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes in an enamel or glass saucepan. Drink 1 cup a day, hot or cold (no ice cubes). After a week, check the results by having your blood pressure taken.
The faster you talk, the less oxygen you have coming in. The less oxygen, the harder your heart has to work to maintain the supply of oxygen in your body. The harder the heart has to work, the higher your blood pressure seems to go.
The bottom line here is that if you talk slowly, you should need to take bigger and better breaths, giving you more oxygen and preventing your blood pressure from climbing.

If Your Blood Pressure Is Low...

Just as there are people with high blood pressure, there are people (not as many) with low blood pressure. These remedies are said to be effective blood pressure regulators and stabilizers.

Scientific studies have shown that five to 10 minutes of laughter first thing in the morning improves blood pressure levels. What's there to laugh at first thing in the morning? Listen to a funny local radio DJ, or go on-line and type in "jokes" at any Internet search engine (Yahoo!, Google, AltaVista, Dogpile, Excite).
We heard from a Russian folk healer who recommends drinking ½ cup of raw beet juice When a person feels that his/her blood pressure may be a little too low. This healer also told us that a person with low blood pressure knows that feeling.
7-14-7 Exercise

Deep breathing may help to bring your blood pressure levels up to normal. First thing in the morning and last thing at night, perform this breathing exercise.
Let all the air out of your lungs-exhale, squeezing all the air out-then let the air in through your nostrils, slowly to the count of seven. When no more air will fit in your lungs, hold tight for the count of 14. Next, gently let the air out through your mouth to the count of seven-all the way out. Inhale and exhale this way 10 times.

Even when your blood pressure is normal, continue this breathing exercise for all kinds of physical benefits.

Licorice root, which is available at health food stores, will help raise blood pressure. Take it in the morning and at noon. Ebb off when blood pressure is normal.
CAUTION: Do not take licorice root if you have high blood pressure or kidney problems. It can cause renal failure.