The National Blood Pressure Education Program (NBPEP) recommends these methods to lower blood pressure:
Maintain a healthy weight
Exercise
Cut back on saturated fats
Limit alcohol and sodium
Increase dietary potassium
Consume recommended levels of fruits and vegetables
Many studies have shown the above tactics to be very effective in those who have mild to moderate high blood pressure problems.
However, the emphasis should be on preventing blood pressure from reaching alarm levels. Once a person develops high blood pressure, he or she may be on medication for life and that means a poorer quality of life, according to the researchers, not to mention the increased health expenses.
Ultimately, even small decreases in blood pressure can lead to big gains in health. Scientists estimate a very small reduction (as small as 2 points) could save more than 70,000 lives a year.
Journal of the American Medical Association October, 2002;288:1882-1888
National Institute of Health October 15, 2002
This is an important topic as over one-fourth of the U.S. adult population suffers from high blood pressure, or hypertension.
Following the guidelines discussed in my nutrition plan will normalize blood pressure in about 75 percent of people. Aerobic exercise is also extremely important.
The remaining individuals' high blood pressure is typically caused by some type of emotional stress. This causes excessive output of the adrenals, which responds very favorably to normalization of these emotional stresses.
My approach to addressing emotional stresses is through psychological acupressure tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It is one of the most profound healing techniques I know, and you can review my free EFT manual to learn how to use this tool. For more in-depth knowledge of the EFT technique, you can also check out my EFT Video set on VHS or DVD.
Nutritionally, omega-3 fats are also important, especially optimizing your omega-6:3 ratio http://www.mercola.com/article/omega3.htm. It appears that vitamin D may be useful in normalizing high blood pressure as well.
It is important to realize that uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause a stroke that could potentially kill you. The diastolic (lower number) is not as important for developing strokes, but it does relate to long-term problems.
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